Sakura hummed, bringing the flowers close to her nose. Their vibrant scent, just a tad sweet, made her smile grow ridiculously large.

"How come Sakura-chan was the only one who got flowers?" Naruto complained, his pout becoming wider as she snuck a glance at him.

"Sakura," Kakashi started, a hand coming down to ruffle her pink hair affectionately. "Was the only one of you to actually do the mission correctly. She didn't get sidetracked with a meaningless competition."

At this, both Naruto and Sasuke scowled. Naruto glared into the trees while Sasuke stared down at the path as though it had personally offended him.

Sakura smiled.

"I also helped her arrange a bouquet for her daughter's homecoming," She stated proudly, watching the frowns grow on both boy's faces. "A few techniques Ino passed on to me a while back, of course."

"I thought you guys were like, I dunno, not friends," Naruto responded, his bad mood evaporating and replaced by confusion.

"It's more complicated than that," Sakura answered honestly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you two friends? Sasuke? Naruto?"

"No."

"Of course!"

"Then you understand," Kakashi nodded, ignoring the protests from Naruto that assured him he really did not understand.

"I still want flowers," Naruto muttered after a few moments, glancing at the bundle in her hands.

Sakura held the flowers in front of her, analyzing each one of them. Then she stopped, the others walking a few paces ahead of her before looking back expectantly.

She plucked out a daisy, blushing furiously, before she held the white bloom out to Sasuke.

He looked at it with disinterest, his eyes flickering towards hers, before he took it from her.

"Wait a second-- that's not fair!" Naruto whined, his blue eyes widening as Sakura pulled out a heather flower and gave it to Kakashi. He took it immediately, thanking her with a slight inclination of his head and what was probably a wide smile by the crinkling near his eyes.

She smiled at Naruto, big and wide as she started walking again, right past him. She saw his shoulders slump as she did so, and she took a few steps before turning around. A yellow tulip in hand, she held it out dramatically.

His eyes lit up, his earlier whining forgotten as the biggest grin illuminated his features. "Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, taking the flower from her. "You are the bestest, most beautiful girl ever!"

Sakura giggled, cherishing the glare Sasuke was sending Naruto and the blonde continued to loudly proclaim her beauty.

They all continued walking until they had to part ways. Naturally, Naruto wanted a team lunch at Ichiraku. Kakashi disappeared with a wave as soon as it was mentioned. Sasuke said no, of course, but lingered in surprise when Sakura agreed.

"Really?" Naruto asked her, practically jumping in his spot. "All right! It's a date!"

He disappeared under the flaps of the stand before he could hear her say "Not a date, idiot. Lunch."

She went to follow him, but realized Sasuke was still standing there, looking at her as though she has two heads. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?"

He looked like he was about to respond, looking at the ramen stand before glancing back at her. The gaze was fleeting, before he focused on the daisy still in his hand.

"Thanks," He said, holding the bloom up. "For the flower."

"Of course, Sasuke-kun," She replied sweetly, and with a small wave, turned around and headed into the stand.


Sasuke stood outside the ramen stand for a few moments, still utterly bewildered by Sakura's acceptance of Naruto's lunch proposal. Normally, she declined as soon as he did. But accepting it? Even after he said no?

Not to mention the rather dramatic scene with the flowers earlier too.

Perhaps she was in a good mood?

Sure, he noticed she was nicer to Naruto lately, but he chalked that up to them being a team for so long now. The Chuunin Exams did bond them together, more tightly than he wanted to admit. And this had been a pathetic little mission to 'join' the team back together before Naruto went off with some old Sannin.

Huh. Odd.

He looked at the daisy in his hand, and wondered if Sakura knew the bloom was one of his mother's favorites. It was almost certainly a coincidence-- but every year, Mikoto tended to a bouquet of them, right around summer time.

He shifted his feet, sparing the ramen stand one last glance before heading to a place he hasn't been to in a few years. It was too hard, he told himself. Grieving could mean healing, which would then dimmed the rage he needed to take on his brother.

But he went anyway, the flower in his hand like a beacon as it led him to the graveyard.

He knew exactly where the headstone was. It's location would always be permanently etched into his brain.

And once he arrived, he looked down at stone, feeling the gnawing sense of loneliness and despair bubble up within him again.

He knew speaking to the stone was useless. It was just a hunk of sediments with words carved into it. But he had the urge to explain himself-- his reluctance to come before and why now, of all days, he would come and set the daisy down in the vase.

"I'm sorry," He whispered to his mother's headstone. "One of your favorites," He gestured to the white bloom.

"Sakura gave it to me." He continued, shifting his weight and he glared up at the sky. "She's uh, she's my teammate. And you would like her. Erhm. . . Goodbye, I guess."