A/N: This was originally supposed to be a chapter with, like, actual plot, but I had wayy too much fun writing Sasuke and Sakura's date. It may be a while until I update (maybe a couple of weeks or so) because I've been rather busy and need to catch up on my goal of being at least 4 chapters ahead (at this current moment, I am currently 0 chapters ahead). But be warned, things won't be so lighthearted as we go on. The real plot will begin soon (and I can't wait!). So, enjoy this little fluffy chapter while you can (though I assure you it's not all fluff and sprinkles).

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

~Chapter 3~

Sakura yelps when she hears the chime of the clock. It's already 7:30. Grinning, she races towards her room and grabs the short green dress Ino had picked—the same one she had worn to the Hokage ceremony. She hopes Sasuke won't notice, but with her limited clothing options, this is the only one that fits the occasion. Her roommate had left an hour ago to help her family with some clan matters, but not before promising to drag Sakura to a store and take her shopping.

Pulling herself into the dress, she looks at herself in the mirror. She hadn't gotten the chance to see herself in it last time, seeing as Ino had rushed her into it and out of their apartment.

It's a dazzling hue of green, and she can see what Ino meant when she said that the dress brought out her eyes. Short, ruffled sleeves give way to a sweetheart neckline and a bodice emblazoned with small pink flowers, ending up as a frilly tulle that stops just below her knee. She still has the silver heels she borrowed from Ino, and hopes they'll make her seem a little taller—though she knows she'll be nowhere near as tall as Sasuke.

She smiles at the thought. She's going on a date! Coupled with the fact that she can finally take the chunin exams and bring herself closer to her dreams, this week might just be the best she's ever had.

Though, she thinks, she has yet to tell her parents anything about it. She doesn't quite know how they'll react to the idea of her taking the exams; it's not as though they've ever been overly supportive of her shinobi career before.

Her parents mean well, that she knows, but they don't think she's up to carrying the burden, the work, of being a highly-ranked ninja—nobody really does—and sometimes, their worry seeps into her own confidence.

The doorbell rings, and shakes Sakura out of her thoughts as she frantically runs to answer it. Opening the door, she lets out a gasp.

He looks gorgeous. Wearing a dark blue button-up and black pants—free of his Hokage robes—Sasuke seems confident and at ease, sporting a small smirk on his face.

"Hey," he says, and she has to press her knees together to keep them from buckling.

"Hi," she returns a little breathlessly. She watches as he looks her up and down, eyes scanning over her form. She shifts nervously and bites the inside of her cheek, silently hoping that he likes what he sees.

"You're beautiful," he whispers, eyes wide. Sakura's gaze snaps back up to him in shock, and she sees Sasuke's ears turn red in embarrassment. Obviously, he hadn't meant to say that loud. She lets out a small giggle, a teasing grin making its way onto his face.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she says. He chuckles and reaches out his hand. Gingerly, she places her own smaller one inside it, reveling in the way he interlocks their fingers.

She shuts the door gently and steps outside into the hall outside the apartment. Sasuke looks down at her with a small grin of his own.

"Ready?" he asks, a happy gleam in his eyes. Sakura stares at him, pink dusting over her cheeks.

"Of course."

He leads her down the streets of Konoha, through lesser-trodden paths and alleyways to prevent any chance of somebody recognizing him. The air is chilly, and he regrets not bringing a jacket.

"Sasuke-kun, where exactly are we going?" Sakura asks. She's gotten more confident the more time they've spent together; no longer is she nervously fiddling with her hair or looking down in embarrassment. He likes that.

But—much to his happiness—he notices that the blush still hasn't left her face.

"A restaurant," he answers, sneaking a glance at her, taking in the time to drink her in. She looks beautiful in the moonlight, seems radiant under the night's gaze.

Then she looks at him, a smile on her heart shaped face, and he feels like he's melting. This woman is going to be the death of him.

'You can't afford distractions.'

The voice of his father rings in his mind. He hadn't told Fugaku—or any of his family members—about the date, because he knew his reaction would be somewhere along those lines. After all, it was the exact words he said when Itachi asked for permission to court a girl. She was an Uchiha and a well-respected kunoichi in her own right, but Fugaku still denied him. Ever the obedient son, Sasuke's older brother complied.

It's not as if his father is wrong, though. He can't afford distractions, not at such a crucial time. The chunin exams are coming closer, Orochimaru has plans to attack, and tensions with some of the villages are worsening; he needs to focus. Logically, he shouldn't have asked Sakura on this date.

But he can't seem to stay away from her.

"Can't you be a little more specific?"

Her voice breaks him out of his thoughts and he turns to look at her, eyes softening. Feeling a smirk tug at the corner of his lips, he takes her through another alleyway.

"A good one," he responds, chuckling at her groan. The buildings hide them from the moonlight, shrouding them in complete darkness.

"I can't see anything," she mumbles.

"I can," he states, feeling the chakra in his eyes as his dojutsu awakens. Sakura rolls her eyes in amusement.

"Then lead the way," she says, grabbing his arm with a grin.

They walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence, until Sasuke stops in the middle of a decrepit alley. Turning to her, her smirks.

"We're here."

Sakura doesn't know what to think when Sasuke announces that they've arrived at their destination. She looks at him to check if he's joking, but in the face of that smirk of his that sends her heart racing, she can only blush and sputter.

Sasuke makes a few hand signs that she can't see and presses his fingers into the wall in front of them. Suddenly, the spot he touched glows a bright red and she hears a small 'click' as the circle pushes itself outwards to form a doorknob.

"What is that?" she whispers.

"A secret entrance," Sasuke answers, causing her to roll her eyes. Is he always so vague? It seems he has taken pity on her, though; as he pulls the door open, he explains exactly where they are.

"The Akimichi own this restaurant, and they're very protective of their recipes. This is the only way to get into the kitchen."

For a moment, she pauses, eyebrows furrowed. But then she remembers exactly who Uchiha Sasuke is—the Hokage. If they went through the front, he'd get recognized, and the entirety of Konoha would know about their date. And from what she knows about him, she's certain he wouldn't like that at all.

As she steps into the kitchen, Sakura understands why the clan is so protective of their recipes. The entire room smells heavenly, with more than a dozen chefs cooking different foods that make her mouth water.

Sasuke leads her through the kitchen until they find a rather stout man that looks around Sakura's age. Squinting through the cloud of spices, she dimly recognizes that it's one of Ino's teammates.

"Choji!" she exclaims. The man in question glances at her and then at Sasuke, who seems just as surprised as he is.

"Sakura? What are you doing here? I got a reservation for the Hokage and…his date," he trails off, finally connecting the dots as Sakura feels heat rush up to her face. She hadn't realized that Choji might spread the word to Ino, but now the thought consumes her mind. If Ino figures it out, then it's only a matter of time before the entire village does too; her best friend never has been good at keeping secrets.

"Tell no one."

Sasuke's smooth voice cuts through the tension as he glares at Choji, a deadly threat looming in his dark eyes. The Akimichi gulps and quickly leads them out of the kitchen and to a table completely secluded from the rest of the restaurant. Leaving as quickly as he arrived, he hands them their menus and runs off.

"You didn't have to glare at him that hard," she chastises softly, feeling more than a little guilty for causing Choji's distress. Her date simply shrugs.

"It was either that or he tells everybody," he says, flipping through the menu. A comfortable silence settles over them both and Sakura takes the time to examine her surroundings. Plush purple curtains separate them from the world outside, drawn together with golden ropes. Their table is completely sectioned off, and she wonders just how Sasuke has managed to arrange all of this.

As if sensing her question, he answers.

"Being the Hokage does have its perks," he says quietly, and Sakura chuckles. But she can't help the sinking feeling in her stomach when she remembers his position, the needling worry that she won't fit into the world he lives in.

And, abruptly, she realizes that she wants to.

There's simply just something about Sasuke that reels her in, makes her want to know more about him—makes her feel at home.

The nervousness from before has worn off now, replaced by a giddy playfulness as she pushes away all thoughts of his status.

"Like sleep deprivation?" she jests, giggling at his surprised look.

"How did you—"

"You look like you haven't slept in days, Sasuke-kun," she tells him honestly. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I haven't. The chunin exams are…" he trails off, and Sakura whips around to see a waiter standing at the side of their table nervously.

"H-hokage-sama," he stutters out, and Sasuke nods at him stiffly. "Are y-you ready t-to order?"

Sakura smiles warmly at him. Glancing back at her date, she decides to answer for the both of them.

"We are."

The rest of the evening passes by too swiftly.

Sakura tells him all about her teammates, her job, her best friend. In turn, Sasuke discusses his own work, the loudmouth blond that happens to be his best friend, and even a bit about his family.

He's never opened up to somebody so easily before, never spilled out his life story to absolutely anybody. But here—walking in the cool glow of the moonlight with Sakura beside him, verdant eyes staring at him intently as she hangs onto his every word—he lets his walls come down.

"Your parents aren't happy about you being Hokage?" she asks incredulously as they leave the restaurant. His hand instinctively reaches for hers and she intertwines their fingers.

Sasuke sighs.

"Yes."

"But why?" she asks, tone bordering on annoyed. Gesturing with her hands wildly, she seems so angry on his behalf.

A small smile forms on his face at the thought, but it is immediately replaced by a frown. Sakura is kind, warm, open in her affection and her emotions—the exact opposite of his family. The more time he spends with her, the more he finds himself drawn to her because of that.

But he doesn't want to drag her into the mess that is his clan—or his life, for that matter. Doesn't want to make her face the stony silence of his father, the disapproval of the elders, the weight that comes with bearing the mantle of Hokage.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Her voice breaks him out of his thoughts and he realizes he hasn't yet answered her question.

Shrugging his shoulders, he lets out a small sigh.

"The Uchiha have always been clan first, village second. You can't be like that to be Hokage," he explains briefly.

Sakura nods.

"It's probably even worse since the Hokage's almost always related to the Senju in some way, right?"

"Hn."

She laughs at his answer, and Sasuke can feel warmth pooling in his stomach as a result. It isn't fair, he thinks, for her to make him feel like that—like he's home and warm and happy.

They've reached her apartment now, and Sakura lets go of his hand. She stares up at him, shifting ever so slightly on her feet. A nearby street light illuminates her face, and he can see her faint blush. All of his guilt and worry are thrown out the window at the sight.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. I really had fun tonight," she says, green eyes glittering.

He steps closer to her, close enough that he can feel her warm breath on his face. Her face is redder now, and she gasps quietly at the sudden proximity. The action draws his attention to her mouth, and before he can stop himself, he leans down. It doesn't help that she's tilting her head up towards his, that her hands are now gripping his shirt. The memory of Itachi's almost-girlfriend, heart broken from the rejection of the clan, threatens to resurface and make him reconsider.

But with Sakura standing so close to him, lips inches away from his, he finds that—right now—he doesn't care.

Their lips finally meet, and the rest of the world disappears. Sasuke deepens the kiss, hands sliding up to cup her face as hers tighten their grip on his shirt. She tastes like strawberries and vanilla and sweetness, and he can't get enough of it.

But air is a necessity, so they break apart.

Sakura bites her lip, and he feels the urge to lean down and kiss her again. Then she's giggling, and Sasuke smiles. The moment passes, and her expression sobers into one of nervousness.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Her voice is quieter, and he wonders what exactly she's going to say that's made her this hesitant.

"I can't tell anybody about tonight, right?" she asks, and he is struck by the hopefulness in her expression. If it was a perfect world, he'd scoff and tell her she could scream about it from the roof if she wanted. If his family wasn't what they are, the village not in such a precarious position, and Itachi's voice not constantly reminding him of what he needs to live up to, then he'd have done the same—let the world know of their burgeoning relationship.

He sighs. It's enough that Choji knows of their meeting. Sasuke knows that Shikamaru trusts him—it's the reason why he'd pushed his anxieties aside and taken her to his favorite restaurant—but he can't help the worry that churns in his gut. He can't let anybody else know.

So, even though it pains him to say it, he tells her that she can't, that they have to be a secret. He tries not to notice the flicker of disappointment on her face, but it still twists his heart. She wishes him a good night with a smile and disappears into her apartment.

Looking up at the clear night sky, Sasuke takes his leave—making sure to check his surroundings to see if nobody was watching. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a hawk, dark brown pupils staring into his soul.

His stomach drops.

Flapping its wings, it flies away, leaving Sasuke to gape after it, panic rising inside him. It's the hawk of one of the Uchiha elders, he realizes. His throat feels dry and his thoughts are racing. It was a mistake to take her out, a mistake to be so painfully obvious. He shouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have done it. He shouldn't have done it, but it's already too late. His mistake can't be undone now.

His family knows.