Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

CHAPTER 7

What? That didn't make any sense. You can't get a blank card on your birthday because then, you wouldn't have a soulmate. Wasn't that like, cheating or something?

"How's that even possible?" Naruto scratched his chin. It was hard enough to think straight without these complicated rules puzzling his mind. That would have to be the worst birthday ever unless love wasn't something you were too desperate to find.

"Very possible. Yet, it's not as bad as it sounds," the pinkette said as a matter-of-factly. "It can be interpreted a couple of ways if you look on the bright side."

"I'm pretty good at that," Naruto shrugged.

They stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the sign to turn into the white stickman.

"One, you could date anyone that you wanted and 'be free'."

"Isn't that an already an option?" Naruto looked for turning cars before they both crossed.

"Yeah, but most people would rather save themselves the heartache and wait until they're eighteen to date," she continued explaining. "Two…I can't think of a two. Think about it, I guess, a blank card doesn't mean you don't get a soulmate, it just means you'd have a harder time finding out who it is. There's no need to be upset over it because you can find happiness with whom you're with. Love is strange that way and will always find you no matter what."

Naruto thought about it for a second. "I see where you're coming from. You could live happily ever after with a person and they might not be your soulmate. No big deal, right?"

Sakura nodded. "It's so nice down here, we'd have to go shopping one day."

"Oh no, I will not be your bellboy who lugs around those heavy bags for five hours," Naruto laughed. "Nice try, though."

"Aww you're no fun," She squeezed his arm.

"Sakura-chan, whatever happened to your card?" he inquired.

He felt her stiffen up around his arm as she looked the opposite way. She turned back with an obviously fake smile. "Mine is at home sitting on my dresser. I haven't found my soulmate yet."

Naruto could tell that something was fishy but he decided not to press her about it. Love was something that she was serious and sensitive about because, in her opinion, falling made her happy. He knew that Sakura had always been the one who easily caught feelings for a person out of the two of them. Growing up, she would nervously express her feelings to a no-good guy and they would recklessly throw her feelings back in her face. And then it would be Naruto's cue to break a couple noses and black a few eyes. Always facing rejection from potential love interests could easily shatter any wall of confidence one tried so hard to build.

He begged her to not wear her heart on her sleeve once they got to high school. Naruto was fed up with seeing his best friend be so desperate for love. Maybe watching one too many romances, or reading too many of the perv's adult books had her mind in another world. Maybe even someone put these thoughts into her head. That's when she stopped building her wall of confidence and began building a shell. He refused to let her keep him out, nonetheless. Once senior year came she changed for the better, or more so herself. Her eighteenth was a couple months before graduation so she should've gotten her card. Naruto couldn't quite remember her ever talking about it, though.

Again, he wouldn't push the matter anymore than it needed to be. However, if he found out she had a boyfriend that he didn't know about then that random guy was gonna lose his whole throat.

He was getting tired of walking and the buzz was wearing off, so they turned back to Chakra Point. The joint was supposed to be classy and extravagant but Naruto didn't think the Perv's date got the memo. She was indecently touching him and showing uncomfortable displays of affection. Couldn't she just wait until the two got to Jiraiya's home? What ever happened to his special card?

"Ready?" Naruto asked the perv.

"Ready to go home already? Can't hang with the big dogs, eh kid?" Jiraiya mused.

"Did you have anywhere you wanted to go?" he sighed with slight annoyance, having already known the answer.

"Nope! It's your birthday, you can do what you want. I promised to show this one here how the scenes in my books play out in real life." He gave Naruto an exaggerated wink.

"Oh God, ew," Sakura scrunched her face up as she looked at her phone. "It's only eight, we can do something else."

"I didn't have anything planned for tonight only for the weekend," he said. "And you had something for me tomorrow as well, Sakura-chan. I'd rather go home and relax while eating some deserts." He looked at Jiraiya.

"Get any last deserts from here, then I'll stop by a sweets place and buy you ice cream," Jiraiya lifted a hand to signal a waiter. "It's like the two of you just turned eight."

Naruto flicked to a channel that was playing childhood movies. He was sitting comfortably on the sectional in his matching pajamas and animal night cap. Sakura soon joined him with two bowls of cookies n' cream ice cream and he gave her a few blankets.

"Why didn't you bring pajamas Sa-chan? You're gonna make my shirt smell like flowers," Naruto put a spoonful of deliciousness in his mouth.

"And now when you go out, people won't think that you're a hopeless virgin," she teased.

"Fuck you," he shot her a bird.

"Maybe if you did that with a girl we wouldn't be having this conversation," she snickered.

"That's why you look like the damn Pink Panther," he pointed at her and then began humming the character's theme song.

"Fuck you!" she laughed loudly.

"I might be too ugly to get a girlfriend but at least I have a personality. And besides, per that small note card in my room, someone is gonna fall hard for me."

"Right," she giggled at the idiotic grin he gave her, with the spoon sticking out the side.

A/N: I love each and every one of you. You've been letting me slide and I started ice skating, not posting a chapter when it's time I mean. I'm the one who said every week and I can't even do that! At any rate, thanks for reading. Reviews are the bomb!