Chapter 3: Surprise!

'I'm making it my personal mission to find him a date! What the hell was I thinking?' ranted the exhausted kunoichi as she walked along the streets of her beloved village.

So far, she'd asked about 25 of her most desperate patients, 15 from her staff, and 33 innocent bystanders! She didn't understand! Wasn't money supposed to buy love? Why couldn't she find a date for Naruto.

Thankfully, most of the refusal had been because of Naruto's annoying personality, not his inmate, for that she was glad.

'It's gonna be a surprise, alright', she thought to herself, then, the light bulb went on, "ah ha! Why didn't I think about her from the beginning,' she asked herself as she rushed towards the hospital.

-----xXx-----

Time: 5:47 minutes later

Location: Konoha Hospital

Level: Children's Ward

"Hinata-chan!!!" shouted the excited kunoichi.

The unfortunate Hyuuga Hinata was giving a terminally ill girl a lollipop as she heard Sakura bellow her name in the middle of the hospital.

"Yes," she responded.

"Hinata, did I tell you how lucky we are that you help us out so much. I don't know what we'd do without you, the children love you so much, etc etc," and after fifteen minutes of straight buttering, Hinata said:

"Sakura," quietly.

"The survey that we passed last week…"

"Sakura," a little bit more loud.

"you were the favorite, surpassing even me! Now isn't that a wond…"

"SAKURA!" the exasperated Hinata shouted. Now, many things had taken place in Konoha, a Fox Demon had attacked it, their most powerful (handsome!) Hokage sacrificed himself, the Uchihas had been almost completely terminated, and Naruto happened. Never, however, in all her existence, had Hyuuga Hinata raised her voice, so when she did, total shock was an understatement.

"Please, Sakura-chan, tell me what it is you want," said the harassed kunoichi.

"Yare, yare, you didn't have to scare the entire hospital, you know," said Sakura, "I was just wondering if you could do me a favor."

----------XxX----------

The morning was as could be, the lazy puffy clouds that adorned the shining sky sang with joy. The breeze added a more harmonizing effect by tickling the leaves that made a bell sound as they moved. The birds, enchanted by their lovely homes, flew around their trees in a ritualistic and beautiful dance…

"Damn it Sai! What have I told you about that stupid Ninjutsu!!" shouted Sakura.

"You can use that monstrous strength of yours, but you won't let me have my fun" said a smiling Sai.

"What are you calling monstrous you idiot? And what part of LIGHT training did you not understand!"

Sakura, completely aggravated, sat down before she felt more tempted to show her companion what monstrous really meant.

"That's it, I'm done," she said, more calmly now.

Taking her pre-packed bento out, she held out another one for Sai, who quietly sat down lotus style and began to eat it in front of her.

Once down, they both sat down and did a little cloud watching, in memory of Shikamaru, who was currently leading a mission and thus unable to do it himself. Sakura was sure to tell him later on, though, if only to irritate him.

"Sai,"

"Hn," was the only indication that told her he was indeed listening.

"Do you still think that I'm weak?"

"Now, Hag, you being ugly does not interfere with the fact that you've become an annoyingly capable kunoichi, second only to Tsunade-baachan, and if you are wallowing in self pity take up baking, I know several people who deserve to die through poisoning,"

After punching him for the Hag comment, she gave him a tentative smile, which surprisingly enough, he responded back with a real one as well.

"Thanks, I think I needed to hear that, I'm just so confused right now," she confided.

The two sat in comfortable silence, Sakura deeply involved in her inner turmoil, and Sai, well, God knows what goes through his mind. The two performed this ritual every Friday, especially if Kakashi and Naruto were not around. Out of the four of them, and Yamato, occasionally, Sai and Sakura were the ones that spend more time together, mostly since Kakashi was always busy doing Anbu level missions alone and Naruto was already receiving secret Hokage lessons from Tsunade, along with his missions. Although she and Naruto were the closest, Sai was her confidant, her rock, in contrast with Naruto's hyperactive loving personality.

"Do you think that lying to a best friend, even if to protect their feelings, is wrong?" she asked him.

"I think that Naruto will still love you, no matter what, be it as friends or whatever else he sees in your ugly face," was Sai's tranquil response, shattering Sakura's anonymous objective, "you're not a seer, not matter how much like a witch you look, so don't try to foretell people's emotions."

The irate cherry blossom merely, though not so softly, punched him. Then the two quietly got up and went about their days, Sai home to his painting and Sakura in the hospital, to do her night shift.

How she hated night shift! and mostly for the wrong reasons. All sane personnel gave sighs of relief when they found themselves on night, because night meant fewer patients, but Sakura was not like most, she hated the slow pace.

She was sitting on her shiny desk making origami leaping frogs when she did get a call, without hearing the details she rushed to her designated observation room, only to find a brooding red head sitting on the patient's bed. Giving him a double look, she though he must've brought some one else in, not be a patient himself, finding no one else, she gathered her courage and walked right in.

"Konbanwa, Gaara-san, how can I help you?" she asked ever so politely and with a smile.

It had been almost a week since she last saw him, and his words were still bothering him, thus, she was unsure on how to approach him now. Before she was always friendly but never weary, yet now she found herself hesitating. Chastising herself for such unprofessional feelings, and nobody could ever accuse Haruno Sakura of ever being unprofessional, she shook herself up mentally, and went on as she did with every patient, with dedication.