A/N: Day five. I'm dying, but at least the reviews can be seen now.

She finds herself watching Shikamaru, analysing him and perhaps looking for something. He's somehow integrated himself and Chouji into the group, but she knows it's the fault of Naruto whose unnatural charisma is akin to a trap.

Shikamaru seems to be mirroring her actions, since she finds him watching her as she does to him. More often than not, the corners of his lips tilt up and it sets a fire onto Sakura's stomach. It's starting to really disturb her, but she soldiers through and has learned to smile back instead of frowning at him in puzzlement.

Her reprieve from their interactions is that he's not eerie like Sasuke, who appears to be struggling with taking cues from Naruto or a psychotic brother. Yet, Shikamaru's gaze seems to unsettle her in a way she's yet to figure out. At least they can have a proper conversation with minimal chance of being weirded out.

"You two keep glancing at each other." Sai observes, leaning on her and resting his head on her shoulder. She returns the gesture by resting her head on his, her higanbana genetically engineered to be more durable. So she doesn't worry about crushing its petals. It took a lot of work and so far she only has the one. "You and Shikamaru-san. Is this what they call the wordless conversation you have with your eyes?"

The class is out in one of the many nearby forests, meant to be an outdoor lesson but the substitute is struggling to contain an erratic Inuzuka and his dog. It's Sakura's fault, because she's been experimenting and they just happen to be great guinea pigs.

Her eyes slide over to the boy Sai's talking about, who's leaning against a tree with Chouji and Naruto. He feels her gaze, and turns to look at her. It feels like the world stops for just a moment, before he smirks and she smiles in return. She hopes it appears to be much calmer than how she feels inside.

"Like that." Sai says, shifting slightly. "Shikamaru-san is exceptionally smart, so perhaps he is most suitable to have a wordless conversation with you. Sasuke-san and Naruto-san are intelligent as well, but something appears to be missing… Human interaction is difficult to decipher."

Sakura hums in agreement. "There's something about him that makes me feel strange. I've yet to discover what it is." she admits, looking over to Sasuke attempting communication with Ino. The way he stares at the Yamanaka is bland, like there's nothing of interest in her. Sakura wishes he looked at her like that, rather than how he does.

It's unsurprising that his gaze feels predatory, but it's still terrifying because she fears his end goal. It doesn't appear to be murdering her and wearing her skin or something as gory. Somehow, she feels like she'd be better equipped to dealing with him if that was the case.

"Naruto-san appears to be good at social interaction, so perhaps it is best to consult him." Sai suggests, which actually sounds reasonable. "Hyuuga-san appears to be approaching us."

She cracks her neck, prompting Sai to sit up straight as Hinata approaches with a frown and her mouth set into a harsh line. Conflicted, because she's looking at the ground rather than at Sakura's eyes.

"Haruno-san…" the Hyuuga heiress starts, her soft voice belying the hard expression of her face. Sakura had apologised for harming her more than she intended, rather than because she harmed her at all. Hinata had accepted, though their interactions so far have all been… terse.

"Hyuuga-san." she nods, standing up so she's not being talked down to. "Is there something you need?"

Hinata takes a deep breathe, steeling herself. "Do you… like Naruto-kun, Haruno-san?" she inquires with all seriousness, throwing Sakura off. Her expression reflects that.

"He's my friend." Sakura replies, hesitant. She's implying that they wouldn't be friends if she didn't like him, but then there's Sasuke and that's just complicated. "Unless you mean in a different fashion, which you'll have to explain for me."

The lavender of Hinata's eyes really stand out when the pupil is visually absent, Sakura notes when the other girl finally looks her in the eyes.

"As in… do you want to become his girlfriend?" Hinata clarifies, and once again Sakura is surprised. Her first thought is that they're all around the age of six and having a romantic partner doesn't seem to be particularly important at the moment.

She frowns, revealing her bemusement. "I don't. Do you?" although she has an inkling that the answer is an obvious affirmative.

Hinata's pale cheeks redden and that's answer enough. "Th-then, I am sorry!" she exclaims, bowing down and causing Sakura to step back at the abrupt movement. "I… I had thought that you and Naruto-kun… He just, when you transferred in he… I am sorry for treating as I have!"

Sakura stares, then blinks as her face is wiped of emotion to properly digest what has happened. "I can introduce you to him, if that's what you want." she decides to offer, sighing as Sai stands beside her with the intention to follow.

The Hyuuga's head snaps up and her eyes light up. "Y-you would do that? I… Thank you!" then she stands up straight, and beams. It's radiant.

Sakura just doesn't understand what goes on anymore. Perhaps she never has.

Birthdays are something that aren't a big deal in Sakura's family, although Father bombards her with hugs and a sufficient amount of money to buy whatever takes her fancy. Her birthdays are always before the start of term, so she doesn't have to worry about celebrating with Naruto and others. Though they see each other outside of the Academy, they've always gathered at certain food restaurants or even training grounds if they feel like training together.

Her home is littered with seals and it's bothersome to have to input new signatures so they aren't seen as intruders and subsequently blown up or something. Naruto's house is guarded, so he thinks it ruins the mood. Sasuke's is out of the question and so they just don't bother with visiting houses.

However, returning to birthdays; to Naruto and others, his birthday is a big deal. It's a day of loss and a day of attainment, and she realises that there are those who see Naruto as a hero. He certainly has the shine for one.

"It's like they're not even trying to hide the fact that he's the fucking jinchuuriki, yeah." Shion clicks her tongue, or at least she makes the sound. "Then you've got that fact that he's also an Uzumaki. Kushina was fucking kidnapped for her chakra, although I killed those fuckers. Nearly caused a war, but whatever."

It would explain the fact that ANBU tail him all the time, which she's only recently become aware of because of sensory training from Shion. They don't make much of an effort to hide, which she thinks is to warn any possible threats that they're watching. Perhaps. She may be wrong.

Last year, she had spent the day with Kakashi and Sai at the cemetery like many other residents. She didn't know of Naruto's birthday that time, but she doubts she would have wanted to spend his birthday with him then either.

It's a day everyone is reminded of his existence, and it becomes crowded. There's even an event for this day, to remember the losses and the sacrifices made. The Sannin always attend, as a sign of respect and regret for not being there to help. It's more of a festival, to lift people's spirits and make something good out of something bad.

Sakura has no desire to meet the Densetsu no Sannin, even though Naruto insists she does along with everyone else in their steadily growing group. All three of them knew Shion. Jiraiya from her interaction with Minato, Tsunade from her interaction with Mito and Orochimaru from pestering her to become his assistant. The last Sannin is the one she truly doesn't want to meet, even if her chakra's concealed. She doesn't know what Shion looked like, but she knows that she looks incredibly similar if she goes by what Naruto and others say.

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whines, draping an arm around her shoulders. Her sidelong glance is one without amusement. "They've been wanting to meet you ever since I mentioned you to them soon after we met!" which means that they've known of her existence for two years at least.

"The Sannin want to meet Sakura?" Shikamaru queries after yawning, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. The other is still planted in his pocket. His eyes meet hers, causing her stomach to clench. He smiles with something akin to admiration and… well, some other emotion she's yet to decipher. "You're something else."

There's a certain sense of mortification that she can feel when her face begins to burn, as her fair complexion makes blushing far more prominent than she'd like. She tries to keep it subtle, even if it's doomed for failure.

Sometimes, she wishes Hinata hadn't made her realise why Shikamaru makes her feel strange. It's highly uncomfortable… liking someone. Especially when there's a full grown woman in her mind who thinks it's all very amusing.

"If you continue to pressure Sakura-neesama, I will be forced to incapacitate you." Sai informs Naruto with an overly amicable smile. They appear to have some kind of rivalry, since Sai enjoys teasing and fighting Naruto. Sai would enjoy teasing Sasuke if only the weirdo would respond.

Hinata frowns, clearly conflicted as she looks at Sakura and Naruto's close proximity. Sakura sighs, because the situation between Naruto and Hinata is as cumbersome as her own situation with Shikamaru.

Shion laughs at it all, having even memorised who likes who. "So, Hinata likes Naruto and Naruto likes your appearance far more than he should, yeah. Sasuke, the weird little shit, has an agenda to 'build a new Uchiha legacy' with you. That's a euphemism for him impregnating you, I'm sure. Chouji has a thing for Ino, who has a thing for Sasuke though I have no idea why. She might be messed up in the head too. Sai's forever alone, or he likes his sketchbook. You like Shikamaru, which is fucking adorable, sugar bean!"

Sakura tries not to burn up even more than she already is, but then realises Shion didn't say who Shikamaru likes. This is a question she directs to Shion using their mental link, as she's surrounded by her group of misfit friends and saying the question out loud would just ruin her day.

Shion hums, drawing out her answer and making Sakura anxious. "Really, sugar plum?" she comments after a moment, apparently exasperated. "It's so obvious that it's practically punched me in the face, which is your face, yeah."

Naruto has removed his arm around her to banter with Sai, who's recently gained a trait of perpetual smiling. Sasuke's exchanging words with a disturbed Hinata and Chouji's once again chewing on some kind of packaged snacks, at ease with the world. Shikamaru is walking closer to her, her heart thumping painfully against her chest in response.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asks her, looking to the side before meeting her eyes. He's still rubbing his neck, which she theorises to be a sign of discomfort. "You know, just us? Before Naruto drags you off."

Shion exclaims before bursting into mad laughter. "Fuck me, this is some cute shit! Adorable little children with their drama, man. Silver bun should be around to take photos, damn." her laughter sounds more like she's lost her mind rather than because she's excited about children doing endearing things together. "Are you going to answer, sugar plum? He might be feeling rejected."

Sakura jolts back into reality, blinking and realising that she actually hasn't responded. Shikamaru smirks at her though, knowing her long enough now that she loses herself to her mind often. The thought of him understanding her makes her chest tingle.

"We'd… better be quick, if that's the case." she smiles, the sensation in her chest feeling like it's overflowing. They could run, but all members of the group are fast and Shikamaru's too lazy to put much effort in unless they're training. Even then it's questionable.

So she goes for the next best thing by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. She feels him tense, and herself burn. Shion coos as Sakura hopes he can't hear the beat of her heart. That would makes things even more awkward.

"It's faster this way." she whispers, before executing the Shunshin no Jutsu.

They sit together on the roof of one of the tallest buildings, only one pair of many other residents who occupy various other roofs. The ground below is lively and bright, but Sakura looks to the moon and finds that it's fitting for it to be full on Naruto's birthday. He's such a spectacular existence. It's gross.

Her skin begins to tingle, prompting her to turn to her easy going companion who's been chewing on a dango stick. He keeps her gaze for a moment before he looks away, lifting one hand to rub the side of his neck.

"It's so hard to figure you out." he comments with a sigh, sitting up and flinging the dango stick somewhere into the distance. Well, it wouldn't be the only thing littering the streets. "What do you think about when you get lost in your thoughts?" he frowns, appearing to be frustrated. "I want to know."

She hugs her knees a little tighter, feeling her face beginning to warm once more. It's becoming a nuisance now. "Most recently, I've been thinking a lot about you." Sakura confesses, then groans and feels her insides clench with severe regret.

Shion cackles with deranged triumph. "Yeees, jelly bean!"

Shikamaru's head snaps towards her faster than he ever likes to move, his eyes wide as he looks at her trying to hide her face in shame. Then, after a moment of stunned silence, he abruptly turns away and scratches the back of his head in a movement of anxiety.

"You… Don't surprise me like that!" he chides, though she can see his ears and the nape of his neck are red.

She smiles despite herself, because she rarely sees him so flustered and the sight of it is incredibly endearing. "You wanted to know, Shikamaru." she retorts, feeling surprisingly light. Is it from happiness? It's peculiar.

He groans, turning back to her with a frown but with his eyes looking somewhere other than her. "I didn't…" he exhales, calming himself. He's still flushed with colour. "I didn't think you'd say something like that. Don't girls usually want the guy to confess first? That's what kaa-san said."

Sakura blinks, frowning with thought. "Were you… going to confess?" she dares to ask, but he doesn't need to answer with words as his face is telling enough. Her chest hurts far more than she'd like, but then she supposes that even pleasant feelings can cause pain.

"You're really attention grabbing, you know." he states, adjusting himself to look over the bustling crowd below. "Tou-san saw you one time and thought you looked familiar. He has this look in his eyes when he sees something interesting, so then I started to wonder myself."

Sakura thinks that Shion was far too well-known in her life. She could always change her appearance by removing the higanbana and hiding her seal, but somehow that would feel wrong. Shion, though another person, has become a part of her. Sakura is who she is now because of Shion.

"But you're like a pretty puzzle." Shikamaru sighs, causing her face to redden once more. She wishes it would just stop already. "The more I know, the more interesting you get. Yet I still can't figure you out."

"Have you figured out that I like you yet?" she queries, because apparently her straightforward behaviour shrinks before no one even if she immediately feels mortified afterwards. Everything is so much easier when she's not emotionally attached in such a curious way.

Shikamaru closes his eyes with a frown, attempting to curb the blush from surfacing onto his skin. It ultimately fails, but she's glad for that.

"Have you figured out that I like you yet?" he returns, chancing a glance at her. He blinks at what he sees, which she thinks must be a mess. But then he smiles, a smile that's wider and brighter than usual. "It's not fair that you're cute, smart and talented."

Shion sobs in overjoyed pain, verbally expressing what Sakura feels inside. "The fluff, dear Jesus! The fluff will be the death of my third life, what a way to go! Ugh, it's too much, yeah!"

"I think you're smart and talented too." she laughs, almost hysterically from all the emotionally bubbling up and beginning to overflow. "But I'm not sure if it would hurt your male pride to say that I think you're cute too."

Shikamaru struggles to temper his flustered smile. "You're troublesome, you know that?"

Later in the night, though Shion supports the creation of bonds… she uses them against Sakura when she least expects it. She wakes up after having everything she cares about torn to pieces, destroyed beyond recognition. Devastation had felt so heavy that it could have literally manifested to crush her. For a moment, she forgot about these lessons of the mind.

"In this world, the things you care about can be taken from you and perverted, sugar bean. You need to experience life and build bonds, but you also need to learn that you have to be strong enough to protect them. I'd rather you not have to experience such a loss and realise that it's not a genjutsu, yeah. So, you know, just remember this. Not saying to isolate yourself like a little hermit, but well… I guess I'm trying to say that you should use your fear of losing them as motivation to become stronger, you know?" Shion sounds certain at first, then slowly goes down into uncertainty with her words. It's probably the last part, because it sounds rather inspirational.

However, she understands. Shion does things with Sakura's interest in mind, so there is little ill will between them. She takes a deep, calming breath before exhaling. Getting too caught up in boys and friends will make her lose sight, and the same goes for training so there needs to be a balance.

"Guh, ew. Look at me, trying to be all teacher-like and shit. Gross. I mean, you can't look at me but you know what I mean."

Sakura smiles, because Shion certainly doesn't fit the general idea of a teacher what with her personality and the circumstance of her existence. They're a strange pair, but she's glad that they're able to work so well together.

"I don't have to get stronger alone, do I?" she murmurs in question, though it's more rhetorical than anything. Shion has always emphasised how improvement by yourself can only go so far before someone else has to lend a hand. It's an incredibly lonely existence to be alone all the time, and humans seek the comfort of others. Even monsters have feelings, she says.

"You know the answer already, sugar plum. Your baby daddy supports you financially, silver bun trains you and Sai trains with you. Then you have your misfit group of friends. You're not alone, yeah, so become a fucking badass machine with everyone's help. Is this too inspirational? Because I feel disgusted and like I'm going to throw up but I have no body, yeah."

She grins, turning to her window. The moon is out of her view, so she opens her window to find it near the Hokage Rock. It's still full and bright, but Sakura has always that that its beauty is a solemn and lonely one. Perhaps that's too poetic of her to think, but it's her thoughts.

Her life is absurd, and she thinks that's alright. Her only worry is that her content with life will shatter in the next moment like waiting for the other shoe to drop, as the saying goes.

It's difficult being six and already possessing a cynical nature, but life would get boring if everything's too easy.

"To tomorrow, I suppose." she whispers to the wind.

Chapter Word Count: 3,404

Total Word Count: 15,395

Targeted Word Count: 1,667

A/N: Did you expect this? Maybe. Did I? No, but I'm okay with that so far. Going to sleep now, talk later.

Reviews are love. Reviews are life. It's never ogre.