All Surprises Bring Happiness?

Authors Note: Ello my wonderful readers, I hope you like what you're reading to make it to Chapter 3. I know it has been a dick year since I last updated and I'm truly sorry for that. Life has been. . . Well, going and I haven't been well for a long time. A lot of things have changed and most of them weren't good. Enough about that though, there was something I forgot to tell y'all about this story. Sakura actually started her training with Tsunade after the race mission with Idate because of how bad Sasuke was wounded. This is important because she's already at the point where she can heal deep wounds, but not critical ones yet. Also, the birthday party is heavy inspired by a SasuSaku doujinshi that I saw a long time ago on YouTube. Sadly, I can't seem to find it anymore or I would have linked it. Thank you for your support; please continue to read and enjoy, or write a review of what you think I could do better.

Previously

Standing up in anger, I ripped off the blindfold and had my fist ready for the punch of a lifetime. Just before I decided to run in for the kill, I saw what they had brought me to see. My fist dropped to my side and my eyes were in utter shock at what they saw. It was a sight I never thought I would ever see coming from a group of idiots, and one I would remember for the rest of my life.

"My Gods, it's so beautiful." I replied, almost speechless at the beauty before me.

It was a little place out in the woods. It was like a little meadow with all sorts of beautiful flowers. The Wisteria was still in full bloom, their baby blue petals flying in the light breeze of the day. White Nemophila covered a good amount of the field, their purple spots easily seen against the lightness of the grass and flowers themselves. I knew right away that they had planted all of them here. Most of these flowers grew in completely different places around Japan. It wasn't too much as there seemed to be walkways throughout the flowers, all leading to a blanket on the ground in the center, with a white cake, and candles surrounding it. It was truly something she had never thought they would ever do for her. It was so, breathtaking and relaxing; an amazingly beautiful scene before me.

"How did you all manage this? We've been training nearly every day for two weeks. The flowers would have died by then because I know none of you would know how to care- Ino was in on this wasn't she?" I found myself asking, finally turning from the wonderful scene just to answer my own question when I faced them.

"Of course she was, she sells all of them at her shop and she would know how to keep them healthy and beautiful." With teary eyes, I took a quick step, wrapping my arms around Naruto and pulling him into me as I thanked him.

"W-We definitely need to do this more often." He replied in a slightly breathless manner, grinning from ear to ear, returning the hug tightly. We stayed there that for a moment before I pulled away and he returned to his normal rambunctious self.

"Of course by 'we' I mean me and Ino, Kakashi never put his stupid book down, and Sasuke showed up like once or twice."

His words had me looking around, my smile slowly fading. "Where is Sasuke-kun?" I asked, my eyes wondering to Naruto's still happy face after a bit.

Kakashi was quick to answer, seeming to know me more then he has ever showed before. "He'll show up eventually, but he's not the focus today Sakura, he shouldn't be what makes this day good or bad for you." His words had me smiling once more, giving a nod as I looked his way.

"Come on! Let's get on to the best part of this; the presents!" Naruto chimed in with a stupid smile on his face. He dug in his backpack for a bit and I made my way to the blanket. Even though Kakashi was right, I still felt a little down; I knew parties weren't really Sasuke's thing, but I was hoping he would at least show up after seeing how hard everyone had worked to get this together. Still, I smiled and sat down, getting comfortable on the fluffy and soft purple blanket.

"Okay, sure I can't wait to see what you all got me!"

"Since I'm the sensei I'll give my present first." Kakashi shrugged while he joined us, pulling small present shaped funny from his pocket.

"Uh, okay, I honestly have no idea what this could be." I said in slight confusion, starting to unwrap it. In doing so, I noticed it was one of those stress releaser things that you are supposed to squeeze.

"This should help you with you angry problems." What angry problems? I don't have any anger problems CHA! My inner shouted and I found myself squeezing it crazy hard to keep from throwing it in his face.

"Oh! My turn now you're going to love this gift Sakura." Naruto boosted, quickly releasing my anger as he seemed to finally find his gift and gave it to me. I figured that I already knew what it was so there was no reason to rush.

"As if she wants to see what kind of ramen you got her, Baka." I felt my cheeks flush as that dreamy voice I was dying to hear was carried through the wind. Sasuke seemed to appear behind Naruto hitting him upside his head. My breath froze when Sasuke looked at me with those dark onyx eyes that hid so much. Naruto glared daggers at Sasuke as he rubbed his newly formed bump.

"Sasuke-kun you're he. . . What took you so. . . How you'd get-?" I struggled to finish a sentence, trying to calm my excitement of him showing up. It was as if all the air was taken out of me with the wind. Sasuke didn't give me an answer and just sat a few feet beside me. Having to shake my head after realizing I was staring at him I turned my attention to Naruto's gift. Finally deciding to open it, I had to admit, it was kind of surprising and a bit obvious. It was a bowl with a pack of ramen in it that had me rolling my eyes. Then I noticed, and unless I was wrong, it was a homemade clay bowl. The inside had crude layers of dried clay and what looked like cravings of different flowers; mainly cheery blossoms. The outside however, was simply beautiful to look at if not also slightly flawed. The whole thing was colored a dark red that faded into a lighter and slightly brighter red. Contracting against the red were the baby blue Wisteria trees that hid this little meadow.

" I didn't know what your favorite kind of ramen was, so I just gave you my favorite kind of ramen. And I made the bowl just for you!"

"Aritatogozaimashita Naruto-kun, it's actually, it's very beautiful. I'm sure the ramen will be good too." I giggled softly, giving him a genuinely sweet smile. "I'll take care of it and use it whenever I can, I promise." 'I have to give it to him, it exactly what I was expecting and at the same time, something I never would of thought he was ever capable of doing. I really don't give him enough credit, and considering everything we've been through I really need to. My inner informed me while my fingers caressed the designs on the inside of the bowl. Naruto's face lit up with joy and happiness before becoming smug and he turned his look towards Sasuke.

"Ha! Bet you can't beat that now can you? She's gonna use it as often as she can!" Sasuke didn't bother with an answer once again he simply moved closer to me, pulling something from his pocket. I found it hard to look at his face, feeling so nervous to have him just a breath distance from me. Silently he placed a simple sparkling sliver box into my hands. Then, finally breaking the silence he spoke a single sentence to me. A sentence that had me staring at him in slight shock for a hot moment before my inner registered the words.

"Sorry I'm so late, didn't know what time it started."

I gave him a short crude nod before turning my attention to the box in my hand. I could have been making it up, but everyone was quiet and I wasn't sure why. Either they too were curious, or just waiting for my reaction; whichever it was I felt everyone's eyes on me. Ignoring them and with a sense of curiosity I lifted the lid and immediately my eyes light up with amazement. I didn't know what I was expecting, but a necklace wasn't it, especially one as beautiful as this one. Well, a choker to be more exact; with a black lace and blood red vein like lines crossing throughout it. What shocked me the most was that the charm attached to it was something I had created while out on our last mission. Actually, I remember Sasuke handing my notebook to me when we were walking, having thrown it at Naruto in anger. The charm was a 3-D Christmas star with a similar waxing crescent moon hanging off one the shorter points and connected to the bottom long point of the star. I sat there just staring at my own design made into a charm and found myself smiling as purely as I ever had before. Finally looking at him I could barely contain the happiness and volume of my voice as I told him,

"Sasuke-kun, this is wonderful! Domo Arigatogozaimasu! I-I'll wear it every day!" Even though he didn't reply, Naruto wouldn't have let him as he grumbled, "And of course you topped it."

"I love your gift too Naruto." I told him with a soft smile before glaring at him slightly and adding, "And don't you dare turn my birthday into a competition." Naruto instantly paled and crudely nodded his head, making me smile wide and reply with, "Good!" However, knowing how much it meant to him, I turned my smile soft and said. "I really do appreciate your gift, it's really nice."

. Looking back to Sasuke I noticed he seemed sulkier than before and that gave me a bad feeling, like I had said the wrong thing and it's going to bite me in the butt. Ignoring that feeling, I marveled at the choker once more before putting it on. After that the party went on and everything just seemed to perfect. There were jokes; most of which were pointed at Naruto, making us all laugh. Well for Sasuke, a smile for him is considered a laugh to me. We played some cards games, in which I won most because I'm simply one hell of a genius. And we just goofed out, truly enjoying being at peace; no war, no life-threatening missions, and most shocking, no fights. I never thought that Sasuke and Naruto could get along without there being a fight or a competition between them, but they didn't fight once after presents; shocking both Kakashi and myself. But, I guess all good things have to end as I saw the sun starting to set; meaning it was time to get home.

" Arigato you guys, you're the best. I love everything that's happened today, it's the happiest I've been in a long time! Everything was perfect today, I couldn't have asked for more. I'll see you all tomorrow." I smiled, starting to get my presents into my backpack and what was left of the cake to take home. "Are you sure you don't need my help with cleaning up?" I asked once more before deciding to leave.

" Yeah! We can do this, it's your birthday, now get your butt out of here." Naruto beamed; still on a high it would seem, pushing me away toward the woods.

" Okay, okay, no need to be pushy, literally." I giggled softly, turning to start walking the way I remember us coming in at. Soon I found myself stopping at the edge of the woods, remembering that Umm, I was blindfolded on the way here! Shaking my head with a soft chuckle I stood there for a minute, tracing our path here; as a ninja you need to be able to track where you've gone even blindfolded. I soon saw Sasuke walking toward me, wondering if he was actually coming to walk with me or just head out himself. Sure enough he walked right past me without a word stopping in front of the huge area of woods. I felt my happiness faltering slightly in dismay, hoping wanted to walk me out in consideration. Noticing I was staring after him I almost looked away when he turned towards me and motioned for me to follow, "I'm sure you don't need help getting back, but walk with me?" He asked, he ACTUALLY asked me to walk with him! He's mine now Ino, CHA! My inner self squealed in utter joy.

I stood there frozen for a hot moment, fighting to keep my mouth from hanging open. Okay I have to be dreaming, this day has been too perfect. I blinked and nodded to both him and my own thoughts. Walking side and side we soon disappeared into the woods. I found myself fidgeting beside him, trying to pay attention to where we were going, and not make things feel awkward. I tried not to keep staring at him, but no matter what I tried I just couldn't keep my eyes off different parts of him. (No not those parts you pervert!) Before long I found myself stopping, a question burning into my mind that I just needed an answer to. I waited a moment, part of me wanting him to stop and the other part wanting him to keep going; scared of the answer. Five steps later he stopped, turning to give me a raised eyebrow. I stood there a few seconds trying to summon the breath in me to ask. Barely having enough courage to ask the question, I blurted out,

"Why are you being so nice to me I thought you hated me?"

I found myself unable to look up at him after asking, a blush dusting my cheeks in embarrassment.

When it felt like it had been too long to just stare at my feet I chanced a look from under my lashes. I couldn't exactly read his expression, but it looked like mixture of laughter and wonderment. I lifted my head higher, wondering if he was going to answer. When I saw his eyes I found myself taking a step closer, there was a hint of a something in his eye. Before I could move any closer to him he answered my question with full honesty.

"It's your birthday." I once again found myself looking down at my feet, my shoulders showing my disappointment for just a second. I quickly covered my sadness with a soft fake chuckle and replied with a soft,

"Oh, okay." Things were quiet once again before I saw his feet moving closer to me. I had no choice than to look at him when he was just a foot in front of me, not wanting to show I was dejected. The breath left my lungs at the look he was giving me. It was that dreamy look; the look that I've fantasized about so many times since first meeting him.

"How could anyone hate you?" He nearly whispered and I swear my heart stopped beating. I was dazzled by how he said those words. I couldn't say anything more than,

"Nani?"

I found myself whispering breathlessly, looking into those onyx dark eyes. Growing more and more dazed he took another step closer, my instincts making me take a step back. Before long I felt my backpack start to squish against me; indicting I had hit a tree and had nowhere else to go. With him right in front of me, I didn't know what to expect, and it certainly wasn't him leaning his arm against the tree above my head. His left leg bent, barely touching mine, my breath leaving me while his own brushed over me. With him so close I didn't miss the sly smirk he gave him as he spoke.

"I said, how could anyone hate you. Did you think that because you kicked my ass yesterday?"

With my breath still gone the words died on my lips, leaving me with no other way to respond besides a shocked nod. With my breath slowing coming back to me, I found myself swallowing hard, biting my lip in anticipation. The chuckle that left his lips stopped my heart, only restarting it into overdrive as he leaned even closer. His lips now to my ear, his breath on my neck left me quivering; a weak sound leaving me involuntarily.

"I'm not and never was, do you want to know why?" Confusion and wonderment spread throughout my body when he pulled back just enough for me to once again see that sublime smirk of his. I was barely able to make eye contact with him long enough to shake my head. My brain went into overload trying to think of what he meant and what his next words would be. Nothing shook me more than seeing his face move ever closer to mine, his lips partly ever slightly when his eyes closed. I however, refused to blink, to even close my eyes for a second, worried that I would wake from this glorious dream. As if it was all a dream, the moment our lips touched a faction, he recoiled, a look in his eyes that scared me. With his sharingan activated I barely had time to close my eyes before he was suddenly gone. The wind ruffling my hair let me know that it was safe to open my eyes and that he was gone. My legs suddenly gave out, and I slid down the hard hide of the tree, ripping my shirt as I tried to figure out what the hell just happened.

We had, indeed kissed; if only by the smallest minuscule touch. My finger gently grazed my lips as I felt a smile pull from my lips; in complete bliss. The sting of the bark on my broke my peaceful moment and it was then that I sensed it.

It was flitting but so intensely ominous and familiar that I quickly found my legs again and starting running. I had just broken from the trees, landing hard and quickly scanning the perimeter before feeling my muscles relax. With a heavy sigh I wondered if I had just imagined that dreadful feeling, my mind just trying to give a reason to why Sasuke's demeanor suddenly changed so harshly. A few deep breaths later Kakashi and Naruto joined me from the forest, their faces full of confusion.

"Eh Sakura, what are you still doing here, and where's Sasuke?

Quickly collecting myself I gave a small chuckle and shrugged. "Not sure, he left halfway through our way out." I bit my lip slightly, my fingers once again touching them gently. Naruto growled, breaking my concentration as he stomped towards me.

"Forget about him then, I'll kick his ass later." His passion burned in his eyes before he smiled and pointed to himself, "I'll just have to finish his job and walk you home then!" He beamed, taking my hand and pulling me to a turn before I had time to refuse or thank him. I felt a giggle leave my lips, regaining my balance and walking in step with him.

"Arigato Naruto, I appreciate it." I told him softly after a long moment of walking in silence.

"Ah, don't worry about it Sakura-chan! I'm just glad we were able to give one a good day." I gave him a truly genuine smile as we made it to my doorstep, releasing his hand when I turned to face him. My arms wrapped around him and I gave him a squeeze. Once I was inside it was impossible to not hear Naruto exclaim of excitement and declaration that he's had the best day of his life. I couldn't help the smile that pulled at my lips as I shook my head.

Mom and dad met me in the kitchen and for the rest of the night I celebrated with my family. I remember thinking how wonderful and hectic the day was before falling asleep that night.