AN: Hey guys! After three weeks of not updating, I'm back and running! Oheee!

We'll have tomato stories next. You guys know that Sasuke's favorite food is tomato, right? Well, for those who didn't, now you do! Heehee!

Anyway, onto the omake!

Why is Sakura Like Tomatoes?

Disclaimer: I only own my brain. I am a poor high school student who gets roughly ten dollars (which is a lot in my country) every month as stipend. I'm willing to bet getting sued won't be good for me.

"Hey, hey, Sasuke," Naruto said cheerily, waving the red apple in the Uchiha heir's face. "Thanks for treating me."

Sasuke pushed Naruto's hand away from his face and took out a bright red tomato from out of the small shopping bag. "No problem," he said, biting into the juicy vegetable, letting its fluids flow into his mouth. Mmm, good.

The Kyuubi vessel opened his mouth to bite into the apple, but then stopped short. "Are you sure this isn't poisoned?" he asked Sasuke suspiciously. His sixteen year old teammate raised an eyebrow.

"Moron. You saw me buy it, so you could've seen me if I put something in it," Sasuke replied, scowling.

Naruto grinned. "Just checking." He bit into the apple noisily. "Mmm, yummy. Fruits are the only plants I'll ever it, aside from the ones they put in ramen."

"I'm surprised you haven't died from ramen overdose," Sasuke muttered.

They walked in silence to the training ground where they were supposed to be meeting their pink-haired teammate, Naruto happily eating the apple away, and Sasuke euphoric over being able to eat his favorite food again after a long time (read: one and a half day).

"So, so, Sasuke," Naruto began, attempting to make small talk with his rival-slash-best friend, "you like tomatoes?"

Sasuke didn't reply, only looking into the direction where they were headed. Flashes of red and pink told them Sakura was already practicing ahead.

Presently, Sasuke bit into his tomato again, and, without taking his eyes off the training ground (or a certain pink-haired medic, whichever), said, "Oi, Naruto."

"Yeah?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you think Sakura is like tomatoes?"

The loud ninja screwed up his mouth inquisitively. "Eh, what, what? What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer me," Sasuke said irritably.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in contemplation. "Well, is it because she can be sweet or sour?"

"…it's not that, but yeah, she fits the description."

They went nearer to the training grounds and watched as Sakura grinned after totally destroying the stump of wood she was practicing on. They found craters all over the field, as a result of her insane strength. "Hmm," Naruto murmured thoughtfully, biting into the apple again, which was almost to its core. "I know!" he exclaimed, spraying apple bits into the air. Sasuke wrinkled his nose disgustedly. "It's because she wears red most of the time, right?"

The Sharingan user rolled his eyes. "How superficial can you get, you clumsy idiot?"

The Uzumaki was running out of ideas. Ah, well, third time's the charm.

True to his training under Jiraiya, he sidled up to Sasuke, who shifted uncomfortably, getting a muscle tic under his eye. "It's because she's soft and juicy to the mouth, isn't she?" he asked slyly. "Or maybe you imagine her to be-"

"Shut up," Sasuke said, reddening like the tomato in his hand. "It's definitely not that."

Naruto scowled. "Then what, then what? What makes Sakura like tomatoes?" he asked, looking agitated. "Sasuke-teme, why do you always have to be confusing?"

Sasuke fell quiet, and Sakura seemed to notice them from afar. She brightened up, waving to them. Naruto shook his head and let go of the matter. "Sakura-chaaaan!" he yelled by way of greeting.

Naruto, why do you think Sakura is like tomatoes?

He popped the last piece of tomato into his mouth. His mouth curved up to a small, barely visible smile.

Because I like tomatoes.

AN: Okay, that was corny, it a weird, fluffy-ish sort of way. Ah, well, that's life. Hee.

Anyway, onto the next fic! Lately, I've been giving you ansgty pieces, so this time, I think it's about time I gave you a light one, just to pick up the mood. I absolutely love this idea, so I hope you will too.

It's still about tomatoes, but this time, with the addition of ohagi. I'm not sure about Sakura's food preferences, but there's this one episode when she thought about giving some of her mother's homemade ohagi to Ino, Naruto and Sasuke. If her mother makes ohagi, that must mean she somehow likes them.

Also, this is going to be a bit shorter than my other fics. That's why I made the omake a little longer for your reading pleasure. I know some of you love long fics, so I might as well apologize for making the main story shorter.

Marshmallow 8:

Bite-Sized: Tomatoes and Ohagi

The sun's rays filtered through the leaves of the trees as Uchiha Sasuke trained hard. He shot kunai to the target, and before it could land, he formed a few quick seals. "Katon: Goukkyaku no Jutsu!" he yelled.

As soon as the kunai hit the bull's eye, the target was burnt to a crisp. Sasuke landed, panting. "Too slow," he muttered to himself. He decided to grab a bite of breakfast before he trained some more.

He went inside his house and made himself a cup of coffee and set some eggs and bacon on a frying pan. One of the benefits of living alone was that no one was there to tell him what to eat, or when to eat, for that matter. No one dictated what he should do, and he liked it that way. It had been that way for eight years, and he preferred if it stayed that way.

It got lonely, of course. There was no doubt about that. He missed his mother's gentle voice whenever she told him how his father spoke highly of him. He longed for the sound of his father's firm voice as he told him that he was proud his little boy was getting better.

The house was always empty when he left it, and empty when he got home, unless some fangirl managed to track him down and corner him. At times, he felt like screaming at the deafening silence, but at times, especially after a long, hard mission, he welcomed it. However, these days, he couldn't help but wonder how it would be if he came home with a hot meal on the table, a nice bath prepared for him, and a warm smile greeting him, asking him how his day was. Not that he wished for it, but he was quite curious.

There were times that the house wasn't empty except for him, and it was always on those days when he thought he would've preferred to be alone. There was a time when his teammates Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura decided to invade his house. They had gone over to each other's houses already, and they had always wanted to see how the interior of the Uchiha mansion looked like. They had made him lead them to his house, and unwillingly (or so he wanted to believe) he brought them there.

They had been amazed at the vastness of the Uchiha estate, which was quite empty. There were smaller houses all over, but easily the biggest house was his. He wondered if they had felt the distinct aura of death as they passed the vacant houses. However, all they had done was chat and tease each other, occasionally poking fun at him.

He could remember Sakura's reaction when they had entered the gate of his house. "Uuwaaah!" she had breathed, her mouth gaping open. "It's so… so… big! And it's so well-maintained too! Oh my goodness, Sasuke-kun, do you really maintain the garden this well?"

"I don't like long grass," had been his simple reply.

Naruto had run inside. "And it's so clean too! Heh, so Sasuke's a homemaker at heart, huh?" he had added, grinning slyly at the pink faced Uchiha.

"Shut up, you freaking moron," he had muttered, glaring at the Kyuubi vessel.

Almost every week after that, both of them had found some excuse to be wandering around the estate and knocking at his door, Sakura most especially. It annoyed him to no end, and he found himself coldly giving her reasons not to, even if his conscience bothered him. He always hated having her there, but somehow he hated it even more when she would give him a disappointed smile and go on her way.

He glanced at the calendar, and muttered a curse under his breath. It was Saturday, and he knew they had no missions for that day. Let's see… what sort of excuse should I give today?

Sasuke knew he couldn't use the I'm-going-training-so-I-can't-be-bothered excuse. They trained together more frequently, so she would only say that she could spar with him. He couldn't tell her he was going to meditate and he needed silence; he had told her that too many times. He couldn't say that he was going to clean his house since he told her that last week. (He did end up cleaning his house. Somehow it didn't feel good to lie to someone as naïve as her.)

Sasuke ran his hand through his raven hair. There had to be a nice, possible sounding excuse lying around in his mind somewhere. He leaned back on his chair, hoping to get a stroke of genius soon.

Because at precisely 10:17, a certain pink-haired medic nin would come knocking at his door and try to give a little light in his life.

Haruno Sakura was excited. It was a lovely Saturday morning; the sky was blue, the dewdrops were glistening in the bright green grass, and there weren't any stupid D-rank missions or dangerous A-rank ones. In fact, they had no mission at all. And Saturdays with no missions only meant one thing. I'm going to Sasuke-kun's today!

She loved walking around the Uchiha part of town. It was falling apart, and there was a certain aura of negativity floating around it, but it was quiet, unlike the rest of Konoha. It helped her clear her mind a bit and think.

Besides, Sasuke lived there.

She combed her hair distractedly, trying to find a good reason to go to Sasuke's, since she often had to make these up. After all, Sasuke hated visits for no particular reason.

I can't give him the "Let's train together" excuse, because we train everyday anyway. I can't say that I'm going to cook him something nice, since he can cook just as well. She frowned at her reflection. And he hates the real reason: I just want to spend some time with him.

I wonder if he knows I don't believe his reasons to keep me away.

She knew she was being foolish, going to the Uchiha Mansion when she already knew what she was going to get: Instant Rejection, and no need to add hot water, thank you. But she never gave up, because she knew, one of those days, she was going to get closer to him. She didn't aim to become more than friends with him anymore; she had to aim for something more feasible. She wanted to be able to put a smile one day, but (she felt bad thinking about it) all that she seemed to do these days was to make him scowl at her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother's call. "Sakura-chan! Time for breakfast!"

"Yes, okaasan!" she called back. Giving her hair one last pat, she hurried downstairs. She went into the dining room.

What greeted her eyes was vegetarian galore. For on the table, sorted in groups, were vegetables of all kinds, from golden corn to bright green cabbage. "Okaasan," she asked curiously, turning to her mother, "what's all this?"

"Well," Mrs. Haruno began, "your Otousan came home just this morning from your grandparents' farm in the outskirts of Konoha, because he was helping with the harvesting. They had a pretty good harvest this year. This," she added, waving her hand over the table, smiling sheepishly, "is the surplus."

"All this?" Sakura asked, gaping. "Ojiichan and Obaachan must have been working hard!"

"I don't know what we're going to do with all this, though," the Haruno patriarch said from the doorway. Sakura went to kiss him good morning.

"Why don't we give some of them to the neighbors?" Mrs. Haruno suggested.

"That's an idea," Mr. Haruno said. Sakura looked over to the harvest of that year. There were a lot to give away. Her parents began to talk about to whom they would give the produce to.

"…I don't know about the tomatoes, though," Mrs. Haruno said, fingering one. "There are a lot of them, and I don't think we can finish this all, and I don't know anyone who likes these things."

Tomatoes… what did that remind Sakura about?

Sasuke-kun loves tomatoes! She thought suddenly. They're his favorite food! She turned to her mother, who was starting to sort out the food into groups. "Okaasan, I have a friend who likes tomatoes," she said. "Can I take some to him?"

"All right," her mother agreed. "Take some of the good ones and put them in a basket."

Sakura nodded happily and rummaged for a container for the tomatoes. Here at last was a perfect excuse to go to Sasuke's home.

Sakura walked the streets with a small basket in her hands. There was a spring in her step, and there was a small smile on her face. She practically illuminated the streets of Konoha with her cheerful demeanor.

She shifted the basket of tomatoes from one hand to another. She had taken about eight bright red tomatoes, the freshest she could find, from the pile. There were a lot more left, but she hadn't taken them all in case her mother did find someone to give them to.

A few minutes more of walking brought her to the Uchiha Estate. By now, she knew her way around the streets. It was easy enough to find Sasuke's house, though; it was the biggest one around.

She rang the doorbell by the closed gate. It was never open unless Sasuke did so. Sakura waited patiently. She knew he had to be coming any minute now. She looked at her watch.

Argh Ten-eighteen. I'm late.

Sasuke looked from his window and saw Sakura waiting patiently with a basket of something by the gate. He supposed the basket was filled with some kind of bribe for him. He almost pitied her. She was so innocent and naïve sometimes… she was so blind to the fact that he felt nothing more than deep friendship with her.

Oh, yes, and maybe a little spark of attraction too. Just a little. And only, as he convinced himself fiercely, because she had a certain childlike charm about her.

(Why did he find himself not believing that, though?)

He shook the thought from his mind and watched from behind the curtain, then looked at his watch. 10:22, it read.

He had hit upon a foolproof plan: he was going to stay inside until she gave up and went home. It was almost too easy.

If only he could find something to do other than wait for her to go away.

Sasuke sat down under the window, resting his arms on his knees. He leaned against the wall, and thought about all the training he could've accomplished right now if Sakura just hadn't come. He looked at the window again, careful not to be seen. She was still there, staring hopefully at the wooden gate. He scowled and shot a glance at his wristwatch.

10:23. He sighed.

Time was slow, he decided. Way too slow.

Sakura was getting bored waiting all day. Or maybe not all day, just a couple of minutes.

No, she was lying to herself. She gave a guilty glance at her watch. It read 12:17. It had been two hours since she had sat down by his gate.

It was hot, and she was hungry. I suppose it's worth it, if Sasuke-kun comes. She had come to the conclusion he had left home for a while, and she had promised herself she'd be there waiting for him till he came back, even if he took all day. She took a look at the tomatoes, smiling. He loves his tomatoes, after all.

As she looked at the bright red things, she realized more than ever how hungry she was. Should I take one? she asked herself.

She shrugged. What he doesn't know won't hurt him. I am quite hungry. I'll only take one. Slowly, she opened the plastic wrapping around the tomatoes.

Sasuke had finished his lunch, which he ate by the window. It was nothing more than a bowl of miso soup. How he wished he still had some tomatoes in his pantry, but sadly, he had finished his whole supply of it. He made mental note to go shopping the next day.

He decided to check on the "situation" again. Slowly, he raised himself on his knees and looked out of the window, making sure his face was not seen.

What he saw made his jaw drop – hungrily.

Sakura had taken out a large red tomato from the basket, and slowly, ever so slowly, she rotated it, as though deciding where to bite it. She gave a small half-smile, and she seemed to say, "Itadakimasu!" before she opened her mouth. As if in slow motion, Sasuke watched her sink her white teeth into the contrasting red skin of the tomato. Even from afar, he could see the juices of the tomato squirt out of the fruit. She pulled the tomato from her mouth and began to chew so slowly that the Uchiha heir wished she would hurry up. She closed her eyes and smiled as she chewed, as though she savored it. He watched her swallow the piece of tomato, wishing it was his throat it was sliding into. He licked his lips as Sakura ran her tongue across hers.

"Tasty," he murmured, watching her mouth form the exact same words.

Then he realized what he was doing. "Crap," he muttered, wanting to bang his head on the window.

His foolproof plan had become fooled.

The sun was setting, and Sakura was increasingly getting tempted to take another tomato from the basket and eat it. One tomato was just not enough for lunch. She looked at her watch and realized that she had been there for seven hours. I can wait some more, she thought tiredly, smiling.

How can one person stay in the same place without moving much for seven freaking hours? Sasuke asked himself, meanwhile. How can she like me this much?

But then again, he had been sitting for seven hours under his window without moving much, either.

But Sakura had done the unforgivable. The tomato… she ate the tomato… and I'm willing to bet that she still has more in that basket… He gave another glance at the girl who was still sitting by his gate.

He hit upon a theory. Maybe those were meant for me. Why else would she come here with a basketful of them? She knows my favorite food is tomato. He growled to himself. I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of that before? And I'm supposed to be a ninja genius. He cringed. But going down there… and after rejecting her countless times… Urgh, it's too… humiliating.

Sasuke was at a loss. But then, Sakura seemed as though she would not leave until he showed his face. He took a deep breath. Time to face the music.

He stood up and went to the gate. He swallowed, and opened the latch. Sakura turned, and she brightened up. "Oh, Sasuke-kun! You're here!"

He put a hand behind his neck, looking away, reddening. "I was asleep, so I didn't know you were here," he muttered. He spared her a glance, and he saw she was smiling shrewdly at him. He sighed. "You didn't believe a word of it."

"Not a word," she said cheerfully. "But that's okay. I know how you are."

Sasuke cleared his throat, his expression embarrassed. "What… what is that?"

Sakura blinked. "Oh, this?" she asked, raising the basket. She grinned. "They're tomatoes. My grandparents had some surplus from their harvest this year, and I thought I'd give some to you."

"You must have been desperate to get rid of it," Sasuke commented. "You waited a long time for me." Sakura giggled.

"Ah, no, I just wanted to see your expression when I gave them to you."

"Would you… would you like to come in?" he asked, turning redder. Sakura actually shook her head. He blinked in surprise.

"I don't want to bother you," she said, smiling. "Besides, it's dusk. My mother might get worried." She handed him the basket, and he took it. "Well," she said, "I'm going to go home now. Ja ne, Sasuke-kun."

"Th-thanks," he mumbled. She only gave him a soft smile and waved goodbye.

Sunday was another mission-less day, and to Sasuke, it meant more training. It was early, and after getting the last tomato from the basket Sakura gave him, he went out, resolving to train a little harder to make up for the time wasted yesterday. He scowled at his stupidity. He should've gone to meet Sakura earlier.

He bit into the tomato, regretting the fact he ate them too quickly. They were too good. They were, in fact, better than any he had tasted these past few days. He supposed it was because it had been a while since he last bit into one (i.e. three days). And probably because the tomatoes came straight from farm. Whatever it was, they certainly seemed juicier and sweeter than usual.

Maybe it was also that little fact that it was Sakura who gave him the whole batch.

He shook his head so hard he got spots floating lazily in front of his eyes when he stopped. Nope. NOT possible.

He pushed the last piece into his mouth, he gathered his choice of weapons and went out of the door. He felt like staying home and practicing in the courtyard.

Ding dong!

His doorbell rang cheerfully. He muttered a few profanities Naruto would have been proud of. Who could be calling on a Sunday? Didn't they have better things to do than to bother him? Frowning deeply, he went to open the gate. Without even looking at the person, he said, hoping he sounded as hostile as he felt, "What do you wa-"

He stopped abruptly. For there, in front of him, was the wrong person to be hostile to.

"Sakura?" he asked, his expression turning from mutinous to puzzled. "What are you doing here? Weren't you here yesterday?"

The green-eyed chuunin smiled sheepishly and held a basket in front of her. "There's still surplus from the farm," she said. "We're not big fans of tomatoes, so I thought I'd bring some more to you."

Sasuke eyed the basket, the hunger in his eyes sparking up suddenly. "That's for me?"

Sakura shrugged. "If you want them."

"Thanks," he said a little too quickly, hoping he didn't appear too eager as he took the basket from her hands. She smiled cheerfully.

"I guess I'll be on my way," she said. "Ja ne, Sasuke-kun." She started to walk away.

Yeah, just go and leave me with my tomatoes. Come on, walk a little faster. It's not like I'm going to invite you in or something. Come on, walk away faster before I get tempted again-

"Sakura," he called, his inner ramblings contradicted. She turned, her eyebrows raised. He screwed up his mouth in embarrassment. "Would – would you like to come in?"

"No, really," Sakura said bracingly. "I'll be on my way."

"I have ohagi," Sasuke said lamely, wondering why the hell he was so keen to get Sakura in his house. She brightened up.

"Well, as long as you don't mind…"

"I don't," Sasuke said curtly. "Now come on in before I change my mind."

Boy, Sakura thought. Sasuke-kun sure has a way of inviting people in.

She entered the dwelling and followed Sasuke to the kitchen. She always liked it in the mansion; it was so silent, and so clean, as though he hardly used it but cleaned it up anyway. She set the basket on the kitchen table as Sasuke rummaged in the fridge for the box of ohagi.

"Why do you have ohagi?" Sakura asked as Sasuke took out a couple of glasses. He set a pitcher of water on the table for them. "I know for a fact you hate sweets."

"Some girl gave them to me the other day," he replied, not looking at her as he poured them some water. He took one of the tomatoes from the basket, muttered "Itadakimasu," and bit into it. As he chewed, he said, "I don't know why I kept them."

Sakura nodded at this and took a piece of ohagi from the box. "Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed before biting into the dark-colored sweet.

"How does it taste?" Sasuke asked. Why am I so interested, anyway?

"Good," Sakura replied cheerfully. "A bit stale, but still good."

"Oh."

They ate in silence. After a while, Sakura spoke up. "So, what are you planning to do today, Sasuke-kun? Training, I suppose?"

"Aa."

"Do you want to go out somewhere?" Sakura asked. "It's not good to stay holed up in the house all day. Or maybe I can stay here and cook you some lunch…?"

"No," Sasuke replied unnecessarily loudly. "Thanks, but no."

"That's too bad," Sakura murmured, sounding disappointed. A pause, and then, "Ne, Sasuke-kun, we still have another basket of tomatoes at home. Do you want me to bring some more tomorrow? We're training with Kakashi-sensei tomorrow, do you remember?"

He shrugged. "Sure." Sakura smiled happily.

"Great!" She bit into her third piece of ohagi. "This is some good ohagi. Do you want some?"

"No thanks."

As Sakura ate, she watched Sasuke sink his teeth into the juicy tomato. It was curious to watch the Uchiha heir eating. He never said much. He never did anything mundane, not in her presence. Normalcy for him was to train and train. But the way he reacted with the tomatoes each time was… amusing in their own way. She smiled, her eyes crinkling.

This was probably why she was still in love with him. She knew her love would never be requited, but for the moment she could hardly care less.

Sasuke would never admit it, but he was actually enjoying just sitting there with Sakura, eating. She didn't even talk much. There was something… comforting about her presence.

He watched her bite into the ohagi daintily, nibbling on the sweet like a mouse. It was almost cute, in a way. Except that the word cute wasn't in Uchiha Sasuke's vocabulary.

Finally, Sakura stood up. "Maa, I'm full," she said, patting her stomach. "Thanks for having me, Sasuke-kun. I think I'll go home now."

"Eat and run?" he asked, smirking. Sakura blushed and stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

"Something like that," she replied. "That was very good ohagi. Thanks for it."

"Aa," he said, nodding as he walked her to the door. She gave him a wave and went through the gate, setting off.

She's bringing me tomatoes tomorrow. Sasuke felt pleased.

But there's no way I'm going to bring her ohagi.

Sakura skipped to the bridge, holding in her hand the last basket of tomatoes from home. I wonder if Sasuke-kun has finished the basket from yesterday. She giggled to herself. If he has, then I think he has a big appetite for tomatoes.

It's just too bad this is the last basket from home. Now I won't have an excuse to go to his house anymore. She shrugged to herself. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted.

She slowed down to a walk. She could already see Sasuke at the bridge, brooding, as usual. If brooding gave him a penny for every minute he wouldn't need his inheritance to survive, she thought amusedly. There was something different about his facial expression, though; from afar, he looked… embarrassed?

Her eyebrows knit together. He was standing, almost casually, but now she could see he was holding something. What was it?

"Sasuke-kun!" she called. He jumped (Odd, Sakura thought, he never jumps in surprise) and raised an eyebrow coolly at her. She smiled and held out the basket. "Well, like I promised, the rest of the tomatoes from home."

"Hn."

Her eyes scanned the perimeter. "Do you want to sit on that bench over there and eat? I don't think Kakashi-sensei or Naruto would be coming soon."

He shrugged. "Fine." They walked together to the nearest bench, Sakura peering at his hands furtively.

"What's that in the box, Sasuke-kun?" she asked. At the question, the boy addressed reddened almost unnoticeably.

Sakura found it obvious he was flustered, though. "Well, it's…" He swallowed and tried again. "It's… well, something… that I'm supposed to… well, you know… it's the… uh… you know what I mean…"

She knew she must have looked very puzzled. "I don't, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke sighed and held the box out. "Ohagi," he said simply, getting over the embarrassment quickly.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. She grinned. "This… this is a wonderful surprise, Sasuke-kun! Thank you!" They sat together on the bench. She opened the box and spied the dark-colored sweets inside. "Ooh, they look yummy."

Sasuke watched her reaction. It was exactly as he had expected. Somehow, he thought, if Sakura hadn't reacted that way, he knew he would've been quite disappointed. He ran his fingers through his raven hair, thinking, Mission accomplished.

"Where'd you get them, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked from beside him. "They taste fresh, so you must have bought them just now, right?"

Sasuke opened the wrapping around the tomatoes and took out one, examining it. "I went grocery shopping this morning."

"Oh." She smiled. "Thanks for going through the trouble of getting me ohagi."

"It's only to repay you for the tomatoes, don't get me wrong." He knew if he told her that he bought the ohagi especially for her, she would be a bit clingier.

Sakura laughed. "Sure, sure, Sasuke-kun."

They say there in silence, eating. It was a very simple event, but the fact that Sasuke looked as though he was enjoying himself made Sakura very happy.

It was a pity they couldn't do that the next day, though.

Sakura felt disappointed. She had nothing to take to Sasuke that day. All the tomatoes were gone (Presumably to his stomach, she thought) and so was the rest of the produce. It felt quite unacceptable.

She walked slowly to the bridge where they were supposed to meet. She could see him staring over the water. His dark hair framed his handsome face, and as the wind blew, Sakura couldn't help but feel her heart leap. Sometimes she thought that maybe as a girl Sasuke would still look good. She wondered vaguely if he could do Naruto's infamous Sexy no Jutsu.

Sasuke looked at her, but she was surprised that he didn't find it odd she didn't have her basket of tomatoes for her. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she greeted, as was her custom. She looked apologetic, not meeting his eye. "Uh… I'm sorry, but we've got no more tomatoes left. I… gave them all to you… so I can't give you any more. I'm really sorry, Sasuke-kun, I knew you liked them somehow-"

"Stop babbling," he muttered, smirking. "You're talking nonsense."

"But-"

"They're just tomatoes," Sasuke interrupted. "I was getting sick of them anyway. Eight tomatoes a day isn't too good for anyone."

Now this threw Sakura off course. "Wha…at?" It was odd that any person would get sick of their favorite food.

Sasuke shook his head. "Never mind." He handed her a box, not bothering to glance at her, although Sakura imagined there was a faint blush on his cheek. "Ohagi. Hope you aren't sick of them yet."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed happily, taking the box. She opened the lid and began eating. Sasuke eyed her, mildly entertained. There was that childlike look on her again. Then she looked up, frowning in consternation.

"Why, though?"

He could feel his cheeks heating up. Why, though? Even he himself wasn't sure. All he knew was that Sakura was probably going to be happy if he gave her some of her favorite food. "To make you happy," Sasuke replied. "You liked the ohagi yesterday and the other day…"

"To make me happy?" Sakura echoed, looking confused. "But… Sasuke-kun, well… it's not you. Why do you want to make me happy?"

He glared at her as though he thought it was a stupid question. She blushed in embarrassment. "Because. You're my teammate. You take a lot of trouble." From me, his conscience wanted to add, but he was too proud to do so. "You deserve to be treated nice sometimes."

Sakura got his meaning, whether he wanted her to or not. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said softly. "I don't see you treating Naruto like this, though."

"Duh, he's not a girl," Sasuke said without thinking. Sakura blinked up at him, then a smile slowly crept up her features as his face screwed up in embarrassment. "I mean… that is… What I mean is that-"

"So you only do this to girls, now do you?" Sakura said slyly, her smile innocent, although the glint in her eyes not at all.

"O-of course not," Sasuke stammered. "I mean, you're the only girl I know, so-"

"Ah," Sakura said teasingly, her eyebrows raised in mock surprise, loving the way Sasuke was getting more and more flustered.

"It's not that," Sasuke tried to amend. "Really, Sakura-"

Sakura's eyes softened and she shrugged. "Whatever you say, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke didn't know whether to feel relieved or embarrassed. She grinned and picked out a piece of ohagi, biting into it but not letting her eyes leave Sasuke. "But you know what, Sasuke-kun?" she said after a while (and a third ohagi).

"What?"

She closed the box. "I think I'm sick of ohagi too."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn." He put his hands into his pockets casually. "So do you think we should settle for ramen instead?"

Sakura gave him a naughty smile. "As long as it's your treat."

"Is it a date, then?" Sasuke asked, smirking and offering his hand. Sakura looked from his face to his outstretched hand, pleasantly surprised.

"What about training?" Sakura asked, just to make sure he wasn't having second thoughts.

He took her hand when she didn't take his. "Training," he said, "can wait. So can Kakashi and Naruto."

"Then, as long as it's okay with you, it's a date," Sakura said, her eyes shining and wiggling her fingers in Sasuke's grasp. They walked together to the Ichiraku hand in hand, thoughts about food filling their mind.

Maybe the next time they did this, food would be little involved, with something else taking its place in their minds.

It should come to no surprise why Kakashi gave them extra hard training the next day.

The easiest way to a boy's heart is through his stomach. Perhaps this could be true to girls as well.

AN: How'd you guys like it? Was it fun? Did it make you hungry? Hee…

Did you get the last part? Drum roll please!

…They skipped training completely.

Can't reply anymore to people... takes too long and I'm doing this in a hurry... but I have to say no one reviewed much...

To all who reviewed, you get a Green Jumpsuit™ courtesy of Rock Lee and Gai-sensei! – does nice guy pose –

Well, I'll see you all next time! Ja matte ne!