Chapter Five: Night of the Ninjas Ball!!

Sakura awoke the next morning with a stiff neck and had very little memory of what had happened the night before except that she had this nagging feeling that something bad had happened. She was also wondering why she wore her cloths from yesterday to bed.

"Oh well, so what do I have planned for today??" she said going over to the calendar to see if anything important was happening today. "The annual Ninjas Ball is...TONIGHT!?" said Sakura shocked that it had snuck up on her like this.

I hope that we get to dance with Sasuke. said inner Sakura in the happiest high-pitched voice she could muster sounding like Sakura's twelve year old self.

'Oh get over him, he's nothing more than another good looking moron and that's all!!' said Sakura to her dreaming inner self.

So you admit that he is good looking?? teased inner Sakura.

'N-No I was just saying...never mind it would take all day to explain to you!! DAMMIT!!' complained Sakura.

"I'd better go find what I'm going to wear tonight, it needs to be fancy but not too fancy...Hm... that's it!! I know exactly what to wear." said Sakura running off to her closet to find her outfit and get it ready.

By the time Sakura had her outfit picked out it was nearly time to get going, so she went and took a quick shower then fixed her hair.

She wore her hair curled to the point that it had lots of bounce, shine, looked great, and still looked long, then she put on a light metallic blue headband to keep most her hair (except her bangs) out of her face, afterwards she went and put on her dress.

It was a floor length, silk, baby blue strapless dress and the shoes were white 2 inch open toed heels. Then she put on her dangly crystal cherry earrings, diamond choker, and a sapphire ring on her right middle finger and on her left wist she wore a silver barbwire bracelet with dull points so it can't engrave into the skin.

She looked her self over, grabbed her shawl, and then headed for the door.

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When Sakura arrived at the Ninjas Ball she was in complete awe... everything looked as if it was from within a dream. Lots of people had already arrived and more were arriving every minute.

"Sakura... are you feeling better??" asked Ino who had just spotted Sakura and came over cautiously.

"I guess... my neck is a little stiff but I can't seem to remember much..." said Sakura rubbing her neck and looking around to see who else had already shown up.

"Well looks like your back to normal... last night you looked like you had lost your mind and were gonna try to kill someone, then when we tried to help you just freaked out even more... its a good thing Sasuke was there..."

"WHAT!? What do you mean its a good thing Sasuke was there??" asked Sakura so loudly that almost everyone had heard her.

"Well... he's the one that stop you before you hurt someone... and he even carried you back to your place. It was really romantic don't you think." said Ino smiling slightly then she walked off to let Sakura think to herself.

'He carried me home... maybe he does care' thought Sakura calmly.

Yeah... now you figure it out!! said inner Sakura with a angry, Hump!!

'Oh just stop your complaining, I've actually seen it for a while I just didn't want to believe it!!' said Sakura to her inner self.

"May I have this dance?" asked a male voice that brought Sakura back into the real world, where the music had already started to play.

"Huh??" said Sakura looking around for the owner of the voice and finally found him.

"I said... may I have this dance, Sakura?" asked Kakashi smiling down at Sakura through the mask he always wore.

"Yes, you may." said Sakura with a smile.

She grabbed Kakashi's hand and then they went out onto the dance floor. A slow dance was playing and they glided beautifully across the floor.

"Remember not to let your hand drop Kakashi-sensei." teased Sakura mischief sparkling in her eyes.

"UUUHHHH... just take all the fun out of dancing with one of the prettiest girls in the room. Don't worry I'll keep my hands to myself. Promise!!" said Kakashi playfully smiling at her through his mask.

When the song ended Kakashi bowed and thanked her for the dance, then went to a table at which he could read his favorite book Come Come Paradise.(that he never left home without.)

Sakura went to an empty table to sit down and rest for a while. She sat out for about three songs and had many different requests to dance, some which she accepted and others which she denied.

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Then later on the DJ said that this song was a girls can't refuse song and that every one was expected to be out on the dance floor.

The song came on and everyone started to pair off... Hinata and Naruto, Ino and Shikamaru, Neji and Tenten, and many others.

'I wish someone would ask me to dance, this is one of my favorite songs...' thought Sakura sadly.

"Would you like to dance??" asked a voice from behind her.

She turned around to look at the person who had asked and it was Sasuke.

"Well, I guess... the DJ did say that girls can't refuse so..." she said quietly a look of slight grief evident on her face. She got up and he lead her out to the dance floor, he gently put his hands on her hips and she in turn put her hands on his shoulders.

"You look stunning." said Sasuke quietly to Sakura with a loving smile.

"T-Thank you??" stammered Sakura with a slight blush stunned that Sasuke had actually said that. "You don't look half bad yourself." she said just over a whisper.

'Maybe he isn't... as bad as I thought.' thought Sakura to herself.

You think!! said inner Sakura in a finally you get it, kind of tone.

They started dancing and slowly Sakura started to relax, she wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and laid her head gently against his chest listening to his heartbeat as they danced.

'Please don't let this be a dream.' thought Sakura.

If it is I'll make sure to not pinch you!! said inner Sakura winking with a smile.

Soon they were moving as one and the rest of the world just melted away, they were the only two beings there and being together just felt so right. Eventually the song ended and they slowly separated, just looking at each other, both wishing that the song had never ended.

"Wow that was..." started Sakura.

"Magical??" interrupted Sasuke quietly looking down at her with a smile that only held love in it .

Sakura who snapped back to her senses realized that she was falling for him faster than a boulder to the bottom of a lake.

"I-I'm sorry I've got t-to go..." stammered Sakura moving away from him as quickly as she could.

Sasuke had a look of utter shock, yet understanding on his face. 'She still isn't ready to admit to the feelings that we both felt tonight. Oh well...' thought Sasuke looking towards the direction that Sakura was disappearing into.

Looking down Sasuke brought a card out of his jacket and looked it over...(You are invited to Sakura Haruno's Sweet Sixteenth Birthday, this Saturday. Don't be late.)

Naruto had handed this invitation to him when he had entered the room, about three minutes before he had asked Sakura to dance with him. 'Looks like I'm gonna need to find her a gift, but what?? Hm... I've got it...' He left the dance before he forgot his great idea for a gift and went to buy it before all the stores closed for the night.

End of Chapter Five