AN: Yo, everyone! It's the TENTH chapter! I've finished one-fifth of this whole thing! - dances Johnny Bravo's The Monkey as a victory dance –

Thanks to the people who have read my humble collection from the start to the current! I'm so thankful for you guys!

Most especially to: December Jewel (hey, Itachi WEARS nail polish), emina-anime (ngaun lang dumating Hero sa Davao, actually. Pero nadownload ko na almost lahat ng eps), ArishaGinkaze, Cherry Arrow, Ayane Selznick (I was hurrying a bit to give you guys an X-mas present...), sweetmaiden, LittleMinamino, Uzamaki-Girl, Darkofthenight, Aya, Brandy Camel, neon kun (- record player still keeps playing - AGH! I updated! Make it stop!), x.Ninja.no.Yuki.x, babykitty2270, cutiepie777, sya0ran, Krissel Himura, iluvanime493, puRpLebLuSh017, Queen Cow and Steak, luv hate it, DemonicPulter, pUrpLy sTaR (AU? Maybe, hun. Actually, ung kambal ko ang gumawa ng AU for an English proj), yinyang-sensei, Oukaru Hanako, Fear my Fan (no kiss, not yet), sharingan-x-blossom, Imperial Angel, boredteenager, kurama-kawai (punta ka sa groups . msn . com / narutomangareturns. Meron silang online manga doon), AiTenshiKosmos, MizzBlizz, Isaac says Booga, ginbaby ( thanks for the reviews! Damn, that makes me feel so loved), drunkdragon (isn't everyone?), pigeon, BloodySakuraLeaves, Tank (nah, that's just Inner Sakura coming out. Goodness help us if she turns to Flute Girl), rumiko-serenity, Snotty Chim-Chim, lilxangelxsweetz, MyLittleCougarPaws, Celira, sharon-chan, DarkKnightDreamer, koa-chan, BlAcK silhOUeTTe, kyasarinyume07, animedogfreak, bittersweet dreams (you just killed me with your lovely lovely long review),AmayaSaria, and the rest of the beautiful people who read this baby of mine!

For a prize, you all get a miniature dancing Kimimaro! (Isn't it funny all his jutsus are dances?)

I come bringing you another fill of my omake special! This time, it's a NejiTen…

Sore ga AI Deshou! – Hyuuga Akari

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would have already come out in all his smexy glory.

Akari wasn't sure if Valentines was really in the air. All around their house, she couldn't find a single thing that hinted at this. There were no roses, no chocolate, no cut-out hearts and ribbons. Everything was in its usual order.

Now, she was a paranoid little thing, and had asked her older brother Kazuki if that meant Kaasan and Tousan just didn't love each other. "It's not just roses or chocolate that express love, Akari," he had replied tiredly.

"But look at it!" she had protested. "Hinata-baasan and Naruto-jiisan have them all, and they look so good together! They make it so obvious they love each other! But Kaasan and Tousan… well… all they do is insult each other."

"They're not insulting each other," Kazuki said patiently. "It's just… playful banter. You know, just teasing."

"How do you know?" the brown-haired girl insisted. "What if they're about to break up with each other? What if Kaasan leaves the estate or – or if Tousan has another wife? What do we do then?"

To which her brother replied, "You're being paranoid again, Akari."

Now, she just had to find out. So far, her investigation had gleaned her a few notes; she had spotted used champagne glasses in the sink, meaning they at least had shared a drink or two, and there was an empty box of chocolates in the trash. But that only meant they did this thing randomly, and they didn't mark occasions like Valentines at all.

It would've been more romantic if Tousan gave Kaasan chocolates on Valentines, she thought. But it's all just so… random! If they don't have a sense of romance, that might mean they don't love each other!

The twelve year-old decided to observe her parents' behavior. For the days preceding Valentines, they showed no sign of being aware of the date. The less they took note, the more she became frightened that they might separate.

Two nights before Valentines, she decided to use Byakuugan to see into her parents' room. Kazuki had warned her that not only would it be rude and unethical to do that, but she might find something, as he put it with blushing cheeks, disturbing and embarrassing. She had retorted cheekily, "I'm quite aware of what might go on in the bedroom, thanks!"

As she molded her chakra, she said to herself that if there was one place two people would express their love for each other, it would be the bedroom. She used her ability to see through walls, scanning her parents' bed.

She was disappointed. For her mother was on one side of the bed, and her father in the other, and they seemed to be oblivious to everything except sleep. Akari withdrew her blood ability glumly. Maybe they just didn't feel the love.

That night, they went to a concert, which often came during the Heart Season. "Well," Akari had said to herself, "at least they're going out." But she knew that they could've gone anytime, not just to mark an occasion. Valentines Day was just another ordinary day for them.

"Are you really giving up that easily?" Kazuki asked amusedly as she slumped into her room that night.

"Why shouldn't I?" Akari replied sullenly. "All week long I've tried to find proof they're going to do something for Valentines tomorrow, and I can't find one thing. They aren't even preparing anything for each other."

Kazuki shook his head sagely, looking quite like their father with his long dark brown hair. "It doesn't mean if they don't prepare for Valentines, they're not going to celebrate it. Check on them tomorrow and see."

Though Akari wasn't putting much hope in that, she decided to follow her brother's advice. Come Valentine morning, she crept from her bed towards her parents' window and hid under the windowsill. "Byakuugan," she whispered under her breath, not really expecting to find anything.

Boy was she surprised.

Her chocolate-haired mother taken more than her share of the bed and was now resting beside her father, whose eyes were closed. Her hand trailed lazily across his bare chest, singing softly. "Wo ai ni…"

Akari raised her eyebrows. What did that mean?

Her father's left eye opened and he eyed her mother drowsily. "Tenten, what the hell…?"

"Wo ai ni…" she sang softly again, in imitation of the singer in the concert. And then Akari realized it.

Wo ai ni. Aishiteru. It meant one and the same, only in a different language.

I love you.

Her Tousan chuckled quietly. "Hn. Happy Valentines Day, Tenten."

Akari crept away from the window as silently as possible, grinning slightly. Even if Kaasan and Tousan don't show it on the outside, but only when they think they're alone, sore ga ai deshou.

I hope you liked that, everyone! Now comes the main feature! And what could be more appropriate than a Valentine's Special!

Warning: NaruHina, ShikaIno, and NejiTen. Just a teensy bit of NaruSasu. (NaruKO. Now this is just plain funny.)

Marshmallow 10:

Valentines: The Right Time to Ask

Sunlight glistened on the shiny glass of shops behind them an explosion of red and pink boxes, ribbons, and heart decorations. The smell of chocolate, wine, and roses lingered in the air. All around, people burst into cheesy songs.

Love was in the air in the Hidden Village of Konoha.

Sakura noticed this with increasing excitement as she walked through the village. It was nearly Valentines Day. It was Friday then, and Valentines Day was on Tuesday. Four days to go! she thought excitedly.

All around her, she could see different couples being sweet on each other, something that wasn't usual those days. It was perfectly normal, of course, for Naruto and Hinata to be quite sugary with each other, considering Naruto was a sweet guy when it came to Hinata, but added to their usual dose of sugar was the fact they kept disappearing for hours at a time (as seen by the fact they weren't in training, or in Ichiraku, or in any of their favorite places). And when they came back, Hinata would be blushing deep red and Naruto would look self-satisfied.

Now, it wasn't usual to see Neji and Tenten all mushy around each other. All they seemed to do then was to train, and then the occasional lunch or dinner out. But about a week before, there had been a small scandal running the streets about the Hyuuga genius pushing the weapons mistress into an alley and did "things that shouldn't have been done in public," as worded by the conservative types of the village. Sakura knew it wasn't just gossip either, since she herself saw red marks on Tenten's neck. She giggled, remembering Neji's reaction when he heard about his very own scandal.

Even Shikamaru, who was too lazy to take note of this sort of holiday, was making an effort to be nicer to Ino. He had been offering to help her out with things, like keeping shop. Ino, much to everyone's surprise, reciprocated by lessening her nagging. Sakura, in fact, had just seen Shikamaru casting furtive looks at the display of female perfume, trying not to look embarrassed at buying.

They're so lucky, Sakura thought. To be able to spend time with their loved ones… She sighed. I wish I was as lucky.

In truth, she was spending more time with Sasuke, and for that, she was grateful. But although Sasuke had finally allowed her to be closer to him, it was all training. Sasuke had realized the value of having a medic nin during training, and during the period of time they had spent together, he had opened up just a little to the pink-haired kunoichi.

She took quick steps to the Uchiha Estate, where Sasuke preferred to train. She had been there so much that Ino often teased her of being almost an Uchiha. This always reduced her to Hinata-like stammering, followed by defensiveness so vehement that Ino (or anyone who happened to be listening) wouldn't believe a word of her argument.

"Sasuke-kun's your boyfriend," Ino would say, winking. "Both of you just don't realize it yet."

Sakura would rather not think of Sasuke as her boyfriend, however, since it was quite unclear what was going on between them. Sometimes he was sweet – he would offer her his coat if she was cold, or he would dress her wounds so tenderly even if they both knew she could heal herself.

But more often, he was harsh and cold. When she tried to talk to him about anything else about training, he would keep quiet, or worse, tell her to shut up. There were times, of course when he acted strange; he would stare at her for periods of time, or else try to be as close as possible to her. But this was hardly ever. Oftener was he stoic and unforgiving, disregarding everything besides trying to get strong.

This was the reason why she didn't want to mention Valentines Day to him. She knew he would either change the topic, or completely ignore her. She would rather not celebrate Valentines Day than get hurt. And after all, she had mused, whatever Ino says, he's not my boyfriend. I've got no right to force him into anything.

Then she had mentioned this to Ino, Tenten, and Hinata, who all reacted in incredulity. "But he's your boyfriend!" Tenten had protested. "You're supposed to go out whether he likes it or not!"

"For the last time," Sakura had argued, "he's NOT my boyfriend!"

"He's almost your boyfriend," Hinata had pointed out softly.

"And in any case," Ino had said sternly, arms crossed, "the girl's supposed to do the asking out during Valentines. Come on, Sakura-chan, you love him, don't you?" She was sure she did. The question was, was the feeling mutual?

Whatever, Sakura thought, trying not to think too deep about it. Instead, she thought of what the girls had suggested: to hint (at the very least) about Valentines.

"Who knows?" Ino has said. "It might actually get through Uchiha's thick head."

She started humming a tune to herself as she skipped to the Uchiha's exclusive training grounds, wondering jokingly if anything got through the Uchiha's skull at all.

She's late. Sasuke paced the grounds, having long lost interest on the training log, currently lying on the ground, singed and mutilated. Where was his sparring partner? She should've been here twenty minutes ago, he thought irritably.

"Sa. Su. Ke. KUUUUN!"

He turned to face the sprinting kunoichi. Ah, there was the customary greeting. Years ago, he would've been annoyed to no end by it, but now that he was in the mature age of seventeen, he would've been worried if she didn't call him that. It was a force of habit, after all.

"Where were you?" he asked a little icily, his arms folded.

Sakura's smile faltered. "I was kind of distracted – um – with some of the - uh – objects… in town."

"Hn. Don't let it happen again."

Sakura mock-curtsied. "Will do, Your Majesty," she said sarcastically, wearing a barely suppressed grin.

Sasuke pulled on her arm as she giggled madly. "Stop goofing off, Sakura, and let's get to work."

The trained for a bit, but after a while Sasuke noticed something subtly different in Sakura's manner, like her efforts in meeting his eye (whether or not she wanted to he couldn't tell), her very slight bite of the lip (She wants to tell me something, he realized) and her small lack of concentration (her chakra control was wavering slightly).

Maybe no one could detect these signs, but he did. The years they had spent together, coupled with the Sharingan, were nothing if he didn't. He signaled her to stop. She screeched to a halt, withdrawing her chakra scalpel. "Eh?"

He walked up to her, an eyebrow raised. "Sakura, what's eating you?"

For some reason, she blushed. "Huh? O-oh! Uh – nothing, nothing!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sakura, don't give me that. I know better."

Sakura looked as though she was debating with herself. "Look," she said after a while, "if you think it's distracting me, then I'll put it out of my mind, okay? We'll talk about it later."

Sasuke nodded, and training continued. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling he was missing something vital.

"Sasuke-kun, do you know what next Tuesday is?"

"Hey, do you have plans on the fourteenth?"

Sakura groaned to herself as she and Sasuke took a water break. She still didn't know how to tell him about Valentines in the most subtle way. Like she had promised him, she put it out of her mind till their break. But now that she got to thinking, she realized she should've started thinking even before that.

"Sakura," came a puzzled baritone voice, breaking her thoughts, "why are you staring at me?"

Sakura blinked. "Oh. Um, well, I wanted to ask you something."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Shoot."

"Well," the medic nin began, playing with the water bottle in her hand, "do you have plans for this Tuesday?"

Sasuke looked genuinely surprised. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Sakura brightened. "You do?" Was this what she had not dared to even hope for?

"Yeah," Sasuke replied. "I've got a mission for the Godaime. Why?"

Sakura's smile dropped a little. "Mission?"

Sasuke nodded. "The mission briefing's this Monday." He cocked his head curiously to the side. "Why'd you ask?"

She laughed to hide her great dismay. "Oh, hahaha, I was wondering, because I had plans for Tuesday and - um – I wanted to know if – if you know, we had training together."

"I guess we don't," Sasuke agreed, and drank from his water bottle, not seeing his sparring partner's sad green eyes.

The afternoon after training, Sasuke walked out of the Estate after a few days of not going out. He had had a hard mission a week before; he had spent time resting and training alternately. But he had to get more supplies.

And so it was that Uchiha Sasuke went out of his estate with nothing in mind but tomatoes, milk, meat, and a few other necessities. And so was his preoccupation that when he stepped into downtown Konoha, he thought he might've stepped into his brother's Tsukuyomi with all the red that surrounded him.

"What the hell…?"

Hearts, hearts, hearts, ribbons, flowers, and more hearts were what greeted his onyx eyes. "Young man!" one of the stall owners called to him. "Chocolates for your girl?"

Another yelled, "Roses! Roses! Only 150 ryo per blossom!"

And then, there was the worst of them all. "SASUKE-KUN!" throngs of girls screamed, coming at him at all sides. "DATE ME FOR VALENTIIINES!"

Valentines.

And the gears of his genius mind started turning rapidly. The red. The chocolates and flowers. The fangirls. Tuesday. Sakura and her weirdness. Valentines. All about Valentines.

I am so whipped.

He didn't know which way to turn and was desperately considering doing a Katon on the innocent (coughrabidcough) girls when a blessed (but of course he wouldn't admit to that) voice called out, "Sorry girls, but he's with me."

He turned, and thanked heavens for once that he had a pervert for a friend. For there, being glared at by hundreds of girls, was a tall, voluptuous blonde with whisker-like marks on her cheeks. "Naru-"

"Come on you bas- I mean, you hottie," Naruko said, and Sasuke caught a grimace on her pretty face. He was forever grateful at the fact she didn't come naked. Under her breath, she said, "Teme, let's run." Sasuke didn't need telling twice, and pumped chakra into his feet, and the girls gave chase.

They ducked into the Ichiraku as the fangirls sped past it, stampeding through the streets. Sasuke panted heavily and looked at his companion, now a guy once more. "You owe me one, Sasuke-teme," Naruto said as he gulped down air. He grinned tiredly. "And to think I was jealous of you having fangirls once."

"Shut up, freaking idiot," Sasuke snapped, sliding into a seat. Naruto glared at him. "I don't have time for your ribbing. I'm having problems as it is."

"Ooh, weetle Sasooke has a weetle pwobwem." It was the Uchiha's turn to glare. "So, spill. What's wrong?"

"Sakura," Sasuke said as he ordered his usual, and Naruto started on his second bowl. "She's acting odd. It's like… she wants me to do something for Valentines." He scowled, blushing pink. "There's no other explanation why she hinted on what plans I had for Tuesday."

"Then why don't you take her out?" Naruto asked.

"I can't ask her out," Sasuke said quickly. "I don't do dates. I don't do Valentines. And not Sakura. I can't."

"But you're involved with her, aren't you?" Naruto asked. "Sakura-chan and you have something going, you have to admit. And don't deny it either," he added right away when Sasuke opened his mouth.

"I wasn't going to, but I'll tell you that's bull," he retorted. "It's just that I have a mission on that day. I can't ask her."

"Gah!" Naruto cried, throwing his head back. "What the hell is Tsunade no baachan thinking, giving you a mission on that particular day?" He looked at Sasuke. "Looks like your chances are blown."

Sasuke wanted to say he didn't want the chance at all, but something was preventing him from lying.

And then came February 13.

Sakura, lying on her bed, stared at her ceiling, feeling a little peeved. It was a day before Valentines, and no one had hinted they wanted to go out with her for that day. Not that she really minded, but the fact she was probably the only one of her friends to stay home on that particular day was grating on her nerves. Why do I have this kind of luck? Sakura thought miserably, rolling over to her side. All I really want is to enjoy Valentines. Is that too much to ask?

She knew, of course, why it seemed no one was trying to go after her. Sasuke-kun, she thought, scowling. Everyone, including all the eligible males of Konoha, seemed to think she was taken. But I'm not! Sasuke-kun's not my boyfriend!

But she knew they thought that with good reason. She and Sasuke were together more often, and they sometimes walked town together, giving the villagers an impression they were going out. And speaking of going out, the coral-haired nin thought, I'm never coming out for the duration of this holiday. Not with this whole fiasco of not having a date.

She didn't even want to admit to her disappointment about not being able to take Sasuke out for Valentines.

Sasuke stood in front of the blonde Godaime Hokage, who scanned him with shrewd amber eyes. "Jounin Uchiha Sasuke," she said. "You have been called here for a solo mission of utmost importance."

Sasuke felt like glaring at her, but his face remained stoic. He didn't know why he felt so annoyed at taking whatever mission this was. It couldn't have been because he couldn't spend time with Sakura for the next day. It was definitely something other than that. Or so he tried to convince himself.

"Your mission will be done today," Tsunade continued, and Sasuke raised his eyebrows. Did that mean he could be home early the next day and…?

"I am giving you a time limit, in fact," Tsunade said. She handed him a scroll containing the mission details. "Failure to comply, of course, will result in withdrawal of all your nin privileges."

But being the over-achiever he was, Sasuke was confident he could do this mission. He didn't fear Tsunade's ultimatum, for whatever reason it was. Well, at least that was what he felt until he read was what written on the scroll.

D-Rank Mission for Uchiha Sasuke: Within February 13, ask Haruno Sakura out for February 14.

"Yo, Aoba, what's wrong?" Kotetsu asked as he passed by his friend, carrying a stack of papers for the Godaime to sign. Aoba stood in place, stunned, along with a few other people who frequented Hokage Tower.

Kotetsu scanned his surroundings. The walls were scorched, a window was broken, and a chair was missing. "Ah," he said, nodding sagely. "Tsunade-sama has given Uchiha his mission."

Sasuke shook in anger. How could the Godaime do this to him? What did he do to deserve such a mission? Heck, it wasn't even a mission anymore – it was punishment. "Dammit!" he yelled, punching a wall and cracking it.

He didn't want his ninja privileges taken away, but he didn't want to ask Sakura out either. Or else, he thought he did. He gritted his teeth, trying to build up the courage to take the damn payphone and dial Sakura's number.

Brave shinobi Uchiha Sasuke was but Casanova he was not.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of staring at it, he grabbed the payphone, dropped in some coins, and punched in Sakura's number. The other line rang, and after the second ring, a feminine voice said, "Hello?"

"Sakura?" he said as nonchalantly as possible. "It's me."

"Sorry, this isn't Sakura," the voice said apologetically. "This is her mother."

It was good it was over the phone, or someone would've seen his chagrined look. "Uh, can I speak to Sakura, please?"

"I'm sorry, but she's taking a nap, and I can't disturb her. Why don't you call when she's awake?"

Sasuke sighed. "That's all right. I'll – I'll speak to her next time."

Plan A was trashed. It was time to work up the courage for Plan B.

Why was this a plan again? Sasuke asked himself as he stood in front of Sakura's door. It had taken him another thirty minutes to force himself there, but his hand was rebelling against him, refusing to touch the doorbell. He heard footsteps from the inside, and his insides churned. The door burst open.

"We have a doorbell, young man," a black-haired, green-eyed man in his forties said irritably. "What do you want?"

Sasuke gulped, wishing to face a thousand Orochimarus than this particular man, since those green eyes were quite familiar. "Uh, is Sakura in?"

The man turned a little purple, and a vein started throbbing in his temple. "No," he growled, and Sasuke grimaced. "And I suggest you stay away from my daughter if you know what's good for you."

"No, you don't understand," Sasuke protested. "It's a mission-"

The man raised an eyebrow, misunderstanding. "If it is, punk, would you look like you're ready to pee in your pants just to tell Sakura about it?"

Damn. So this is where Sakura got her smarts, Sasuke thought. "No, sir, you don't understa-"

"Stay away from Sakura, you hear me, brat?" the man said harshly, and Sasuke, whose temper had been flaring, debated on whether to perform a Katon on this guy or not. But he knew there was no way Sakura would go out with him if she found out he had burnt her father to crisp. Instead, he only nodded, and a few seconds later, the front door slammed his face.

Sasuke sprinted from the Haruno household, and thought of other possible places Sakura could be. She might be looking into shops, he thought. He didn't want to get into those shops, though. The mission was turning out to be a nightmare.

He scanned the crowds, and looked into shops, but the pink-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell is she? Sasuke thought, irritated.

Sure enough, when he craned his neck, he saw Sakura sniffing some samples of perfume in a body shop. Swallowing his pride, he strode to get to her-

And was immediately mobbed by a big crowd of males, who had been watching Sakura through the window.

"What the fuck!" Sasuke snarled as the other guys jostled to get closer to him.

"Hey, Sasuke-san," someone called. "Is Sakura-san free?"

"Sasuke-san, Sakura-san isn't your girlfriend, right?" another said, sounding hopeful.

"We can take her out too, right?"

Sasuke's anger escalated to full height. His bloodline ability activated, and the boys took a cautious step backward. "Get outta my way," he grumbled, and they made a beeline for him. He entered the perfume shop…

…to find Sakura had already left.

Sasuke managed to break away from the crowd of Sakura's suitors, and followed her easy-to-spot pink hair through the crowd. He saw her enter a sweet shop, oblivious to the fact he had been trailing her.

At least it's easier to find an excuse to enter a sweet shop, Sasuke was thinking, bracing himself to enter, when suddenly-

"SASUKE-KUN!" a bunch of females cried when they saw him, and his blood froze. "GO OUT WITH ME FOR VALENTINES!" They all ran at him, and when he found he was backed up on a wall, he knew he had lost.

"Sasuke-kun, please come with me for Valentines!"

"Don't listen to her, Sasuke-kun, I'm hotter than her, come with me!"

"Sasuke-kun, date me for Valentines!"

"Sasuke-kun I looooooove you!"

Sasuke froze, his face expressionless. And then, he started forming the Tiger Seal.

Minutes later, Sasuke found that he had lost Sakura again. He cursed under his breath, wishing the girls hadn't run away so that he could vent off his frustration and burn them all.

Flashes of pink everywhere deceived him into thinking it was Sakura. Sometimes, he would turn, hoping he would find Sakura, only to see ribbons or cut-out hearts.

But there was a flash of pink among flowers, and he turned to follow it. Sure enough, his search led him to the Yamanaka flower shop, where Ino was behind the counter. "Ah, Sasuke-kun!" she said cheerily. "Welcome to our flower shop! Anything you fancy? Roses? Tulips? Petunias?"

"Look, Ino, have you seen Sakura? I could've sworn I saw her-"

"Ah, so it's cherry blossoms you fancy," she said slyly, and Sasuke looked ready to explode. But the Yamanaka suddenly looked a little sorry for him. "Actually, you just missed her. Sorry." Sasuke clenched his fists. Busted again!

Ino smiled. "Why don't you buy a flower for her?" she suggested. "If you're going to ask her out-"

"I'm not going to ask her out!" Sasuke snapped, lying through his teeth.

"Umhm, sure," Ino said, smiling, and reached for a bouquet of carnations and started wrapping it. Sasuke stared at her confusedly. After which, she handed it to him, saying, "Here. Sakura likes carnations better than roses."

"How do you know?" Sasuke asked, paying for the carnations as Ino declared victory in her mind.

"I've been her best friend since forever," she said, gleeful that Sasuke had fallen into her trap. "Now go on. She told me she was going home, so she should be heading there right about now. You can't miss her."

Sasuke weaved in and out of the crowd, walking the familiar street that led to where Sakura lived. He wanted to call out to her, but she seemed to be in a world of her own. Besides, he wanted everything to be private.

And then it happened, just as he stepped into the block where Sakura lived. Trailing him to that place was a crowd of Sakura's suitors, and a mob of rabid fangirls.

"Sasuke, can I take Sakura-san out?"

"Sasuke-san, Sakura-san's not your girlfriend, right? So that means I can ask her out, right?"

"Sasuke-kun! Go out with me!"

"Sasuke-kun, I made these chocolates with love!"

And as if it wasn't enough to be mobbed by all these people, some of Sakura's neighbors had turned to watch in interest. And Sakura hadn't even turned at the sound of his name, walking determinedly away.

"Brat! I thought I told you to stay away from her!"

Ah, that was the final blow. Sakura's father had stuck his head out their window after spotting him. Shaking in anger, Sasuke resolved to do one final move. He slipped into offensive stance, and the people backed away.

But then, he yelled, "Sakura!" and threw the box of carnations in the air.

She turned quickly, her eyes wide, and caught the carnations in her arms. "Whuh - what?" she whispered, bewildered.

Dammit, screw private, Sasuke thought, scowling. The whole neighborhood was quiet, watching with bated breath. "Yo!" he yelled, being about twenty meters away from her. "Will you go out with me tomorrow?"

Sakura's green eyes widened even more. "D-don't you have a mission?" she yelled back.

He decided to tell her about the mission later. "Screw the mission!" he shouted. "Will you go out with me or not?"

He could hardly breathe as she stared at him. Everyone waited for her answer. Then, she began to grin widely.

"YES!" she cried gleefully. "YES YES YES!"

Sasuke's expression turned from expectant, to stunned, to happily relieved. Sakura breathed hard, still smiling her huge happy smile.

And like a radio which volume escalated with every turn of a knob, the noise around them escalated. There were female wails of "Sasuke-kun!", male groans of disbelief, adult buzzing of gossip, and a certain Haruno patriarch muttered obsecinities so dirty his pink-haired wife had to chastise him.

But Sasuke was oblivious to all this. His eyes were only for Sakura, her half-smile still visible from where he stood as she entered their house, carnations in hand. He smirked, turning away as the mob in Sakura's street wailed, groaned, and gossiped away.

Mission accomplished.

If the way Sasuke had asked Sakura out was quite romantic and sweet (if not downright laughable), the date itself was normal enough in Konoha standards. However normal it was though, Sasuke delivered. And how, Sakura thought, more impressed at how normal it actually was than anything.

But what Sakura knew she would remember in the years to come was they way he had asked her. Everyone in Konoha must know by now.

She was right, of course. The people present were enough to testify exactly what had happened. The facts didn't come without being dotted by rumors (Lee had actually asked her if she had really given the fangirls the finger, which she denied in horror), but from what she had heard, everything was accurate.

But that didn't matter. Not really, she thought, snuggling closer to Sasuke as they sat on his porch after their walk. What really mattered was how Touchan reacted.

She had tried, as patiently as possible, to explain what had happened then. It turned out her father was just being a father, insecure about his daughter's welfare. "But if this young man makes you happy, then fine," Haruno-san had grumbled, and Sakura was sure her mother had somehow intervened.

"Sakura, you're quiet," Sasuke said tonelessly. Sakura lowered her eyes sleepily.

"Mm," she replied. "Just doing some thinking."

"Sakura…"

"Hm?"

"I have something to tell you." Sasuke looked a little guilty, and Sakura looked at him a little closer. "That mission I told you about? Well… don't misunderstand, but… asking you out was the mission."

Sakura looked a little surprised, but then she said calmly, "But if to ask me out was the mission, there wasn't anything about actually taking me out, was it?"

"Well, no."

Sakura smiled. "Then may I assume you did it out of your own will?"

Sasuke looked at her, a little amazed. "…Aa. I – I guess so."

The bubblegum-haired nin giggled. "Ah, well, that's good enough for me. So…" she added slyly, "then you do like me."

Sasuke gulped nervously, then tried to smirk valiantly. "You'd be stupid not to notice that, Sakura."

She laughed, but after she looked a little serious. "So Tsunade-shishou gave you the mission?"

"Yeah. Obviously."

Sakura frowned. "But did you know it's supposed to be the girl who asks the guy out, not the other way around?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in contemplation, then widened in horror. "Then that means…"

Sakura grinned, a laugh dancing in her eyes. "She just played you."

Tsunade smirked at Jiraiya, who looked as though he had swallowed one of the frogs he usually summoned. "I win."

"Well, technically-"

"Technically, I win," the blonde Hokage repeated. "I told you Sasuke would fall for the ask-her-out-as-a-mission thing! The kid's too ninja-oriented!"

"But he liked Sakura already," Jiraiya protested. "He was gonna ask her anyway, even if you didn't give him the mission."

"That wasn't the bet," Tsunade said triumphantly. "Cough up, cough up!" she added, motioning him to hand over the moola. Jiraiya raised his eyes to the heavens, asking why in the world he had agreed to this bet.

Good things come to those who wait. Or atleast, to those who try and try again till they get it right.

AN: I finally finished it! Belated Happy Valentines Day everyone!