A/N: Inspiration is flowing in with the newly discovered band Plastic Tree; if you readers care for Japanese rock at all, I highly recommend this band; their song Yuki Hotaru has been on repeat more times than I can count, and it becomes more and more fantastic with each replay. Truly awesome! Asian Kung-Fu Generation has a new album out as well, but I'm having trouble with my music player and can't listen to it just yet. I need my Gotou fix or I don't know what I'll do!

Disclaimer: Guess I should add that I don't own the music mentioned above.

Paper Hearts

Chapter 9

The dreary weather from the day had seemed to clear with the approaching dusk, but no sooner had the last wisps of sunlight faded than the lingering clouds regrouped in angry black bundles. Rain poured onto the earth below, thundering off rooftops with enough velocity to rouse children from their beds in dazes. For a particular Uchiha, however, sleep had never been much of a consistency. He lay on top the covers tucked neatly over his mattress, barely crinkling a wrinkle in the material as he stared silently out the window to his left, the stars that usually accompanied the night sky blurred out by sheets of rain. Tomorrow was the day Naruto demanded he present his Valentine's Day gift to Sakura. Other than the carnations, he hadn't managed to think of a single thing he could give her. It seemed appropriate enough given his opinion on all things mushy gushy and the fact that his participation in the day at all had been entirely due to Naruto's coercion.

'Why, then, can't I get any sleep?'

Sasuke adjusted his position slightly, wrapping one of his arms behind his head as a makeshift pillow while draping the other over his bare stomach. He drummed the surface of his abdomen wearily, yearning for sleep in the methodic tapping of his fingertips, but found his eyes still staring at the raindrops slipping down the window's glass. He should have been asleep hours ago, after dinner and his shower. He had taken only a few extra moments, examining his jaw line for any loose hairs before snarling at his reflection; as if he needed to impress anyone, especially his medical teammate!

He had suspected for quite awhile now that her feelings for him had disappeared, or at the very least diminished to a level she could hide inside that naïve heart of hers. He couldn't remember the last time she had gawked at him or called out his name with a tone that oozed affection. That suited him just fine; all that energy she wasted on her feelings should have been dedicated to her training instead. Perhaps that was part of the reason she had become so strong under Tsunade's instruction; it was a burden to feel such tenderness for another individual. Love was the fastest way to get a person killed, both literally and figuratively, and he wanted no part in either.

'That guy, he must work at the hospital too,'

Sasuke grunted to himself as he remembered the wide eyed expression on Sakura's face when she saw him standing there with the door open. He had refused to comment on the bundle of roses she had been carrying, but of course he had noticed; her arms had been buckling under the weight of carrying so many. Whoever had given them to her must have cared enough to spend a fortune on flowers but couldn't have been bothered to help her carry them. What did Sakura see in a guy like that? Not that it mattered, but Sasuke knew for a fact that neither him nor Naruto nor any of Sakura's other male companions would ever do that to her. She deserved better treatment than that, especially by the one who claimed to have feelings for her. If he ever got to meet this mystery man, Sasuke thought to himself as his eyes slipped shut in exhaustion, he would have to give a refresher course in manners.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

The next morning had come far too early for some of Konoha's finest ninja. Sakura groaned as she crawled out of bed, having accidentally crushed her alarm clock when reaching over to jab the snooze button. She dragged her feet into the bathroom and yawned, examining her face through her puffy, sleepy eyes as she ran a brush through her bed hair. The locks threatened to remain wild, sticking up at all ends; she managed to tease the worst of the strands and, with a few more strokes of the brush, get her bubblegum locks to look decent. She wasn't sure why Kakashi had called the sudden training session but hoped it was for something important. Otherwise she was going to have to take her lack of sleep out on someone, and it had been too long since she'd last beaten up the back of Naruto's head. Chuckling at herself Sakura tied her forehead protector in her typical fashion and headed out the door, taking her slow, sweet time.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

Naruto's excitement was too hyped for the stillness of the morning; he had awoken extra early and had since found himself unable to sit still long enough to do much of anything except slurp down a few bites of ramen. His plan was going to unfold without a hitch; all he had to do was sit back and enjoy the show until it was his time to slip in and play the hero. He paced around his apartment incessantly, patting his back pocket as if to reassure himself of its contents, until finally it was time to meet up with the rest of his squad. Apathetic to the puddles of mud that lined the way, Naruto took off running down the street, flecks of mud splashing against his orange jumpsuit.

By the time he reached the meeting spot just outside of the village gate he was out of breath and panting, his brow coated in both sweat and anticipation. Little did his teammates know that there would be no training today, and that Kakashi hadn't called for the meeting at all; it had been all the Uzumaki's doing! He leaned against a tree and snickered to himself, already awaiting the reactions of his teammates when they would realize what was happening. Of course by then, it would be too late, and-

"Oh, hello Naruto. What a coincidence to see you here so early; I was just passing by,"

Naruto shouted and stumbled forward, nearly falling face down in a gooey pile of mud, before turning around and glaring at his white haired teacher.

"Kakashi-Sensei?! What are you doing here?"

He gulped before giving a cursory glance in all directions, praying nobody else had seen. Kakashi chuckled and stepped out from behind the tree Naruto had been leaning against, his visible eye staring at Naruto with apparent amusement.

"What, you think this is funny? You aren't even supposed to be here Sensei!"

Naruto whined; this wasn't part of his plan, not by a long shot!

"Oh, aren't I? See, I ran into Sasuke last evening on his way back from the hospital. He told me something interesting. Can you guess as to what he might have said?"

Kakashi asked in his light, carefree tone that Naruto always assumed meant trouble. The blonde shook his head and grumbled something inaudible, still glaring at the man in front of him. Kakashi continued in the same tone,

"He just wanted to tell me that he got the message about showing up here for training, and that you and Sakura both knew already. Isn't that funny, seeing as I don't recall scheduling any training for today?"

Kakashi watched as Naruto froze, confirming the suspicions he already had. He laughed and threw up his hands, already taking a step back.

"Hey now, I don't know what it is you're planning on doing, but I don't want to know. I'm going to hide and watch this disaster from the shadows, where it's safe. Just, don't get into too much trouble, okay you little brat?"

"Who are you calling little?!"

Naruto growled but, in an instant, Kakashi had disappeared.

'That damn Sensei, always having to butt in! He can't show up on time for any of our real training sessions, but he manages to come early to one that doesn't even exist! Ugh he's so annoying!'

The fox wielder made a face before hearing the sound of footsteps; hopefully this time, it would bring with it someone he actually wanted to see!

A/N: Sorry to stop it here, but I have to get to work, and I really wanted this chapter posted beforehand. I'll be a little busy this weekend and I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to update. So, bear the suspense for just a little longer, okay readers? Thanks!