A certain kunoichi, with locks the color of cherry blossoms, pushed open the door of a shop. A chime cut through the overbearing smell of flowers as she stepped in. All she could see were vibrant reds and purples and yellows and blues, dotting the entire area.

She sighed. Finding the right ones would definitely take a while. Walking pensively through the shop, she saw a flash of soft yellow from the corner of her eye.

Ino had just walked out from the back room, and was now organizing a few more bouquets of color in to match the rest. She hadn't noticed Sakura until she turned around, rubbing her hands on her apron. Her face lit immediately, a smirk indenting her soft face.

"Hey forehead! What brings you here?" she called.

Sakura turned to the voice and put on a tired smile.

"I'm looking for some flowers." She lifted the Get-Well card she was holding so Ino could see. "My aunt's sick."

Ino's smirk faltered and she moaned sympathetically. Sakura just nodded knowingly and turned back to the flowers, Ino hovering beside her to help her decide.

"OH!" she said suddenly.

"…" Sakura blinked. Ino put her hands on her hips.

"Good thing I remembered~! You'll NEVER guess what I heard."

The pinkette resisted the urge to roll her eyes, trying to look interested. "What?"

"It's Hinata! I heard she's going around dating everyone! Can you believe her?"

Sakura replaced the flower she was holding. Her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Who? Hinata? No way."

"Mmhm." Ino turned back and sprayed a few camellias with water. "That girl isn't the little innocent angel people take her to be." She slammed the bottle on the counter. "I can't believe her! She's with MY SAI right now!"

"Sai?" Sakura said to herself, wondering why he would be chosen, of all people. Of course, whoever Hinata chose would date her in a heartbeat. She was a really pretty girl.

Sakura put a flower to her chest. And even more developed… she thought.

She then placed the flower in its spot and without thinking felt another's pedals. Her face was expressionless.

"-and I mean, come on! Really? Can you… Hey? Are you listening?" Ino said accusingly.

"Has she… gone out with Naruto and the others yet?" Sakura said, still inspecting the pedal with her thumb and forefinger.

Ino blinked, then frowned suspiciously; her hand on her hip. "I don't know-….. wait, Naruto and the others? What makes Naruto so special?"

Sakura froze at her friend's comment. She didn't realize she had said that.

"Uh…" She mentally shook away her loss of words and quickly composed herself. "Nothing, Ino-pig!"

Ino rose a fist threateningly.

"What did you say, Billboard Brow?" she growled. A vein popped on both kunoichis' heads.

"Well… has she or not?" Sakura growled in return. Her reply was a scoff as the blonde began to walk to another floral arrangement, annoyed. She twirled her hand dismissively.

"I don't know! Why would she? He's an idiot!" she said, then smirked, taking some dead clippings to the trash. "Where else could you have gotten it from?"

Sakura remained silent (a first xD) making Ino's smirk grow wider as she walked behind the counter.

"…I have to go." the medic-nin said, turning on her heel, and briskly walking out.

"Wait! Forehead~!" Ino called, but the other girl was already out the door. "You left your Get-Well card…"

Sai looked up at the restaurant sign before him emotionlessly. He looked to his right at Hinata, whose head was lowered, then back at the sign. His gaze remained on it for a while longer, analyzing it, his face blank.

Hinata looked up at him curiously, and he, feeling her gaze, looked back at her with his fake smile. Hinata quickly looked away. He was handsome and all, but that smile, to her, was creepy. She wondered how anyone could live having to fake emotions they didn't feel.

After a few moments more of silence, Sai moved aside the flag of the booth to let Hinata through (manners courtesy of a book he read the previous week). She bowed her head thankfully and walked inside. Before he went in, he took one more look at the sign. Ichiraku's…

"Well hello there!" the old man greeted with an aged smile as the two took their seats. "What can I get you two?"

Hinata smiled as sweetly as she could. "May I have a bowl of beef ramen please?" she asked, accommodating herself on the stool.

Teuchi raised a brow. "Why Hinata, you always ask for miso ramen! Don't go changing on me just 'cause o' your date." He said playfully. He chuckled when he saw Hinata blushing lightly. Sai stared at her.

"Leave her alone!" Ayame scolded as she came from the back room. After shooing the man away, she grinned happily. "Well, Hinata! I won't ruin your date." she winked. She looked at Sai, smiled, and bowed quickly. "Your food will be ready shortly."

She walked to the back of the room. A few seconds later, the two heard a shout and pots clashing. Hinata's eyes widened in worry as she tried to get a look at what happened. Sai simply raised his brow.

Then silence.

Reemerging from the ruckus came a tired looking Teuchi with two steaming bowls in his hands. He placed them on the counter before the two and forced a smile.

"Enjoy." He said and very stiffly, he returned to the back.

Did he get yelled at because of us? Hinata feared. She put her thumbnail on her lip with concern. Suddenly, she heard a snap beside her. She looked to her right and saw Sai, digging in to some ramen he hadn't even ordered. Still, he didn't seem phased by the situation, so she marked it off was nothing and began to eat.

A few times during the meal, Ayame would check up on them from the back room, smiling insanely. Other than that, the meal was eaten in silence. Until-

"You can… how do you say… chop the act."

Hinata nearly spit out her noodles. Sai was now the object of her confused gaze. He smiled.

"Wh-what?" She barely managed. What he meant was beyond her. Well, she had an idea, but she was too scared of the possibility to consider it.

He pulled out a book from nowhere and showed it to her, still smiling. Confusedly, she read the title.

Jealousy: Manipulating The Heart

She froze.

"I am being 'used', am I not?" he said. Smiling.

"Uh… um…" she tried, looking at the floor around the artist. 'you're not using them -if it's just a dinner or something…' he says. Why did I even go along with it? Oh~… I knew I shouldn't have done this!

She began to play with her hair and bit her lip. Her leg shook nervously, as she avoided looking him in the eye. Sai tilted his head slightly at that, never ceasing to smile.

"Don't fret, Shy Girl." He said in an attempt to comfort her.

Huh?

"I should advise you however, that this effort if futile. This attempt to make Naruto… jealous, it is pointless. Naruto does not love you. Nor will he ever."

Hinata's heart stopped. How Sai had known about her feelings for Naruto was beyond her, but that definitely wasn't what was going through her mind. Naruto does not love you. Nor will he ever. Those words hung in the air long after they were said; simply followed by the eerie silence of his smile.

Her eyes began to sting. The air in her lungs felt heavy, and she tried and tried to get it in and out of her lungs to breath but her tears were making it harder. She needed air. She needed to leave that dark, heavy space and be able to breath and think again. With no idea what to do, she did the only thing she could.

She ran.

She threw herself off of the stool and out of the shop and ran. Each step brought a new thought to her mind.

Why did I do this? Did I really think this would work? Did I really think Naruto would love me?

And all the while that she ran she told herself over and over how stupid she was, because once couldn't possibly remind her enough.

Sai sat and watched her escape. He watched her stumble and run. And he watched the flaps of the store sway with the speed of her flee. And all he could think of, was what he said wrong, what he did to make her act the way she did, why he now had this stir of pain inside him. And he thought of it all as his smile swiftly slipped away. He really had to learn to watch his words…