Came up with this on the fly, as I watched Sakura cut her hair. Un-BETA-ed.

title: Hair
pairing: Sasuke and Sakura
prompts: Re-watching the Chuunin Exam Arc.
author: Mini-Stack
world: Canon

"Your hair is obnoxious."

I froze at the annoyed comment, and my grip on the kunai in my hand tightened.

We were doing a training exercise with the rest of the Konoha Twelve, under the supervision of our three former Jounin sensei. Meaning, Kakashi-sensei was reading his porn and giggling to himself, and Kurenai tried to get rid of an overly happy Gai.

But, on the bright side, I got the best, bloody team-mate in the world.

Yes.

The one, the only, Uchiha, freaking, Sasuke.

The damn ex-traitor had waltzed back into the village in the middle of the damn war with Madara, and demanded to be reinstated as a Konoha shinobi.

Shishou sent him through a wall, three windows and into the Hokage Monument.

After healing him, and listening to his curt, so Sasuke like explanations, she grudgingly reinstated him as an honorary Genin, saying that they needed every able bodied shinobi in the war effort.

Apparently, Sasuke knew that Madara was manipulating him, and it was a desecration of Itachi's body that made him snap. He agreed not to destroy Konoha, as long as justice was served against the Elders of the village.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

Not killing the last surviving Uchiha heir, because that would be bad.

"Sasuke," I ground out, steadying my hand and watching as Ino tried to punch Shikamaru in the head and bellowed about her hair and mud. "We should really focus."

He gave a droll snort behind me, "Your hair is making it hard to do that."

Deep breaths Sakura, deep breaths. Forcing my teeth to unclench, I restrained myself from stabbing him somewhere that would hinder the plan to repopulate of the Uchiha clan. That too, would be bad.

"Well, work past it," I hissed, watching Tenten and Shikamaru attempt to get past the Kaiten that Neji was currently using, while Ino attempted to snag Tenten, who was flinging weapons at her, in a Mind Paralysis Jutsu.

"Hn." Sasuke snorted, "You should dye it. It is impractical for a shinobi to have pink hair."

There was a metallic snap from my hand, and I growled, dropping the two halves of my kunai, "Sasuke, stop talking."

He had the gall to just grunt at me, and shift, waiting for the four in the clearing to wear themselves out. Kicking the remains of my broken weapon away, I peeked through the foliage, watching as Tenten and Ino went hand to hand, each wielding two kunai.

There was a rustle behind us, and twin Naruto's burst out of the trees, each holding a spinning Rasengan.

"W-wait! N-naruto!" I heard Hinata cry, as I leapt away from the branch. Sasuke was slightly faster, and managed to disarm and destroy the clone that came at him, while the one aimed at me just destroyed the branch I had been standing on.

Landing on an adjacent branch, I whipped out an unbroken kunai, and threw it at Hinata as she flew towards me, dark hair flying.

After our training session, designed to help us work better with partners we didn't necessarily get on with, was finished, ending as Lee and Chouji, strangely enough, as the victors.

I managed to disarm Hinata, only after she sealed half the chakra points in my leg, and even managed to break Sasuke's nose, under the pretence that I miscalculated when I lunged at Naruto.

At the risk of sounding like Sasuke; tch.

I limped back towards the clearing where Kiba and Naruto were arguing fiercely with Lee and Chouji, wishing Ino hadn't been so liberal with that damn hair whip of hers.

Sasuke was walking in front of me, hands in his pockets. After I'd broken his nose, I felt bad, and healed it.

Suddenly, he stopped and turned around, facing me. I stopped too, wary, just in case he decided to exact revenge for my breaking of his nose.

He said nothing, and advanced towards me, face blank. Holding my ground, I wondered what he would do. Maybe a torturous genjutsu that forced me to watch Kakashi explain his 'erotica' novels again, or maybe force me to watch him make out with that nuisance Karin?

Yes, that's right. As much as I want to deny it, I just can't.

Because, I, Haruno Sakura, was still madly, and somewhat, sadly, in love with one, Uchiha Sasuke.

Not that I would tell him that!

He stopped just inside touching range, standing a full head taller than me.

Stupid male. Making me look up at his face.

In a blur of movement, that had me struggling to keep up, Sasuke reached up, and grabbed a lock of my hair between two fingers.

He rubbed it between the pads of his fingertips, eyebrows lowered slightly. "I never said I didn't like it," He murmured quietly, tugging on the strand gently, for emphasis, before letting it go.

I stood there, dumbfounded, as he turned, and walked away, hands back in his pockets.

I blinked once. Then twice, and a third time, you know, just for good measure.

Finally, Sasuke seemed to realize that I wasn't walking with him any more, and he turned, and looked at me over his shoulder, dark hair falling over his eyes. "Are you coming?" He asked, quirking a perfect brow.

I grinned at him, "So, you like my hair eh, Uchiha?" I teased, skipping to catch up with him.

"Hn. Annoying."

note~Right, I know Sasuke is OOC. Sorry, but the one-shot really didn't work without it.

note~ Also, Ino's hair whip is derived from two things. 1. When she cuts her hair, and channels chakra through it to trap Sakura, and 2. A great picture I found in DeviantArt, can't remember the name, but search Ino Yamanaka, and look for the one where her hair is all glittery.