Originally, I didn't plan on doing another chapter on the story, but this idea came to me and it was so… Team 7esque that I thought I'd add it.

Also note, I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. I am picturing this in a visual setting rather than storybook form because there will be a lot of sudden scene changes.

****Scenes take place from the perspective of the camera. Because for whatever reason, I seem to like writing things from the perspective on inanimate objects.

**Also on the issue: Are the cameras in Naruto world?
Answer: According to Naruto's Wikia page there is actually a lot of technology in the Naruto Universe. …That really shows up when it's convenient. And who am I to complain? I'm totally taking advantage of it here, so don't read too much into it.

Without further ado, here is an added bonus to "Forget me Not!"

Forget me not
.:Chapter five: Sakura Haruno (Part 1):.

Team 7

"Thank you for meeting with me today."

One eye crinkles at its edges. He nods as his hand reaches behind him, "Of course." He offers. His hand returns, bringing an orange book with him. He opens it, seemingly with no particular page in mind, and begins to read.

#

"Thanks for meeting with me today."

Deep black eyes blink slowly, though he does not break contact from the interviewer. His head cocks slightly to the side, appearing to contemplate the words, then comments, "I do not see why you need to thank me; this was a mandatory interview."

#

"Thanks for-"

"Yeah, yeah!" A hand waves, blocking the lens momentarily. "Just get to the questions!" The hand withdraws from the camera, but the giant end of a wagging finger takes of most of the view. "Someone screwed up the last interview, so you better get it right this time!" The finger pulls back and the blonde leans heavily against the back of his seat, lips slightly pouted.

"Of course, Uzumaki-san. This will be completely accurate."

Naruto nods once, hard, fast, and sure.

"Though, Uzumaki-san, please remember that this is being video taped for accuracy," Naruto's eyes shift from the interviewer to stare directly into the camera and back again – repeating the action a few times. He is as subtle as a nervous elephant. "…So" The voice continues on, "if you could be aware of the lens…"

Naruto finally allows himself to stare evenly with the glass. He is silent for a moment, shifting uncomfortably in the wooden seat, before he leans far into the camera lens, one very large and very blue eye blinking.

"…Uzumaki-san…" The voice is heard with an impatient edge to it.

A muffled, buzzing laugh echoes loudly through the speakers. When he is back, sitting straight in his chair any previous sense of uncomfortable air is gone. Naruto's body is straight with arms crossed and all teeth showing. "It's about time you captured me on camera! Better hold on to it. It'll really be worth something one day when I'm Hokage!"

#

"So, tell me about your teammate."

The man in front of the camera does not move, does not respond. There is a long moment of complete silence. The intense gaze does not waver once from beyond the camera lens. The only sign that the camera is still rolling is the occasional blink of the eyes and the creeping scowl manifesting on his otherwise stone-like face.

"Ah, perhaps you'd like me to repeat the question?"

#

"Tell me about your teammate."

Eyebrows knot together, trying to meet at the bridge of his nose. He appears to contemplate the question for a moment.

A few seconds later, his face straightens out and answers, "That is a very broad question, so I shall start with the very basics so as to be sure to answer your question.

"Her name is Sakura Haruno. She is 161 centimeters tall and about 45 to 46 kilograms depending on whether or not she is feeling like the pig she has named her friend. Her bra size is about –"

#

"Ah! Sakura-chan is really awesome! I mean, she'd have to be if she's the teammate of the future Hokage, right?" Naruto gives the camera a victory sign, blocking the view.

"But she's very violent, isn't she?"

The victory sign freezes on it's decent back to his side. His shaking eyes meet the camera lens. They are filled with sheer terror and he says nothing for a time.

#

"Ugly? Yes, she is violent. As she should be. She is a ninja."

"From what I understand, she is pretty violent even towards her teammates."

Sai's lips grimace slightly, his glazing eyes drifting upwards, a more recent memory ringing in his memory.

"We're here!" The door slammed open with a resounding bang that Sai was fairly certain echoed throughout the apartment complex if not the neighborhood.

Sai briefly entertained the voice in his head that said he should warn Naruto of the impending doom that his entrance would cause – but the thought vanished with the slightest puff of air.

Where was the fun in that?

Sai had little time to wait. A fist came flying from the doorway, throwing Naruto out onto the metal walkway that led to Sakura's apartment.

"Stop trying to break my door, you idiot!"

Sakura kicked the curled Naruto again for good measure, being sure to dig her heel into his stomach.

"Ugly, you're looking uglier than usual." Indeed she was. Her hair was pinned up in a messy bun and the red bunny apron gave Sai a comforting twinge. He thought she would appreciate the backwards compliment.

In retrospect, of course, the nickname never did seem to stick with Sakura, so he should have expected to have woken up next to Naruto a few seconds later. He would just have to try the bonding tactic again later.

Despite it all, Sai found that he woke up first. Perhaps Ugly was going soft., perhaps the nickname was growing on her, or perhaps she was accepting his bonds. Maybe he would even get a nickname soon.

With these thoughts, Sai pushed himself up from his leaning position against the railing with relative ease and entered the apartment, leaving Naruto behind.

Only pausing to take off his shoes, Sai continued to the dining room where the meal and the rest of the team sat. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura were already digging in. Sakura was handing a dish to Sasuke, smiling that bright eager smile of hers when she paused once only to turn the happy glow to a menacing glare in an instant – and then it was gone.

Sai brushed it off and settled beside Sasuke.

The instant transformation was repeated only once more during the meal when Naruto rushed in, gushing out apologizes to Sakura.

The rest of the meal passed by without much incident – which was perfectly fine with Sai. As a creature of habit, Sai finds comfort in things running as they usually do, even if the usual includes a few extra bruises, ringing ears, and impromptu fights.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Naruto put down his bowl and wiped his mouth with one hand while the other pointed towards the table near her couch. "Is that today's newspaper?"

Sakura paused her dishes collecting to follow his finger. "Oh, yeah. Why, do you actually want to read it?"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded once before shoving more noodles in his mouth. Sakura sighed and grabbed another dish to take to the kitchen. Sasuke wordlessly followed suit, picking up his own dishes and following her.

"Don't you remember?" Naruto paused. He lowered the bowl slightly, allowing himself room to breath. The chopsticks were still between in fingers, ready to push on the bowl's contents, "Team seven interviews should be in there."

"Oh yeah." Sakura returned to the table and leaned over to grab more dishes. "I almost forgot about those. It was so long ago."

"Yeah. Here." Naruto shoved his bowl at Sakura. "Thanks a lot Sakura!" He leaned back and patted his belly. "The fish was better today."

Sakura paused her activity. She turned robotically towards Naruto. "Oh?" She had that smile. Sai knew that smile and it should have warned him. But Sai wanted to put his own opinion in. Surely she would take it as a compliment.

"Yes, Ugly. I agree. It was a bit better than last time you tried to cook fish. The last time was barely edible but this time I was able to get it down with only the help of water and rice – Dickless, is there a large bug around you that you are trying to swat?" Sai stopped his critique and turned towards the increasingly pale Naruto. Sai cocked his head to the side, trying to make out the frantic motions. "I can't understand idiot, you'll have to use words."

"Naruto-kun." Came Sakura's sickeningly sweet voice.

Naruto froze mid-motion. Any color that was left drained from his face. "Eh, heh heh, Sakura-chan…" Naruto ever so slowly turned to face his death, chuckling halfheartedly while one hand lowered and the other went to that spot on the back of his neck.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"S-Sakura-chan, you know we love and appreciate you, right, Kakahi-sensei?" Naruto turned to get help from their wizened sensei. However, Kakshi was indeed wise and had long since high-tailed it out of there.

"I'm waiting, Naruto-kun."

"W-Well…" Naruto was sweating profusely. His eyes darted anywhere but on Sakura. "M-Maybe you should just not make fish…"

"Maybe." Her head lowered and her voice was quiet and Sai was hopeful. Perhaps she will take the advice to heart!

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST NOT EAT HERE AGAIN!"

Sakura's apartment spun for a moment and the only grounding vision was his teammate spinning next to him. When he eventually woke up at base floor of Sakura's apartment building, he wondered exactly what he had done this time.

Yes, it's a good thing Sai did appreciate normalcy.

"Yes," Sai confirms, "She is fairly violent." His hand raises to rub a spot on his head.

#

There are two sounds coming through the microphone. One is the flipping of the occasional page, the other is uncomfortable shifting coming from behind the camera.

The ninja turns another page, his eyes following the images. "Do you want to do ask your questions, or are you just going to sit there and watch me? I might be willing to share if you're really nice."

There was a fumbling noise and something emitted a piercing shriek. The ninja did not flinch or look up from his book.

"Ah, yes, you're right Hatake-san." The voice stumbles through the words, "I-I was just waiting for you…"

Another page turned. "I wouldn't have come if I wasn't ready."

"Right. Ah, Hatake-san, what can you tell me about your female student?"

"I don't have students anymore." An eye crinkles and a finger traces over a page before it too is turned.

"You're right." There is an awkward moment of silence before the voice is heard again, "Haruno-san, your previous student – what can you tell me about her?"

Kakashi does look up this time – his gaze calculating and far more focused than his actions said, but it only for a brief time and he was back in his book. "What do you want to know, exactly?"

Again, there was a beat of silence. "I …. I hear she's quite the workaholic."

Kakashi nods. "She's very important to the hospital." He is still focused on his book, but his voice holds a note of pride.

"She is, definitely. Wouldn't it cut into her team time? I've heard from her coworkers that she can be very… difficult to work with at times. Very much a perfectionist.

"I believe that is part of being in charge of the hospital, yes. But I guess it would be nice for her to get lost of the road of life once in a while."

He thought it was time that he surprised her, as it had been a while since he had seen her. She skipped out on lunch again. Not for this first time did he keep his heavy sigh inward, wondering why he had become so attached to the high maintenance team.

A nurse kindly pointed him in the direction of her office after delivering a friendly warning of, 'Stay away from the dragon lady if you know what's good for you.' He found her at her desk, a pile of paperwork on either side of her bent head. The pencil in her hand moved furiously against the paper in front of her. She finished it with a heavy dot and moved it off to another side with one hand while simultaneously grabbing a paper from another pile with her other hand.

"Yo!" Kakashi strolled into her office, stopping at the bookshelf near her desk, casually glancing through the medical titles. Most of them went over his head.

"Did you need something?" She didn't even pause to look up.

Kakashi humed, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. Instead of answering her question, a long arm reached up and pulled a random book from the shelf. He casually flipped through it. It needed more pictures. When he finished, the book was thrown over his shoulder where it hit the floor with a loud bang.

"Do you need something?" She repeated, her teeth clenched and her writing becoming even more furious.

Again, Kakashi chose not to answer. He grabbed another book, flipped through it, and threw it behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura slammed her palms on the desk, pushing herself up. "What do you want!"

Kakashi's hand, midway to her books, stopped. He dropped it and slowly turned to her. With his arms crossed, he leaned back against the bookshelf. ""I thought maybe you've gotten lost of the road of life."

"I have important work to do, Kakashi-sensei." She gestured to the paper piled up around her. "If you didn't notice. It's been getting colder so everyone is getting sick and we were already understaffed."

"Your team is just as important." Kakashi's voice was calm, but there was an underlying tone of disappointment.

Sakura scoffed before she took in a deep breath and dropped back to her chair. Her arms hit the desk hard. "I know that."

"Sakura, you've been quite moody since you read that newspaper article."

To her credit, if Kakashi hadn't been observing her, he wouldn't have noticed the slight twinge in her hand, the shine in her eyes, and the stutter in her writing. "It doesn't mean anything."

"The article or your mood?"

Sakura didn't respond. Her lips remained tightly sealed and her hand moved just a bit quicker. Kakashi took the hint and pushed himself off the bookshelf. "Either way, Sakura," He strolled to the door, pausing after he had pulled it open to look back at her. She stopped her scribbling, but didn't look up. "It's okay to relax a little. Don't forget about the people that really matter." The door closed with a soft click.

He waited a moment longer, his hand still on the doorknob. He was rewarded a few minutes later with the loud thunk of what was probably a book hitting the door.

#

"How is it working with one female ninja per team?"

Onyx eyes narrow a fraction and he says nothing. He still sits, regal and straight, with his arms crossed over his ches, the never relenting stare boring into a point beyond the camera lens. There is silence.

"W-Well," The speaker tries again, the voice sounds like bouncing between the ages of seven and fifteen. "Like, girls and guys think differently, right?" He offers another question, "Is she very emotional?"

It seems that Sasuke can't resist the snort that escapes is nose. "Ah."

Night in Konoha is relatively peaceful and quiet. With little lights and a breeze, the sky and air is refreshing and quite frankly, underappreciated. Konoha is relatively safe and quiet, even at night. People are cozy in their homes with their families and maybe out with the friends. Overall, Konoha is pretty empty at night. Which means that is a perfect time for Sasuke to go out and train. Really, it's not like he sleeps anyway.

So when Sasuke got to his usual training ground only to find it occupied, he was less than thrilled.

He hesitated outside the grounds for a moment, torn between finding a new place and thus avoiding any type of socialization, and scaring off whatever poor soul decided to take his spot. One foot stepped back and he turned with it, weighing the other grounds around him. The thunk of a kunai hitting wood made something inside of him stir. He was a Uchiha, damnit! He would make that person leave!

Sasuke slowly stretched out his chakra feelers, gauging how much interaction this was going to cost him.

His eyes widened slightly. He knew the chakra even by the slightest touch. By now, the evidence of training had become silent. She sensed him as well. So Sasuke squared his shoulders, shoved his hands deep into his pockets and strutted into the field.

The muscles in Sakura's back twitched slightly, but she didn't turn when he entered. His eyes unconsciously ran over her huphing figure. A frown threatened his calm countenance. "Did you just get off work?"

When she didn't answer, the frown turned into a scowl. "You skipped lunch because you were too busy at work and were going to be busy all day – now you're here? Some doctor you are – can't even take care of yourself."

She didn't reply, and Sasuke fought the urge to throw something at her. When had their roles switched? Well, no. Sasuke spun on one heel so his back was facing hers. They weren't entirely switched. He was still the Uchiha. "Fine, whatever. I'll go train somewhere else." He took one step and paused. Old training and advice from friends screamed at him. He mentally brushed them off, "You should sleep." He offered.

"I don't have time to sleep."

He barely heard her, but it's not like it really helped anything. He turned his head towards her, wondering if he could get any clue without putting in much effort. She wasn't completely turned away from him this time. Part of her was turned, mirroring his own position – but she was looking at the ground.

After a few minutes of silence it became painfully clear she wasn't going to say anything else. Now here was the dilemma – did she want him to pry, or was he supposed to let it go? So he just met in the middle, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He did something right because she broke out of her deep staring contest with the ground enough to glare at him. He glared back. He was only giving her a few more minutes before he headed back. If she didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to pry anymore.

"I need to train more." She admitted, breaking the silence.

Sasuke frowned, instinct telling him that there was more to it. He fought internally. Part of him wanted to head for the hills, another part – a very obnoxious part – wanted to stay – even if he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Internally, Sasuke sighed. If nothing else, Sasuke was blunt, and it worked before, "Training yourself when you're exhausted isn't going to help. Go home."

Sakura let out a very un-Sakura-like scoff (though, Sasuke had been learning that she sbegun doing a lot of things that were very 'un-Sakura like' since he'd been gone). "Like you're one to talk."

"We aren't talking about me, right now." He snapped. Making a clicking noise with his tongue, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "You know what? Fine." He started walking, but Sakura's voice stopped him.

"The article yesterday."

It wasn't her words that stopped him. It was her tone of voice. He knew it very well – frustration, anger, and hopelessness. She was close to tears and damn-it-all, he was stuck now. He grunted, letting her know he was still there.

"I wasn't in it."

Sasuke bit his tongue from commenting on something so childish.

"They interviewed everyone on Team 7 – even me!" Sakura turned to him now. Her glassy green eyes reflected in the moonlight. "It was about the dream rookie team that was the main driving force of the war," Sakura's hands were fisted. She looked away from him then, as though ashamed, "And they thought I wasn't good enough for even a mention."

Sasuke couldn't look at her either. She was hurt by this and he knew it was something she struggled with – yet part of him didn't really understand. His lips pressed together and he clenched his fists tight. He looked at her now, waiting to catch her eyes. "Who cares?"

Just like he predicted, she whirled on him in furious disbelief. He continued before she could retaliate, "Your teammates, whose opinions matter, think you are an important part of this team. Why do you care about anyone else?"

Sakura physically took a step back. Her eyes were wide and mouth gaping open. Sasuke really thought he got through to her until she regained her footing and her lips pressed together in a grim line. She wouldn't look at him again and he knew he had lost her. "You don't understand."

"Ch." Sasuke turned away, too annoyed. "You're right, I don't."

He walked away, neither saying anything more. He tried, right?

#

"I love Sakura-chan," Blue eyes are rolled up, looking up at something on the ceiling. "But she is pretty angry." He admits. He looks back down at the camera suddenly. His hands alternate between wringing together and clutching the seat under him and his thighs shift their weight so that he rocks from side to side. Blue eyes stare accusingly straight into the camera lens. "You aren't going to put that in, are you?"

"I aim to tell the truth, Uzumaki-san." The voice answered, patiently. "How is she to look at? She has exotic hair, but she's a bit…lacking in other areas."

"She's…" Naruto's lips slant downwards. He pauses mid-sentence and his still for once. Blonde eyebrows scrunch and he looks off to the side for a moment – his eyes hidden by shadows. The recorded time only says it has been 30 seconds, but it feels longer. When he does look back, Naruto's eyes are hardened and shining. His arms cross over his puffed out chest and he sits up straight. "You know," He says, and something dangerous flashes in his eyes, "There's a lot more to Sakura than that."

"Hello, handsome."

Naruto gnashed his teeth together. Even though his lips were sealed tight, he thought they were grinding together so loudly that someone had to have heard him. Oddly enough, no one had.

"I'll have what he is having."

"You sure you can handle it?"

"I like my drinks the way I like my men: strong."

Naruto grabbed the straw in his drink and began to stir vigorously. It was only by sheer willpower that he didn't grab the drink and smash it on a certain head.

"You've picked the winning combination then, girly."

"Girly?" Naruto could hear the pout. "Do I seem like I girl to you? I assure you…" there was a pause. The next words were whispered, heavy with a promise, "I am very much a woman."

"Uh, sir?" That voice was not coming from his ear. He was brought back to his position. The bartender was in front of him, offering a towel for puddle of alcohol that had escaped during the intense and unconscious stirring.

"Yeah," Naruto snatched the towel, grumbling. "Thanks."

"Look at the poor bastard," He heard, "Doesn't know how to hold his liquor."

"No." Came the sharp agreement. He could feel the stare and frightening glare on the back on his head. He inwardly cringed, his shoulder blades tensing.

Quickly, he grabbed his glass and pushed himself up from the barstool. "Thanks, I'm just going to sit over there." Naruto pointed to a corner table. He tried to look as weary and drained as he felt.

The bartender nodded, watching the glass in Naruto's hand like a hawk, probably praying for its safe return.

After a hopefully silent getaway, Naruto slouched in the chair and tried to look as interested in his drink as possible while watching the room from the corner of his eye.

It was a busy night, men and women crowded the bar and each other. It was late at night and the alcohol was doing its duty. A merry song could be heard to his left near the piano. A crowd had gathered and there was a loud thumping of boots and the thunder of hands against tables.

If he wasn't so miserable and on a mission, he would join them. As it was, Naruto casually leaned his head against one arm, pressing his hand against his ear to block outside noise.

"You sure know how to sweet talk a man." He heard.

"Only for the best." Came the reply.

It occurred to Naruto that with how deep his scowl was growing, he might as well be turning into the bastard. Against their better judgment, his eyes roamed over to the source of his unhappiness.

They were sitting at the bar, she on the edge of her bar stool almost in his lap. He was leaning closer as well, his eyes dropping occasionally to catch a glimpse of the little bit of cleavage she had to offer. Her short black hair was pinned up into a messy bun, push pins and other helpers were almost falling out. Her low cut red yukata was slipping further and further up and down in all the wrong places the more the night wore on.

"You know, a guy might get suspicious of a girl who pays him so many compliments."

Naruto sat up straight, concentrating all his might on not grabbing the girl and getting the hell out of there.

Said girl blinked slowly, processing the words before she placed a finger on her cutely pouted lips and hummed, a darker red coloring her already pink cheeks. "Oh?" She said, "I guess I'm just trying too hard to impress you." She leaned back and grinned sheepishly at him.

The man, who really wasn't bad looking with a typical male yukata and short brown hair, laughed good-naturedly and placed a hand on her shoulder.

He leaned in, and it was only by the power of Naruto's microphone that he heard, "Well, it's working. Is it my turn to impress you now?"

He pulled away from her ear, a smug, proud grin present on his lips. His head jerked up in the direction of the rooms upstairs.

The black haired girl looked up, almost surprised and confused for a moment, before a corner of her red lips curled up. She nodded once and held out her hand. "Impress me."

He took her hand his and tugged her up off the stool. He led her up the stairs and that's as far as Naruto could see them. When he looked down, the glass was in pieces in his hands.

He knew that of the available choices, he was the lesser of the two evils. Despite his lack of tact and overall skill at blending in, the other alternative would not have lasted this long. His lips curled up and his mood brightened, thinking of all the things that would have gone wrong had the bastard been here – hell, if he had even known about this little mission, she would not be up in that room with their target getting the information they needed. Oh, who was he kidding, Naruto allowed himself a chuckle, he wouldn't have even let her leave the shop with that outfit.

Heavy breathing and wet smacking alerted Naruto of his present position and the smile was replaced with a fierce scowl again. He was the lesser of the two evils, but that didn't mean he liked it. Of course, someone else could have come with her entirely, but with Kakashi and Sai out on missions, there was no way Naruto was letting her go on this kind of mission without someone from their team.

There was a heavy thump heard both in his ear and in the bar. A few people looked up and laughed, wagging their eyebrows suggestively at each other. Naruto's hand automatically went to his ear as his head twisted to stare above him. His muscles tensed, ready to pounce at a moments notice.

"You bitch!" He heard the snarling voice.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

"I ain't telling you nothin'!"

"You don't have to." Her voice was calm – at least it seemed calm comparing to the pounding in his head. "Don't think I didn't see where you put your precious book."

"I'll kill you!"

He could hear the metal clanging against metal. His limbs were so tense that they hurt. He listened carefully, so carefully, willing and dreading the bundle of words that would demand his physical attention and help.

There was another bang, and a few other people looked up towards the room. It took longer for them to look away this time. He could scuffling and scraping in his ear. And then… nothing.

No words of safety or caution, no scuffling, no assurance of life, just a constant heavy breathing.

He waited three seconds (he counted) before he bolted from his chair, rounding the corner and bounding up the stairs. Estimating her location by the tiny amount of chakra and the source of the previous sounds, Naruto didn't even pause in front of the door before he kicked it open and froze.

The occupant however did not freeze. A kunai whizzed by his head, catching a few strands of blonde hair. The kunai was followed by a mass bombardment of various objects including books, a pillow, and a chair.

The chair was what finally threw him back after which the door was promptly slammed shut. "Why can't you wait until I damn well tell you to come up, you idiot?!"

"S-Sakura-chan…" He called weakly from his position on in front of the railing near the door. He clung to the railings for support.

"Don't talk to me for the rest of the night." He heard her angry voice booming from the closed door and from the earphone.

It was probably best, he needed to cool the steam that was coming from his boiling face. He also really needed a drink.

Sakura came down a half hour later. Her hair was still black, but she was dressed in her normal red top, skirt, and knee high boots. She didn't say a word and neither did Naruto. She merely came up behind him and yanked on his ear until they were out of the bar.

They traveled in silence the rest of the night. Naruto fearing Sakura's wrath, and Sakura still… well, wrathful. Neither acknowledged the heat radiating from their faces.

It was finally Sakura that broke the silence at camp that night around the fire, "We only kissed and he undid my top. That's when he was most distracted." Naruto's head snapped over at her, his eyes wide and dozens of emotions clawed at him – the most predominant being frustration and anger on her behalf, "We didn't do anything more and I didn't have time to get it on again, you know?" She wasn't looking at him.

"Sakura-chan." Naruto squirmed on his log. "I'm not really worried about that. I was more worried about you."

"I'm strong!" Was her automatic response.

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, I know, but that doesn't mean you should do these stupid missions."

"It's part of being a Kunoichi."

"It's a stupid part." Sakura's head moved. She wasn't looking at him yet, but she wasn't hiding from him anymore. Her gaze was captured by the small warm fire. There was a small smile on her face.

"Tsunade thought it would be good for me to get out and flirt since I've been pretty moody lately."

"Yeah." Naruto's lips kept moving. "You've been pretty terrible." He stopped. There was something inside of his brain that kicked in a bit late. He ran the words in through his head, wondering why he was getting this unconscious sense of dread. 'You've been pretty terr-' Fuck. Naruto's eyes widened and he scrambled back, falling off the log in the process. He did not let that deter him as he continued to crab walk backwards while alternating holding a surrendering hand out in front of his face, "No- No! Sakura! I didn't mean it! Don't hurt me!" His back hit a tree with a thud. Blue eyes clenched tightly, face scrunched up, as he braced himself for the impending doom.

He waited. The waiting was the worst. It was going to come when he least expected it. Or worse. He would open his eyes to find her smiling. That smile was the worst because it meant she would save it up for later, and when she saved up, it always came back double.

Gathering courage, Naruto's eyes peeled open. She wasn't smiling, hadn't moved – she wasn't even looking at him. Naruto pushed himself up so his legs were folded on either side of him. "Sakura-chan?" He asked tentatively,

"You're right." She said. Her voice was quiet and far away. "I have been pretty terrible."

"Eh?" Naruto turned his ear towards her. Maybe he had been hit so hard that he was in an alternate reality.

"I let that article bother me so much, when I really shouldn't care about what he or anyone else but me and my team thinks." She added.

Naruto began to crawl back to the log, "Sakura-chan…"

"I'm sorry." She finished.

Naruto settled himself back onto the position on the log. "It happens, Sakura-chan. Just remember that we're all here, okay? And you'll always be part of the team."

Sakura finally turned to him, a soft smile on her face and her eyes watery. "Yeah!" She nodded once, hard and firm.

There was a contented moment of silence. The usual grin that had been absent from his face for most of the day had finally returned.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll forget what happened today, right? It was just a normal mission?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah. Though, I bet you wish it was that bastard that saw you instead."

"Naruto!"

Naruto laughed and slid down onto the ground so the log acted as a pillow. He crossed his arms behind his head and rested on leg on the other knee. "It's a good thing he wasn't there though, he would've ruined the whole mission…" He trailed off for a moment before continuing. "On the plus side, Sakura-chan, seeing you without a shirt on was probably as weird as seeing a sister topless."

There was a heavy silence. The previous sense of foreboding returned with a vengeance. "Are you saying I'm not pretty?"

"WHAT? No! Sakura-chan! Wait! Don't!"

TBC

END PART 1

I was writing this 'arc' in its entirety and I noticed that I was over 10,000 words and still had another 1/3 to go, and this was the turning point in the story – so hey, why not stop here for now, yeah?

In the next chapter, Sakura redeems herself and her boys pick up on cues and there is some… hidden drama because quite frankly, while I know Sakura can handle herself, I think the overprotective/angry team is bloody adorable.

(There's a Sasusaku forum! It's small, but check it out at . com.)

Anyhoo, please review! Let me know what you think or if you were confused – or perhaps you loved the idea? Send some love!

Also: Are you tumbling? Check me out at "Joy-girl-sama"