Many, many ideas that I liked! I can't pick all of them, unfortunately. So, I turned to another two reviews. Flashing Silver's and then full-metal-sousuke's. Thank you guys for the support! You rock! Enjoy the chappie!
I do not own Naruto!
On to the fic.
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She rushed through the streets, looking rapidly from side to side.
Sakura knew she was being paranoid, but she had to make sure Naruto was nowhere near her location. It would ruin EVERYTHING.
Now sure that someone was watching her, she turned around. Naruto. What a wonderfully coincidence!
"Uh, uh, uh! Heeeey! Naruto!" Sakura stuttered.
"Ohayo, Sakura-chan! Hey, what's that!" Naruto pointed at two large bulging bags.
"They are, um… you don't want to know that, Naruto." Sakura said stiffly, in an almost seductive voice. Apparently, her voice made major changes when she lied.
"Are you okay? You sound kind of weird." Naruto said, concerned.
"I'm-." Sakura began, but Naruto interrupted her.
"Oh! I get it!" He exclaimed. "You have… girl troubles, right? Going through that, err… time of the day?" He added, quietly.
'It's time of the month, but whatever floats his boat.' Sakura decided.
She nodded vigorously. "Yeah," she uttered, raspy, "that's it. Girl troubles. I have here… uh…" She searched for a word.
"Girl trouble supplies." Naruto finished solemnly. On a happier note, he added, "If you ever need me for that kind of thing… I'll help you! I don't know how… I think old man Hokage mentioned something about it waaaaaay back, but… I can't really remember."
"Uuuh, that's fine, Naruto! I'll go take this girl troubles supplies to my house and I'll… get help. Err, see you tonight!"
"Wait, why tonight?" Naruto asked.
"I… want to give you a gift." Sakura said over her shoulder, speeding up.
She ran into her house to be meet with Ino's surprised face.
"Oh, it's just you. I thought it might have been Naruto!" Ino sighed, relieved.
"Yeah. Good thing." Sakura laughed nervously. "Listen, we need someone to lure Naruto over here."
"Oh, we already have that worked out." Grinned Ino.
"You do? Really?" Questioned Sakura, impressed.
"Yup. You are going to go out with him to an early dinner, end up coming here somewhere between seven and eight-thirty." Ino instructed.
"Wha-what? Why me?" Sakura asked, a blush appearing on her face.
"Because, Sakura, none of us connect with Naruto like you do AND there's a chance that he might not follow anyone else back here." Ino answered.
"Alright, I'll do it." Sakura agreed.
"Didn't take much convincing for you." Ino noticed with a chuckle.
Sakura blushed a little deeper. "Shut up, Ino-pig!"
"Hmmm, getting nervous, are you? You and I both know you only call me that when I'm getting close to one of your secrets or I know you have a crush. Now which is it? Or maybe," Ino said with a gleam in her blue eyes, "maybe it's both."
"Ino!" Sakura whinned. "Stop it, I'll go get Naruto, okay?!"
"So, pretending to make a deal when there is none to make, are you? You actually want to go pick Naruto up, don't you?" Ino crossed her arms, giving Sakura a knowing look.
Sakura failed to keep her smiling face straight and also was unsuccessful at keeping her face unblushing. "Well…! You and Shikamaru!" She exclaimed.
Everyone working on Sakura's house fell silent for just a moment, and then continued their work.
Ino laughed in an unconcerned way. "Shikamaru and I? So what! It's been like that. But, what about you and Naruto? Hmmm? Yeah! I can see sparks fly."
Sakura looked at the floor, tomato red, unable to look at Ino.
"Aw, our little Sakura is blushing! Don't worry, your SECRET is safe with me." Ino soothed, saying secret extra loudly, gaining some curiosity from others.
"I'm not so sure." Sakura muttered.
"Don't worry, I won't spread it around. Not until you are ready. Now, go get ready! You have a date in a few hours!" Ino ordered.
Sakura gave a mock curtsy, "Yes ma'am!" and started up the stairs.
"Oh, you're silly and funny!" Ino exclaimed wildly, only in an attempt to get Sakura's attention.
Sakura turned around with a giggle and stuck her tongue out at Ino.
Ino copied the motion and let Sakura continue her ascent up the stairs.
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"Ino! I'm bored." Sakura whimpered.
"It's just two more hours." Hissed Ino.
"Aren't you done yet?!" Sakura snarled, becoming very unlady-like in her boredom.
"Yeah, we are. Just, for some reason, we want you to be her between 7 and 8:30." Ino insisted.
"Why?" Sakura asked.
"No reason at all! We all just thought it would be fun to make you miserable!" Ino laughed.
"Yeah, thanks. You're a great friend, Ino." Sakura mumbled.
"I know, aren't I?" Ino answered.
"Right now, no." Said Sakura miserably.
"Well, you might change your mind sometime so-." Ino was cut off by the ring of the doorbell.
"Who is that?" Ino mouthed.
Sakura shook her head and walked towards the door and opened it slightly. Naruto was at the door.
"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted.
"Hi, Naruto! Uh…" She looked inside nervously when a loud thud sounded from inside her house and Ino was clearly telling everyone to shut up.
"What was that?" Naruto asked.
"It was… it was a… rat! Yeah, a rat." Sakura lied terribly.
"I'll get rid of it for you, then, if you want." Naruto offered.
"No!" Sakura yelled, surprising Naruto with her strong refusal. "I mean, no, that's okay. He's… my pet rat. Yeah."
"What's his name?" Asked Naruto excitedly.
"Err… his name?" Naruto nodded exuberantly. "His name is… is Tony. Tony the rat." Sakura mentally kicked herself.
"Tony… the rat. I like that." Naruto nodded, getting a feel for the name of the imaginary rat.
"So, uh… do you want to go on a…date, again?" Naruto inquired.
"Uh, sure! Yeah, let me just lock the door." Sakura answered, closing the door and taking a key.
"Alright! Let's go to that sushi place!" Naruto decided.
"Only if you come to my house later so I can give you your gift!" Sakura bargained.
"Okay, sounds fine to me." Naruto agreed.
"Thought it would." Sakura smiled.
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"I'm stuffed! Okay, Sakura-chan! Let's get to your house soon, it looks kind of like it'll rain."
"Okay, we'll be quick about getting there, then. I just hope we aren't as late as I think we are…"
"For what?" Naruto asked cluelessly.
"Nothing! I just… need to go to the bathroom!" Sakura shammed.
"You can't really be late for going to the bathroom, can you? Wait… unless you already went… Uh? So you have to go pretty badly, huh?" Naruto wondered.
"Not really, it's just… my…"
"Girl troubles?" Naruto finished understandingly.
"Exactly. My girl troubles." She blushed.
"You look a little feverous, too, Sakura. You might be running one." He put a hand to her forehead and felt it. "You are a little warm, are you okay?"
Sakura nodded, blushing even deeper.
"Oh, yeah, I get it! Tsunade-baa-chan told me sometimes girls get headaches on their 'time.' I don't get why every Hokage is so dead bent on preparing me for that kind of thing, though." Naruto shrugged.
"That's right. When we go in, I call first dibs on the bathroom!" Sakura deceived.
"Then, let's not make you wait! Let's go in." Naruto smiled.
She turned the key in the lock and she and Naruto walked into a dark house.
"Wasn't this place lit when you left? Naruto asked, puzzled.
"Surprise!" A loud shout came.
The lights flickered on and kunai shot out of the ceiling.
Naruto turned to face Sakura and covered her from the kunai knives.
The kunai bounced off of his back and to the floor.
No blood at all was spilled. That was impossible. It had to be Ino's doing.
"Happy belated birthday!" Ino shouted enthusiastically.
"Sounds kind of like something Kakashi-sensei would say." Naruto muttered, a grin on his face.
"He's here, too." Sakura pointed out. "It was kind of his idea… and, well considering that you were gone for your birthday, like you always are and were a little bit later than that, that was the only thing we could do!"
Naruto was just elated with this.
"Oi! Tsunade-baa-chan! Hey, ramen!" Naruto shouted.
"I thought you were stuffed!" Sakura yelled.
"I can change my mind! I always have room, just in case!" Naruto replied.
"I don't see how, with everything you stuff down your throat." Murmured Sakura.
"I thought you would be back at lastest 8:30… Tsk, tsk, Sakura-chan! I think Kakashi-sensei is rubbing off on you! Or maybe, it's not Kakashi-sensei that's rubbing off, eh?" Ino shot Sakura another knowing glance.
"I didn't have a watch!" Sakura explained.
"Did you care to ask Naruto if he had one? Perhaps you were too busy doing… something else."
"Ahh! Ino-pig! Shut up, I don't want anybody else to know, yet! Besides, Naruto isn't like that! He's too sweet to do something like that to-!"
"Aw, Sakura thinks Naruto is too sweet and innocent! Hey, you didn't say anything about yourself… Did you-?" Ino asked sneakily.
"No!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Oh, wait. Let me get this right. What was it you said? Yet? So you plan on telling the world that you've fallen for Uzumaki, Naruto?! Oh, if you do that, I can definitely wait to spread the news!"
Sakura sighed. "Whatever. Why did you use rubber kunai? That wasn't part of the original plan."
"I wanted to see if Naruto liked you. He covered you, you know." Ino recalled.
"Because he wasn't aware that they were fake knives!" Fumed Sakura.
"Exactly! Anything could've happened. Now it's obvious that he likes you." Ino said proudly.
Sakura shook her head and put a hand over her eyes. "Your mind has a twisted way of working, Ino."
"Yeah, I know. What can be done about it except using it for my own strange purposes?" Ino answered.
An hour later, it was gift-giving time.
After receiving many packets of instant ramen from Chouji, a new set of throwing kunai from Ino, two fuuma shuriken from Tenten, a large selection of differently sized senbon from Shikamaru, a large bouquet of lotuses and a green spandex from Lee, an attractive little orange book from Kakashi, serving his purpose of corruption since Jiraiya couldn't come, a pair of new ninja gloves from Shino, new blue sandals from Hinata, a set of speed training clothes from Tsunade, three weapons holsters, adjustable to any weapon, for the shoulder, hip, and thigh, made a very unobvious color to be easily hidden, which was from Kiba, and a new mini radio with adjustable volume, muting, and smooth communications from Neji, it was time to receive Sakura's gift.
Naruto, with great eagerness, picked up Sakura's gift and shook it.
"What is it?" He wondered aloud.
He began to tear off the wrapping paper and threw the lid of the box off.
"Sa-Sakura-chan…" He said in awe.
Sakura smiled. She got a good gift.
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Oh! Sorry guys, a bit of a cliffy for what Sakura got as a gift for Naruto! Yeah, I'll be telling you that next chapter, no worries. Though, next chap may be a wait, since my sister is likely to get me grounded off of the computer! Did you like this one? It's longer than the others, I think! Review, please!
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!
-WarRain.