Chapter 6: Mr. Brightside

Sai sat down on his low stool, pondering over the canvas before him. He wanted to draw something of value, but the only thing that kept appearing in his mind was Sakura. This feeling he started to develop around her was torture, and that was only because he couldn't understand it. He also couldn't understand this terrible feeling he had whenever Sakura mentioned Sasuke's name. True, he was only beginning to discover these so called "emotions" but he wasn't sure why all of the sudden he smiled when Sakura came near or why he wanted her to forget about Sasuke and think about him with the same admiration.

He felt his hand lift and the strokes begin to form his comrade as she was before she had gotten pregnant. He paid special attention to all of her curves and most importantly the smile on her pleasant face. He switched from black to the only color he wanted on the beautiful girl, the mint green of her perfect eyes. His strokes were gentle and smooth as he filled in her perfect orbs.

He sat back, staring at his work of art. Very carefully he laid down his brush and gazed around the room, trying to figure out where to put this work where only he could see it. Standing he took the painting from it's easel and carried it carefully to the back bedroom resting it on a single wooden chair, but felt unsatisfied with it there. He lifted and restlessly made his way back to the front room, leaning it against the couch.

A knock on the door distracted him from his task, drawing him to look out the window to see Sakura standing there, hugging herself against the slowly becoming stormy night. He undid the lock and slowly pulled open the door, standing to the side to let her past. She smiled, politely slipping her shoes off and walking past him into the main room.

"I just wanted to know if you were okay," Sakura started. "You were acting kind of weird."

"Was I?" he asked, scratching the back of his head and looking around the room.

"A little. Anything you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied.

"Well…um…had Naruto been acting like that all day?" she was surprised that he didn't want her to help him with his feelings again. He could tell.

"Not until Sasuke got away," Sai replied. "It was almost as bad as the time at the Sound Village."

"I don't think that was anyone's best day," Sakura said quietly. She glanced about the room until her eyes found the painting against the couch. "Is that new?"

Sai looked down at it, then looked back at her gouging her reaction. She was surprised, eyes wide and unable to find something to say. He nodded the affirmative and bent down, collected it, then held it out for her to examine.

She took it into her hands, holding it out for assessment. She was shocked to see that a drawing was of her like she was: no protruding stomach, no swollen ankles or knees, and no rings that were placed gently that morning on her finger. Keeping it steady she looked to Sai for an explanation.

"Sai…um…" she spoke quietly, a mere whisper on her sweet lips. He took a moment to study this facial expression she was wearing. He would have to paint it later to remember. It was so sweet and different.

"I hope I got your eyes right," he offered in reply. He lifted her chin gently with his hand, studying her now afraid eyes. She had never seen this side of him and was afraid.

"Sai…" She was backing away, but he was to fast to allow her to get far away enough to avoid his lips crushing down on her. He was copying something he had watched in a movie with Sakura. There was faint glimmer of hope that she was kissing him back when she pulled away and laid a hard smack on his face. He turned his head to roll with the stinging thing called pain.

"I have to go," Sakura said bolting out the door, pulling on her shoes, and running out into the rain.

Sai closed the door behind her, staring down at the painting she dropped. He wondered silently what he did wrong as he made his way into his bedroom to lay down for rest. He closed his eyes, drifting off into a sleep jumbled with thoughts about Sakura and Sasuke.

He was in a room, staring through a crack in a doorway. The room before him was lit with only candles and resembled Sasuke's room in the Sound. Two people were standing close to each other in the center of the room. The dark figures soon revealed themselves as Sasuke and Sakura.

She was quiet, stroking his bare chest with her hand. He was softly pulling the zipper down on her dress before capturing her lips with his in a kiss you would only see in the movies.

He jerked awake, rolling on his side and cursing himself silently for thinking about Mr. and now Mrs. Uchiha. He couldn't help it though. He felt like he was eaten up with what they called jealousy.

--

Rock Lee hadn't planned on going this way to go home. He really hadn't. But, unfortunately, he didn't realize he missed his turn to go the shorter way until he saw a very wet Sakura hunkered in her coat and dripping wet. He stopped a moment to admire her youthful glow of her face, despite the weather and a confused expression on her face. He smiled. This was his chance.

He jogged to catch up with her, holding his green umbrella over both of them. "Good evening, Sakura. My, your youthful glow has illuminated right through this awful rain."

She blushed slightly, smiled at him, and said a quiet thank-you. "Lee, isn't your apartment a couple blocks the other way."

"Yeah…well…it is more exercise taking the long way. And as Gai-sensei always says 'Taking shortcuts is missing out on the good things taking the long way will offer,'" Lee replied giving her a thumbs up and a minty-fresh white smile. "He was right, you know. I wouldn't have got to talk to you if I had gone the shorter route."

Sakura smiled at him. Lee was a nice refreshment from the normal emo men she was around. He was like the sun on a rainy day in best comparison or at least he tried to be. He figured that if he was optimistic and always happy she would like his spirit and as a result, like him. But, that plan had failed so far.

He inwardly scolded himself for such thoughts. Perseverance, Lee. Just takes Perseverance.

"What brings you out tonight?" Sakura asked for the sake of conversation.

"I just finished up some training," Lee said. She smiled and shook her head slightly before following up with "Always training aren't you, Lee?"

"It's what keeps me young and strong," he replied. "So I'm always ready for any danger."

"It's good Konoha has guys like you around," she replied. "Keep up the good work." She had stopped. They were in front of her apartment.

"Say, Sakura, if you haven't already eaten, would you like to maybe…um…well…go out to dinner with…me?" he asked. He scolded himself for inserting all of that extra, unneeded stuff in there, but there it was at least. Out for her to hear. A public statement that the Leaf's own Handsome Devil loved the Leaf's own beautiful Cherry Blossom.

He saw her hand fly to her stomach with nervousness as she glanced around herself. "Lee….um…I already ate…"

"Some other time then?"

"I don't think so. I'm sorry. Thanks for the umbrella." She turned to go into the apartment. "Have a nice night." She was in before his "You too." could come out.

He turned towards the sidewalk in sluggish sadness, then absolute fury. He knew why she wouldn't go out with him. Sasuke. Always Sasuke. He couldn't understand it. What did Sasuke have that he didn't? Why always Sasuke? He wasn't even here for heaven's sake! He felt himself kicking angrily at the side walk as he walked faster back to his house. Why doesn't she love me? he asked himself. He had been asking himself that for a long time now, and, as usual, came up with nothing.

He didn't even care that she was pregnant. Most guys would. He didn't. He was happy she would finally have someone with her that she could love and take care of that would probably never hurt her. He would just be even more happy if Sakura would accept him and he could show her he would love her unconditionally and never leave her like Sasuke has so many times.

He sighed. He entered his home, shaking off the water from his umbrella and slipped off his shoes, making his way strait to the bedroom. Collapsing on the bed and sighing, looking at a picture of himself and Sakura at Neji's wedding to Ten Ten. She had gone with Sai, but as friends. She did, however, dance with Lee for two songs. He hadn't taken into account how much champagne she had had, but, then again, he didn't really care. For a moment, she had chosen him over everyone else.

"Maybe another time, Sakura," he mumbled to the picture. "Maybe another time."

--

Naruto could see Sakura's entire route from his seat on his apartments rooftop. He really didn't care that it was raining. He was to angry right now to care. So, he sat there, soaked and watching the pink hair Kunoichi walk from her apartment to Sai's, stay there a few minutes, walk back home in the rain, talk to Lee, then go into her apartment. She had passed his twice and haven't even made a twitch to approach. It was nice to know she cared.

For some reason, he found he was growing less and less angry at Sasuke and more and more angry at Sakura and even more jealous at all the attention she gave others. He was her team mate and she didn't even care how he felt, but at even the slightest whimper he had come running. What kind of friend was that?

He glared at her apartment door from his spot before he stood and began to shout at it. "Nice to know you care, Sakura! I'm fine thanks for askin'! No, I don't need to talk! I'm perfectly perfect in every single way!"

He knew that if it were Sasuke in this situation she would be begging forgiveness. She would be crying and trying to say she was sorry that she didn't ask. But, then again, she would have never neglected Sasuke. She always put him before herself. Always had. And there was something about that that ate Naruto up inside. It made the green-eyed monster pop right out of him. Before, she had been kind of like his sister, but now she was just looking right over him.

Why was she changing? What was happening? And why was she staying in her apartment more and more? She was very active for someone of her particular situation. She was strong and was usually working all she could. But now, she was always in her apartment and not letting anyone in. And was that voices he had heard earlier when he had stood outside the door before throwing it open.

Get a hold of yourself, Uzumaki, he told himself. You're losin' it over nothing.

He looked back at the door again, feeling badly about yelling at her, even if she hadn't heard him. She would be back to normal soon, hopefully. Maybe if he got Sasuke back to her she would return to normal. Maybe…

--

Sakura shrugged out of her coat, leaving it on the heater to dry out and slipped off her shoes. She growled, running her fingers through already tangling hair on her way to the shower. She definitely needed one after the day she had had.

"Where have you been?" Sasuke asked from his position on the wall he had been leaning against. She jumped, whirling around to face him, gasping his name.

"You scared me," she said quietly. "I went to talk to Sai."

"Sai?" she knew he remembered but he was acting like he didn't.

"There was something wrong with him," Sakura explained, placing her hands on his chest and leaning into him. "I couldn't find out what was the matter though." She felt his arms wrap around her and hold her tight.

"You're problem is you care to much about everyone," he said, resting his chin on her head. "You'll die from a cold if you stay wet like this."

She felt his hand go between them pulling the zipper down on her dress. She felt the red material go loose on her shoulders and then fall to her elbows before she slipped it off and let it drop to the floor. She had on a mesh tee shirt under that, which she disposed of quickly leaving just her dainty black bra and black spandex like shorts. Her breasts had swollen with her pregnancy and she nearly had to up her cup. She could see Sasuke was ogling her now and she smiled a little wickedly and said, "Not yet. Soon though."

She gave him a light, playful peck on the lips before turning towards the bathroom. She flipped on the switch and left the door slightly ajar just incase she fell. Her shower was quick, all her troubles being left at the door. The thing with Sai would pass over. Lee would stop asking her out. Soon she would be able to go public with her marriage. Her husband wouldn't be in jail. She would have a baby. Everything would be great.

"Hey, Sasuke, could you bring me my pajamas from the laundry basket in the living room, please?" she called over the sound of the hairdryer. The door swung open and she saw Sasuke laying a small pile on the counter top. "Thank you." She stood there a moment after she cut the hairdryer off waiting for Sasuke to take leave. "Um…did you need the bathroom, Sasuke?"

"No," his reply was simple as he leaned crossed armed in the door way and smirked at her.

"Oh," she felt a blush rise in her cheeks as she looked down at her towel clad self and then at her pajamas. She carefully slid her dainty panties on without dropping the towel. Then she let out a shaky breath and dropped the towel, pulling her flimsy camisole on as quickly as possible then the shorts to match. She slid past him, neglecting to put on her nightly face cream.

He looked at her and chuckled. Her cheeks were pink and she was a little scatter brained. It reminded him of their genin days. He liked Sakura like this. He even found the way she was trying to figure out how to get past him cute and the thought of her being trapped in here by him arousing. He was going to find waiting really hard.

"Oh, I've got pajama bottoms for you," she said, taking pride in finding a way out. "I wasn't sure if you slept with your shirt on or off so I just have the bottoms. I started wearing them when I started to show because of the elastic. Their really comfy. So if you could just…"

He stepped aside, allowing her to slither past him and disappear into the bedroom for a moment before returning with a pair of black, red, and white plaid pajama bottoms. She also had a plain white T shirt for him.

"So, um, there you go…" she said, feeling awkward under his gaze. She was surprised when he bent down and kissed her on the lips passionately, not letting her go for a very long moment.

He smiled, pulling away. "Thank you." He shut the door and she heard the shower start up again. She had to wait for a few minutes for her limbs to move again. She was pretty sure that she had melted into a puddle on the floor. She didn't realize he had thanked her until a few moments after he said it. She wouldn't let herself be affected by the two simple words that had nearly killed her so long ago. He wasn't leaving. She knew he wasn't leaving. Then why did she have this horrible feeling in her gut.

He's not leaving, Sakura. There's no window's in there anyway. Lighten up. It's your wedding night. Well, it's supposed to be. You'll get it eventually. She looked down at her stomach. If you ever decide to come out that is.

She made her way into the bedroom and lay down on her side of the bed. She glanced over at the made up space and smiled, knowing that it would be filled tonight. She left a small lamp on so Sasuke could see when he came through. That was unsuccessful considering her stubbed his toe on the cedar chest in front of the bed like she did every time she tried to walk in the dark. He cursed and decided to go over it instead of trying to find his way around. She laughed as he crawled up the bed, looking utterly seductive. He loomed over her, kissing her lightly before laying down beside her. He pulled the covers up over them and pulling her close.

Sakura could hear his steady heartbeat under her ear and found herself twisting the ring with her thumb on her finger. She wasn't expecting the question that came.

"Sakura, are you happy?" he asked. He sounded like he needed reassurance. He needed to know if she really still loved him.

She smiled, leaning up and kissing his neck. "Yes, Sasuke, very happy. You?"

"Yes. But, about your shampoo.." he said. "You need a more unisex kind."

Sakura burst into a giggle fit and sat up to sniff his raven locks. They did smell incredibly girlie from her fruity mango shampoo. "Consider it done. No more girly shampoos for you."

AN: Okay, I admit it. This is a filler chapter. It just had to be there it seems though. And I couldn't resist the pure fluff in the end. Hopefully I got them as in character or close to it. I really do hope so. If I didn't please give me suggestions on how to make it better. Also, if anything in this inspires artwork, please please please give me a link.

-Lost Ranger