[A/N: I'm sick which is why I'm working on this rather than the more difficult currently Turning Points. I'm still a little ahead on that so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem.]

3.

Sakura stood frozen in shock for a moment before her legs gave way under her and she dropped to the floor.

Sasuke (was it really him?) was at her side almost instantly, catching the scissors before they could make a hole in either Sakura or the carpet. "Are you all right?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Sakura blinked, and the world seemed to come back into focus. "Y-y-yeah, I'm fine! J-just fine…" He was so close, she realized when she turned her head. Never before had Sakura managed to get close enough to Sasuke to touch him. "I guess it finally worked," she whispered.

Sasuke frowned a little, looking confused. "What worked?"

"Huh? Oh, n-nothing," Sakura stammered. She hadn't been prepared for this! Now what was she supposed to do? "Wait just a second, okay?" Standing up (still a little shaky from the surprise), she quickly threw away the several inches of hair that she had been holding and made the bed so that there would be somewhere for her and Sasuke to sit. She only had the one chair, after all.

Fluffing up the pillows so they looked just right, Sakura sat down and patted the bedspread next to her invitingly. She expected to wake up any moment as Sasuke slowly sat down beside her, but she didn't.

I have to know, Sakura told herself, tentatively reaching out and poking Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke was definitely there and tangible, and even more to Sakura's surprise he didn't seem too bothered at the contact. "What was that for?" Sasuke asked curiously, leaning in so their faces were close together. Sakura had never realized just how long his eyelashes were or how beautifully they framed his coal-black eyes…

"I just wanted to make sure you were really there," Sakura said finally, breaking off her staring and hoping she didn't sound too awestruck.

She could tell Sasuke didn't really understand this from the quizzical tilt of his eyebrows, but he didn't ask any more questions. "I…wanted to tell you something," Sasuke said, slipping his arm around her again.

"Yes?" Sakura asked eagerly. She could feel herself blushing and hoped Sasuke wouldn't notice.

Sasuke looked away a little. "Ever since this afternoon…I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I wanted to see you—I couldn't stand the thought of not being near you, that's why I came. Sakura?"

"Yes?" This is it this is it…

"I think…I love you, Sakura."

Ha! Take THAT, Ino-pig! "Sasuke…" Sakura whispered, closing her eyes as he bent his head closer.

To her surprise, his lips did not meet hers, instead brushing feather-soft against her cheek. Sakura pulled back a little, startled, and Sasuke looked abashed. "Sorry…"

So Sasuke was shy. Sakura hadn't been expecting this, but promptly decided that it was the Cutest Thing Ever.

"Oh no, you don't have anything to be sorry about!" Sakura insisted, finally losing her composure (after a valiant struggle, if she did say so herself) and throwing her arms around Sasuke. "That was wonderful."

Sasuke jumped a little in surprise at Sakura's sudden squeal and pounce, but didn't try to pull away. "Really?" Sakura had never heard that tone of voice from Sasuke before. He sounded delighted, adoring even. "Then…would you go out with me? Tonight, I mean. For dinner."

Sakura felt like screaming in excitement but held it in. "I'd love to! Listen, why don't you go so I can change, and then come around to the front door in about ten minutes, okay?"

Sasuke frowned a little. "Do I have to leave you?"

"It'll just be a little while," Sakura pointed out, already trying to decide what she would wear on her first date.

"Please don't take too long," Sasuke whispered in her ear before reluctantly letting go of her and standing up. Sakura closed the window behind him after he slipped silently out, then headed for her closet.

Despite her promise to only take a few minutes, it still took Sakura some time before she was satisfied. After all, if she was going to be seen on a date with Sasuke, she had to be dressed properly for the occasion. She went through several permutations of garments, and by the time she finally had the right outfit, most of her wardrobe was strewn across the bed and floor. Not wanting to keep Sasuke waiting any longer, she left everything where it was, pausing to put a dab of shiny lipgloss on before heading to the front door.

The outfit she had eventually settled on consisted of a fluffy white chiffon skirt and a red top that had the Haruno clan emblem on the back (while the Haruno were not a ninja clan, they were a very respectable merchant family). The high-heeled wedge sandals she had chosen were a little uncomfortable, but they looked good enough that she didn't really care. She was a little sorry now that she had cut her hair, because it was a little uneven and she hadn't had time to fix it. After putting some little flowery hair-clips in, she had decided it looked at least presentable.

Sakura's mother called to her from the kitchen as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "There's someone at the door, dear," she said. "My hands are full, I can't answer it."

"It's one of my teammates, we're going to go out," Sakura explained quickly, ducking into the kitchen so she wouldn't have to shout.

"Well…that's alright, I suppose," her mother said, although she looked a bit doubtful. "Just don't stay out too late, you have to get up early again tomorrow."

"Got it," Sakura acknowledged before hurrying to the door, struggling a little with the sandals until she figured out the method of walking they required. As she reached for the doorknob, she had to keep herself from dancing with excitement. She was going on a date with Sasuke!

When she opened the door, Sakura almost expected Sasuke to be gone, but he was still there, sitting on the porch railing. He jumped down as Sakura closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry I took so long," Sakura said quickly, knowing she had been quite a bit longer than the ten minutes she had originally said.

"I don't mind," Sasuke replied, "as long as you're here now."

As they descended the porch steps to the sidewalk, Sasuke quietly took Sakura's hand. Sakura felt like screaming with joy but refrained herself just in time; Sasuke would definitely have thought that was pretty strange.

"So where did you want to go?" Sakura asked as they walked towards the commercial district.

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know, I don't go out very much—I haven't had any reason to, until now. Is there any place you like?"

"Well, there's a nice little traditional place near the Yamanaka flower shop," Sakura suggested. "How does that sound?"

"Anything that will make you happy is fine with me," Sasuke said with a smile. It was the first time Sakura had seen anything other than a sardonic smirk from him, and it was heart-stoppingly gorgeous.

The restaurant Sakura had chosen was a pleasant, cozy little place that was very rarely crowded—Sakura had figured that Sasuke wouldn't want to be around a whole lot of people on their first date. It was a clear day, so Sakura decided they would sit outside. The wooden tables were all painted, and the table-for-two that Sakura and Sasuke ended up sitting at had a detailed cherry tree taking up most of the surface.

"What would you like, Sakura?" Sasuke said as Sakura took a delicate sip of the green tea the waitress had brought along with their menus.

"Can I get anything I want?" Sakura asked, perusing the menu. There were a fair amount of reasonably-priced dishes but the really fancy things were very expensive. She didn't want to make Sasuke pay for something he couldn't afford, but she did want to try something nice.

"Certainly you can," Sasuke replied, but Sakura thought he might just have been trying to be polite.

Sakura was still trying to decide when she glanced up and caught a glimpse of someone familiar over Sasuke's shoulder. She quickly ducked behind her menu, hoping that they wouldn't be noticed—she didn't mind her and Sasuke's dating becoming known but didn't want to be bothered in the middle of it—but this hope went ungranted.

"Sasuke-kun?" Ino said suspiciously. "Who are you wi—billboard-brow how dare you."

Sakura affected innocence. "There's nothing wrong with two teammates being together, is there?" Maybe choosing a restaurant located near her love rival's family shop hadn't been such a good idea after all…

"Oh sure, maybe not, but there is when it's Sasuke and he's with you," Ino retorted, glaring. "What, are you blackmailing him or something?"

Sakura gulped. There wasn't any true reply she could give that wouldn't make her look bad, and she couldn't let Sasuke find out. "I—"

"Why else would he go out with you?" Ino continued before Sakura could get any words out. "I mean, look at you!"

Sakura flushed, self-consciously trying to straighten her unevenly chopped hair. Why did Ino have to come and be so horrible? She was ruining Sakura's first date!

At this point, Sasuke, who had been observing the altercation silently, stood up and turned to face Ino. "Don't say such things to Sakura," he said calmly and very coldly. "She is the most beautiful girl in the world to me…and I love her."

Ino turned very pale, and for a moment Sakura thought she was going to attack her before she suddenly burst into tears and fled.

"Sasuke…" Sakura murmured as they sat back down. "Thank you so much."

Sasuke didn't reply to that, but smiled that beautiful genuine smile again. "Have you decided what you want to order yet?"