BIRTHDAY PRESENT

CHAPTER 7

When Sasuke woke up he was less than surprised to see gifts on his bed. They were on his floor, on his nightstand, even in his closet. What the hell. He had no idea how they did it. Even though he locked his door and his windows, he still managed to find these things on the mornings of his birthday. He threw the covers off, letting the presents tumble aside, and snatched a towel on his way to the shower.

On this particular day he made sure to check twice whenever rounding a corner, his apartment door included. It made him feel stupid, but girls were more dangerous on this day than any other day, Whites Day day included. Thank Kami that wasn't for another year. He wouldn't have even stepped foot outside his apartment if his teammates hadn't made plans for him. Naruto wasn't a factor; it was the insistence of Kakashi and Sakura that forced him to humor the situation. Sakura was so happy he'd have sworn it was her birthday.

He rather bravely walked into the village without a disguise, hands shoved into his pockets, scowling. Every step was an assault. "Get the message," he gritted out. They would. They had to.

Wrong. So wrong.

Girls of every breed converged on him, pushing their gifts at him, their compliments, and all of their ill-conceived affections. He had to sprint to reach his destination. Kami, this was absurd! What was wrong with everyone? They appeared in flocks, crowding the flower shops, the gift stores, the sweet shops. He had to duck into the ramen shop to hide from an aggressive trio stampeding their way down the market. This went so far beyond any training he had ever had. Exactly how many girls occupied this village?

He backed away quietly to the other side of the shop when more feminine feet showed underneath the curtains. A hand clamped around his, startling him to near fury, but it was only Sakura. She might have been the most aggressive of them all, and she was his teammate. He did not put up any resistance as she began dragging him out into the open. "Shh, they'll hear you!"

He did not fight her. Even though she wasn't any more respectable than the others, at least he knew her. "Jeez, what's wrong with all these girls today?" she complained, rolling her thick hair over her knuckles. "You'd swear they were zoo animals rampaging on the loose." Even though she said that, there was an unmistakable flush of excitement on her face. Sasuke just let her do what she wanted. Her company did have an unexpected advantage. Like magic, actually.

She was a white flag in a battle field. When the girls saw her they frowned, glared, cried even, but did not get near him. When the two stepped onto the road just outside of the village and the girls disappeared, he pulled his hand out of her's with a brush of his hair. "Hmph. Are Kakashi and Naruto ready? I want to hurry and get this day over with."

"Oh, don't be like that!" Sakura whined. She tried to grab his hand again, but he had shoved it into his pocket. "This is a special day. Be happy!"

"That's so easy for you, isn't it?"

"Oh Sasuke!" She pouted, laying both hands on her hips. The giddiness was impossible to conceal, though. "Kakashi and Naruto aren't going to be at the sushi bar until this afternoon." Sasuke's eyes flared.

"I thought you said they'd be there this morning!"

"Yeah, I fibbed." Her voice melted like sugar. Both hands folded behind her back as she twirled her toe in the dirt. She didn't look the least bit apologetic. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I just wanted to spend the day with you. You will, right? You're not that angry, are you? I know you like getting up early anyway."

The anger was still potent, but after all that nonsense this morning he could only manage a sigh. "What do you want to do?" Sakura squealed, and he cringed.

"Let's go out for a while. I never get to be alone with you and I'm not about to let it go to waste. Let's do something fun!" The things that Sasuke did for fun weren't necessarily things other people did for fun. He did not like to go out to eat. He did not like to see movies. He did not like to loiter. The only thing he liked to do was study and train. Nothing in the world gave him more satisfaction, and that remained true whether it was his birthday, the Hokage's birthday, or any time else.

Though Sakura did not drag him right through a hoard of girls, she didn't exactly avoid them either. There was something to be said in the shame Sasuke felt, being loped around the village as if he were a prize. It was stupid. His mind and body ached to do something productive, and having someone's hands all over him was uncomfortable. His annoyance meter wasn't one to be tested, and no one was able to test it like Sakura. She was like a child. Sasuke hated children.

When it was almost time to see the others Sasuke and Sakura had made their way to the park. The blue sky was melting over the horizon, infusing everything in a blaze of orange and reds. He might have enjoyed the quiet, if only someone would let him. It was a shock to find that his hand was purple where Sakura had grabbed it, and his shoulder ached. "Are we done yet?" He sounded closer to defeated than he ever had.

"Almost," Sakura said. She pulled a glossy red book from a little purse strapped to her waist. "I want to give you your present. Before our time together is over, you know."

Swell.

He slipped it cautiously from her hand when it was offered. "Thanks." She frowned.

"Aren't you going to look at it?"

"I just did."

"Yeah, at the cover! Books are meant to be opened, you know. C'mon!" Sasuke flipped open the cover. It was a picture of him as a child. He didn't really remember it, but it must have been about five or six years ago, when he was alone in the elementary academy's training yard, throwing stars. Well, he thought he'd been alone. There were more pictures, sometimes of just him, or with the class. Sakura was in some of them, a little face in the background, usually standing side by side with Ino. The further he went the more intimate the pictures became, meaning the pages mostly occupied photos of him and his teammates. He was a little worried he might start seeing pictures of him in his bedroom. Was she a stalker? For the love of—she wasn't just the worst one, it seemed, but much worse than he thought.

He clapped the book shut with one hand. Sakura had been standing over his shoulder, pointing at every picture, not only explaining where she took it, but why and what she'd been feeling at the time. When he closed it she gave a bit of a start, but when he turned to her he saw she was blushing. "Um, Sasuke?" Usually she was able to keep eye contact with him, but not now. Her toes pivoted on the grass, both hands folded behind her back. "I've, well . . . I have something I've been meaning to tell you since I was little. Since that first photo in that book, as a matter of fact."

Sasuke arched his eyebrow. She was every bit as red as the tomatoes in his refrigerator. Her hand ran up and down her arm nervously, and whenever she tried to speak, only a gust of air whisked through her nose. "What is it, Sakura?" he asked impatiently.

She blinked rapidly, and suddenly her hands were fists and both heels were planted firmly on the ground. Air bloated her chest, and when she exhaled she said, "I . . . I love you, Sasuke." And then she was on her toes, planting a solid kiss on his lips. She drew away in a shot, smiling. "Ever since I was little." Again he was left with no time to react as she practically flew away from him. "See you at the sushi bar!" she called, jogging down the path. "Don't be late!"

Sasuke stared after her, his eye twitching. "Can't believe I didn't see that coming. Bet she'd been waiting all week for that."

To hell with it. He'd just go home. His teammates would figure things out when closing time came around and he still wasn't there. He'd forgotten he was still holding the book under his arm until he noticed a line of benches with trashcans next to them. He took a look at the cover, twisted his nose, and deposited it quickly without stopping.

"S-Sasuke-san? What is this?"

He spun around as if someone had chucked a kunai at him. Hinata was sitting on one of the benches, swiping away at the cover of the photo album. She turned it curiously in her hand, and even opened it. He hadn't noticed she was there at all! "Hinata?"

She didn't reply, as she was too busy flipping through photos. He dove for it. "Oh! I'm sorry, Sasuke-san!" she cried when he snatched it up. "I-I didn't mean to—"

"This isn't what it—look, it's a present from Sakura. That's all." She stared up at him, white eyes in wonder. It was rare that Sasuke acted like this, a fact that even he was mortifyingly aware of. When she smiled, he blanched. "Yes, I thought so. They're wonderful pictures of the two of you." Sasuke relaxed, giving the cover a brief sweep with his eyes. Feeling utterly stupid (somehow even more than when he'd ducked into the ramen shop) he scoffed. Kami, why was she giggling?

"Y-You were so cute, Sasuke-san. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Was she laughing at him? His chest tightened, seeing the pink in her cheeks, the flutter of her lashes. He sighed, smoothing the back of his hand across his cheek as if to wipe away the warmth rising to his face. Quietly, roughly, he asked what she was doing here.

"I, um . . . I was training earlier and decided to come here before returning home. I didn't want to lose track of time and worry anyone by . . . being tardy again."

"I see." She might have been talking about the night she ran into Gaara.

"You were really going to throw that away?" she asked, timidly pointing at the photo album.

"That's none of your business."

"I-I know, but still . . . I think you should keep it. Sakura-san must have worked really hard on it. It means something that she saved those pictures from so long ago. D-Don't just throw it away. Even if you never look at it again . . . at least leave it someplace where you can find it. Y-You never know. Photos are memories, and memories are what make us who we are. Th-they should be cherished and honored."

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that. Sentimentalities like that usually came from Kakashi. Brushing off Hinata was not the same. Not when she was smiling so . . . pretty. Training had left her hair in disarray, causing thin strands to hang in her eyes; little strings of onyx touched by the sinking sun. Her cheeks were flushed from the energy she'd exerted, and even though she was plainly tired, her expression was one of light and kindness. Her eyelashes were like a child's, big and fluttery. "Oh, that reminds me, Sasuke-san. I didn't get you anything for your birthday. If there's anything you would like, please tell me. I can—"

He kissed her. Light. Swift. Their lips barely touched, but he felt the warmth from her breath, the heat from her skin. His heart did something it had never done before. It flung. This was nothing like the elation derived from his brother's compliments, or his father's approval. This was something more . . . alarming.

Before he was aware of what was happening he was already halfway down the road, making his way to the sushi bar. "I have to meet up with my idiot teammates," he said softly. "But thanks for the birthday present. Best one I've gotten all day."

*AN*

If you like this story and want to be kept updated, please TWEET me at Stitchpuppy01 so I can respond to you personally! I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear from you!

I know there have been some concerns about the chuunin exams, so allow me to explain. In this story the chuunin exams don't exist. They're not going to happen. Instead there's something called the Cross Academy Tournament, which is a competition held between prestigious academies from each competing village. More will be explained in the actual story, so please be patient until then.

To those who have been reviewing, thank you very much. All these chapters are because of you, so be proud. I appreciate and love absolutely everything it is you have to say, so I ask that you keep posting your thoughts. Keep supporting me no matter what.