Disclaimer: Sis didn't own Naruto, only her story plots and her OCs.

2—A Meeting by Chance

Sakura was intently reading her book on the history of Japan. She was not a native, so she found the history fascinating. Apparently, the Japanese found her fascinating too, because they often stared at her. Having spent the first four years of her fifteen-year lifespan in various countries below the equator, she had developed quite a tan. Part of it was hereditary, since her mom was a South African native…hence the strange hair. Her mother had actually been a strawberry blonde and her father had been a red head. Now, both were bordering on white hair.

She'd been born late in her parents' marriage. Her older brother had been the only child for seventeen years until Sakura had come along. Now, he was thirty-two, single and living in South Africa working as a doctor. He had very little to do with his estranged younger sister and she didn't know any other way.

She was pulled from her thoughts as something red entered her line of sight. She looked up, slightly startled, and noticed a red tulip before her eyes. She looked up to see who was holding it and blushed when she found the black haired Uchiha staring intently at her. She stared at the tulip and then at him. He looked at her and then at the tulip. It was then she realized he was giving it to her. She nodded in thanks before taking it and staring at it. She nearly jumped when soft laughter came from behind her.

"You just can't help yourself, can you Sasuke? It's just one big competition between you two, isn't it?" Sakura looked over her shoulder and found the blonde and redhead that had been in the pizza parlor. The redhead was staring blankly at 'Sasuke' while said boy glared back. She was surprised when the redhead stepped forward and laid a deep purple tulip on the table before her. She stared up at him and blushed when he looked her in the eyes.

"This goes better with your eyes." He stated frankly and then turned around, walking away. Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as she stared at the purple tulip. She picked it up delicately and gently brushed the petals with her fingers, the red tulip completely forgotten. A huff brought her attention back the Uchiha, who stormed off after snatching the red tulip back up. Sakura stared after him for a few moments…that is until the blonde that was friends with both flower givers sat beside her with a chuckle.

"Oh, don't mind him, he's always that rude. That's why he's still single despite being rich, popular and to most girls, good looking." She noticed the blonde grimace and couldn't help the giggle that came up. He smirked and put both hands behind his head. She arched her brow as she stroked the velvety soft purple petals.

"So why did the one guy give me a flower, only to take it back when the other guy gave me this flower?" She noticed the smile become strained as he chuckled nervously.

"Well, the simple answer is that it's a competition to Sasuke." Sakura arched her brow again and regarded him as he shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Anything Gaara takes even the slightest interest in, Sasuke tries to steal it away from him." Sakura blushed, but she also frowned.

"I don't understand." The blonde just shrugged and looked at her.

"Well, all I know is that after you and your cute friend left, Gaara stood up and walked out. Thing is, the only thing that Gaara and Sasuke have in common is me. I've been friends with Sasuke since I was in diapers. Gaara and me grew up in the orphanage together after my parents died. We were adopted by the same lady, along with his older brother and sister." Sakura gaped at him as he casually talked about his life, as well as the lives of his two friends.

He seemed to sense her confusion because he gave a frustrated sigh. "What I mean is that there was no reason for Sasuke to follow him like he did. They're not friends…they're not even on speaking terms. They only tolerate each other for my sake." She nodded as she began to slightly grasp the situation.

"So what does this have to do with me?" The blonde smirked and leaned towards her, mischief in his eyes.

"I'm betting Gaara has the hots for you and Sasuke wants to snag you so that Gaara can't have you." Sakura's eyes went wide and her cheeks flamed as Naruto bluntly laid out his thoughts to her.

"B-but why would he be interested in me? We never see one another in school and we never speak…we are in different social circles…" She trailed off as Naruto arched a brow at her.

"You can't honestly tell me you haven't noticed." Sakura stared at him like a deer in the headlights of a semi. His eyes went wide as he realized she really was clueless. "Oh my gawd, you haven't noticed!" Sakura flushed again, this time for a totally different reason.

"Noticed what?" She huffed with slight irritation. Naruto just stared at her in shock.

"The fact that no matter where you go, Gaara's eyes are always on you and following you?" The lilt in his voice implied a question, but to Sakura it was the most profound statement ever made to her. She blushed from the roots of her pinkish-blonde hair to her green painted toes.

"You're joking…" She covered her mouth with her hand when Naruto shook his head, a smirk on his face.

"Oh no, girly, I'm totally serious. Since sixth grade Gaara has watched you like some angel much too far out of his reach. At first I thought it was just your unusual hair that drew him. He has a fascination with things out of the norm." A vein throbbed in Sakura's forehead and she glared at him. Her hair was a sensitive subject for her, since it was neither blonde like her mother's nor red like her father's, but rather a freakish combination of the two.

"Moving on…" She stated, blatantly telling him to stay away from the issue of her hair. The blonde just shrugged, clearly not intimidated.

"But then when you left the pizza parlor and Gaara followed you, I realized that when it came to you, not much of what Gaara said and did was normal for him." Sakura stared at Naruto, who just continued to smirk. "Gaara's not a real social guy. He keeps to himself and he doesn't voice his opinions often. So when I caught him talking to himself about you, I could tell you fascinated him." Sakura just stared, unsure of how to feel about what she was hearing. One of the creepiest guys in her grade possibly had the hots for her, while one of the most popular guys in her grade just wanted her so the former couldn't have her.

"Okay, stop, backtrack…that's way too much info for even my brain to process." Sakura held up her hand as Naruto was about to continue. She put her fingers to her temples and massaged them, her brain working overtime. After about ten minutes of semi-silence in which she'd glared at Naruto three times for humming, she took a deep breath and sighed.

"So let me get this straight…your friend, whom I have never officially talked to in my life, seems to have feelings for me. Your other friend, whom I have also never talked to doesn't have feelings for me, but he wants me just so your one friend can't have me." Naruto seemed to think about it a sec before he smiled and nodded. Sakura pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. When she opened her eyes once more, there was a fire there…a smoldering anger the blonde hadn't even known the gentle girl was capable of.

"That is completely ridiculous! What kind of nonsense is this? This is like some retarded contest to see who is better than the other?" Naruto held up both hands to try and calm her. Several people were shushing her and glaring.

"Well, in a sense yeah, but it's only one sided since Gaara refuses to acknowledge Sasuke in the first place. My guess is he's been holding back talking to you because he didn't want to drag you into this thing between him and Sasuke. Unfortunately, Sasuke seems to have noticed now." Sakura groaned and her head smacked against the table with a muted thud as it landed on her book.

"Great…I have one guy that talks to himself and another that just wants to use me. I know it sounds cliché, but I'm not sure which is worse." She groaned. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She noticed those once laughing blue eyes were suddenly serious.

"Gaara might not be popular in school like you are, but he's a nice guy once you get to know him. Sasuke isn't…he's cold and aloof even after you get to know him. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but if you were going to date one of them, I'd recommend Gaara. At least he has genuine feelings for you." Sakura blinked twice and then blushed. She stood abruptly, startling Naruto, and grabbed her book.

"I…I have to go…" She stated quietly and rushed off to find Hinata, leaving one very confused blonde boy sitting there staring after her.