This story is written for SasuSaku Month, an event especially dedicated to Sakura and Sasuke! The event was hosted at LiveJournal.

Theme: Post Canon

Prompt: Rumor

Summary: Sasuke never thought that he would be angered by some stupid rumor, but when he stumbles upon some proof he is too shocked to acknowledge it as reality. He will make sure that Sakura belongs with him and not some random idiot!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

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False Rumor

Naruto huffed in exasperation, plumping down on the ground. "I can't take it anymore. We are waiting for whole two hours already," he spoke irritably, while crossing his hands in front of his chest. A moment later, he muttered desolately, "If only Sakura-chan was here."

Sasuke was apparently more than annoyed by the obnoxious blond and his incessant babbling, so he spoke in open frustration, "Dobe, shut up."

"What! It's your fault she's missing our training sessions, bastard!" he spoke in a particularly accusing tone. Naruto was only capable of staring him down and he certainly did not hesitate to blame him for everything. After all, everything was much easier for him when Sasuke was there, because that meant that he would be able to release his anger on him.

"How is that my fault?" Sasuke shot back, returning the glare with as much intensity, if not more.

"You're always so cold with her." The contempt in his voice was obvious, but he really did not care. In his opinion the only problem here was Sasuke and his continuous bastard-like behavior that exceptionally intensified whenever Sakura was present. "It's no wonder she ignores you," he added for a good measure. Actually, his intention was to spite his own friend with those exact words.

"Hn," Sasuke huffed indignantly and turned his head so he would be able to feign ignorance. However, his next words and the way he said them betrayed his true feeling concerning Sakura and the way she blatantly disregarded his presence. "She doesn't ignore me." He tried to find excuses for her behavior, because in the past few months he started to feel a certain pull toward her.

"Keep dreaming, teme. She barely even speaks to you," Naruto spoke, almost in mockery, before snorting a laugh. "I'm sure she doesn't even like you anymore." He chuckled at his own assessment of the situation, feeling quite smug for being able to mock his friend.

"You're the one to talk, dobe," Sasuke stated coolly, as if he was not affected by Naruto's words even in the least. However, that was not how he truly felt, because he did feel as if something was suffocation him from the inside.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger once he heard that and he just chose to play dirty. "For your information, bastard, Sakura-chan considers me her best friend. She tells me everything," he said, while lifting his head in an arrogant manner. Finally, he felt as if he was in a much better position than Sasuke when it came to Sakura's affection, as opposed to how she treated him while they were genin. She used to always paid special attention only to Sasuke and that fact always made him feel jealous. So, he just decided to make him suffer by making him feel rejected by the only girl in their team.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, his entire posture exuding contempt, entirely directed toward Naruto's self-assurance. Actually, he had to admit to himself he was the one that was deluding himself, because Sakura was really quite distant when it came to him. Her absence during their training sessions was not a coincidence and that is what pained Sasuke. She didn't even hug him for returning home or said anything in regards to his participation in the murder of Madara and Kabuto.

"Don't feel so cocky, bastard," Naruto shouted angrily, clenching his fist painfully in attempt to contain himself from lashing out at Sasuke. He really hated it when Sasuke was acting like he was above everybody else, as if he was way too cool to even compare.

Sasuke grunted in slight mockery, before speaking in an almost degrading manner, "As if I care what you think, idiot."

That was all it took for the blond to lose his temper and feel immense anger flowing through his veins. He was royally pissed at that moment, so he really just wanted to beat the crap out of his so called best friend. In the meantime, Sasuke was just nonchalantly leaning against the bridge railing, not giving a damn about the destructive aura surrounding Naruto.

The both of them ignored Sai's presence the entire time they were acting as their usual selves, but the emotionless boy was famous for always picking the right time to bring up some shocking statement. This particular moment was definitely not an exception. "While you two fight, Ugly is spending time with her new boyfriend," he spoke in such a clam and clueless manner, that his words were not ever registered by the other two, at least at first.

"Shut up, Sai!" Naruto shouted, not even turning to pay him any attention. However, once he replayed the words in his head, he just flash-turned to stare at Sai with wide open eyes. "Wait... what did you just say?" he asked, almost hesitantly. In reality he was afraid of hearing the answer. His gut twisted painfully because of the thoughts that were already flashing through his head.

"Ugly has a boyfriend," Sai clarified simply, his facial expression devoid of emotions.

"So much for telling you everything," muttered Sasuke, not even realizing what he just heard. But, not a second later, after his mind finally registering the news, he jumped up. His eyes widened for a fleeting second, but as he returned to his cool looking self, he asked, "Wait... did you just say that Sakura has a boyfriend?"

"Oh, so now you care," Naruto answered back, his voice displaying severe derision.

"Shut up, dobe," he snapped, feeling utterly annoyed, not just by the blond, but by the entire situation. The worst of all, he could not find a way to describe the sudden tightness he felt in his chest area.

"You shut up, teme!" Naruto shouted in return, but in the very next instant they both decided to ignore each other and focus on more important matters. They both turned to look at Sai. Actually, it was more like they both glared at him without being their intention. The fact that they focused their entire attention to Sakura's current relationship status did not sit well with them, not in the least.

Naruto could not stop himself, so he just started blabbing the questions that went through his mind at that moment, "Where did you hear that? Did she tell you herself? Who the hell is he?"

In the meantime, Sasuke's glare intensified as he also clenched his fists in anger. He was unable to get a hold of his own emotions or worse control them, something he was supposed to do without any effort at all. It suddenly struck him that the news was affecting him more than he would have imagined. He really hated the feeling.

"Ino told me yesterday. She said that Sakura is acting all secretive lately, but most of all like she's on seventh heaven..." he answered simply, but then he took a moment to think, before continuing, "...according to Ino, she's always smiling."

The looks he received were really something. Naruto was only capable of gaping at him, while his brain completely shut down. On the other hand, Sasuke was emanating some seriously deadly sensation all around him, but in reality he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was burning from the inside.

"But, that's not all. Apparently, Ugly spends the nights at his place," Sai added a moment later. He had a really clueless expression on his face. It was obvious that he wasn't even aware of the meaning of those words.

"WHAT!" Naruto shouted, after which Sasuke followed suit, "What?"

The both of them instantly caught the meaning behind that revelation. The information they just received was hardly believable, especially because that meant that Sakura's precious innocence was tainted by some bastard they didn't even met. After taking a moment to think it over, they both realized that if that information came from Ino herself ― who was Sakura's best friend ― then it must have been true.

All of a sudden, the obnoxious blond started to pace like a crazy person. "This can't be happening," he said to himself, shutting out everything that happened around him. He was engaged in his own set of thoughts, most of them utterly unpleasant.

On the other hand, Sasuke was stoically starring in front of himself, appearing completely lost in his own thoughts. He did not even know what to think, but he definitely felt betrayed and lost.

All of a sudden, Kakashi appeared with the usual white smoke surrounding him. "Yo," he greeted, but he instantly noticed that he walked into quite a tense situation. First, he saw Naruto pacing in some sort of frenzy. Then, he took note of Sasuke's fierce glare and clenched fists that obviously displayed anger. And, last, but definitely not least, he noticed Sai watching the both of them with that fake smile stretched on his face. He couldn't help himself, so he asked, "What happened?"

"Kakashi-sensei... Sakura-chan has a boyfriend," Naruto spoke as if that statement was the most dreadful news that would ever leave his mouth. Actually, he made it sound as if the end of the world was coming. It was not like he still had a crush on her, but he really did not want his Sakura-chan to be claimed without his consent. He was like a brother to her, after all; at least that is how he truly felt.

"Oh... is that so?" Kakashi asked, sounding thoroughly amused. "Well, that's good, isn't it?" he asked, taking his time to inspect the expressions on the faces of the three boys standing in front of him. He received an entirely different set of reactions and his conclusions differed from one face to the next. However, he did not expect Sasuke to be glaring like that. However, after he thought it over, he realized that the Uchiha must have been angry because the secret was out. He suddenly thought that it was really amusing that Sasuke wanted to keep the relationship between him and Sakura as a secret.

"How can you possibly say that?" Naruto asked, as if openly accusing Kakashi for something that wasn't even his fault. "This is a disaster! We can't allow this," he added a moment later, flailing his hands in the air in an almost panic.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, making Kakashi confirm his previous musings concerning him and the pink-haired kunoichi.

"I don't see anything bad in this. Sasuke, I must say... congratulations," the gray-haired man said, with a little shine in his eyes. He seemed really pleased with the situation.

Sasuke was only able to stare at him as if he thought that the usually perceptive man went completely mad.

"Why the hell are you congratulating the teme?" Naruto asked dumbly, but it didn't take him long to catch onto what Kakashi was assuming. "You actually thought that he was her boyfriend," he stated, sounding completely dumbfounded. After trying to process the notion himself, he had to admit to himself that he understood from where Kakashi was coming from with that conjecture. After all, it wasn't like there wasn't a history between the couple. Or, like there wasn't some tension fluctuation between the two, even now after Sasuke was finally home.

"Well, Naruto, you see..." Kakashi trailed off, while rubbing the back of his neck, showing off some uneasiness. He was a man that was not particularly willing to discuss his own reasons or assumptions concerning his students and their love life out load, especially when one of them was present.

"I would prefer the teme before any other cretin," Naruto said, while directing a meaningful glare at said boy. Then, he proceeded to speak his thoughts with much more anger in his voice, "...unfortunately, we don't even know who he is." A second later, his expression changed entirely from one of complete irritation to one full of mischievousness and slyness.

"Naruto, what are you planning?" Kakashi asked, in a manner as if he was scolding Naruto for something. He kind of had sixth sense when it came to him and his devious plans.

"We have to find the unlucky bastard and beat the crap out of him," he answered with a bit too much enthusiasm, as he punched a fist in his open palm. "...we have to tell him to back the hell off!" He seemed like he was planning some serious smack down by the way his eyes glinted in a menacing way.

"How do you plan to achieve that, dobe?" Sasuke asked, feeling exceptionally annoyed at that point. But, he felt totally up for whatever Naruto's idea was, for some unknown reason ― yeah, right. Maybe it was not that unknown, but he definitely was oblivious.

"We follow Sakura-chan," Naruto answered, his lips lifting up at the corners in a very wicked smile.

"Why are we doing this, again?" Sai asked, breaking the silence that began to ensue.

"If you dare to ask the same question again... you better leave!" Naruto shouted right at his ear, making him flinch in the process. He told himself that this was getting pretty irritating and Sai's stupid questions were making everything even worse.

The fairly emotionless boy paid little attention to the blond and his yelling, so he kept going, "I see no point in following Ugly just so we can find out if that rumor is actually true." Then, he took a moment to think and said, "It has to be true... otherwise no one would even assume something like this." The tone of his voice was void of any emotions, which only served to grate the nerves of the other two.

The one that was particularly affected by those words was Sasuke, who had to clench his fists in order to be able to control himself. Otherwise, he was ready to use his katana on the source of his irritation, without having to regret anything. "Dobe, tell your friend to shut his mouth or I will have to eliminate him," he seethed trough his teeth, while glaring at the idiot that brought forth the anger within him.

Sai stared at him with a blank look as a response. He was just utterly clueless to everything that went around him and that he was making the already tense situation even more overwrought.

"Why don't you tell him yourself, teme?" Naruto shot back, because he really hated it when someone asked him to act as a messenger.

Sasuke might have been prepared to answer back, but once Sai opened his mouth, he completely forgot about his destined rival.

"Are you mad because Sakura has a boyfriend that is not you?" he asked in a voice that was mainly curious and not even close to mocking.

"Sai, this is not the time..." Naruto spoke in warning, already aware of the damage those words might bring, because he knew Sasuke more than anyone would believe.

Sasuke's hand was already on his katana, gripping the hilt tightly in his fist. "You are pissing me off!" he growled lowly, narrowing his eyes as he stared at Sai with hatred in his eyes. Ever since he came back and was introduced with him, he could not help but feel immense dislike toward his replacement. He continuously said that he was not bothered by it, but his actions and the way he always treated Sai proved otherwise.

Naruto was hoping for some sort of distraction, because he really did not want to see Sasuke lashing out at Sai, again. He lost control on more than one occasion and seeing them both fight was definitely not a pleasant sight. Once she spotted his pink-haired teammate exiting her own apartment building, he released a huge gulp of air, as if in immense relief. "Guys, shh... she's exited her apartment," he said, hoping that those words would be enough to distract Sasuke.

Apparently they were, because in an instant his attention was entirely focused on the girl that was currently walking away from their sight. He was the first to react as he jumped along the rooftops, his eyes never leaving Sakura's movements.

Naruto followed after him, while Sai tagged along. The blond was a bit surprised to see Sasuke so persistent about something. After all, ever since he came back his behavior was nothing but cold and distant, acting as if he cared about nothing that went around him. After having witnessed this, he started to wonder what his reason for behaving like this was. He was heavily opposed against the possibility that he might feel something for Sakura, but that thought flashed through his mind more than once. It's not that he was bothered by the idea, but it was very difficult for him to grasp a reality where Sasuke would feel something for a girl, especially if that girl was Sakura.

They continued jumping from one roof to the next, before having to lower on the ground and use the bushes as a cover. They couldn't risk getting noticed by Sakura, so they made sure to mask their own chakra during the entire time they trailed after her. After a while they had to stop and hide behind one of the larger shrubbery, because Sakura stopped in front of a store, but was instantly greeted by some lady.

In the meantime, the three of them settled behind the greenery where they had a clear view over Sakura. At the spot where Naruto was crouched there was a street cat resting, but he really did not care much about that at the moment.

"Stupid cat... get out of my way," he spat out in irritation, as he shooed her away gently.

"I am not very fond of hiding in the bushes," Sai spoke suddenly, feeling the necessity to speak his thoughts out loud.

Sasuke huffed in exasperation, before muttering sarcastically, "What are you fond of, dumbass?"

Thinking that it was just a normal question, he answered politely, "I am fond of walking in the streets..."

Naruto just looked at him in disbelief and rolled his eyes. "Sai, that was a rhetorical question," he specified, before once again turning his attention toward Sakura. He really could not believe that Sai was still partly clueless, even after Sakura's help and after everything he went through in the past years. He hoped that after the war Sai's people skills would be much more improved, which at some degree they were. However, it appeared that he still had much more to learn.

"Oh... really? I didn't notice," he said, sounding a bit confused. At least he did not sound completely void, which meant some sort of improvement.

"Hn... another idiot... that is all I needed," Sasuke muttered in irritation.

"Teme, cut it out. You're always complaining..." Naruto trailed off, before shouting out, "...ouch!" He turned to look at his hand where he felt a small sting and he noticed that there was a small red bite mark. He suddenly realized that a bee had bit him and he was as usually overreacting because of it. His short reaction was noticed by an elderly woman and thankfully only by her. He paid her no attention, as he spoke, "Hey, look, Sakura-chan has entered the shop."

The old woman kept staring him down with a hateful look, before directing the same look toward the other two. She seemed angry for some reason, which surprised Naruto and managed to make him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Granny, could you stop staring. We are on a secret mission," he tried to explain by lying, believing that it would be enough to make her leave them alone.

However, she kept her menacing stare on them and muttered, "Mission my ass. Perverts." Then, she just stomped off, not sparing them a glance.

The three of them looked at her in surprise, before Naruto decided to open his mouth and ask, "Why would that granny...?"

His question was left hanging, while in the meantime Sasuke realized something. "Because that's an underwear store," he answered, before pressing his lips tightly in annoyance. For some reason he felt like this was not a good sign.

"Oh... What the hell?" Naruto almost shouted the question. His eyes rounded in astonishment. "She isn't planning on buying..." he barely uttered the words, feeling entirely uneasy because of the situation.

"Apparently, she is," Sasuke spoke, while he grinded his teeth in anger.

"I am definitely gonna kill that boyfriend of hers!" Naruto shouted his destructive thoughts out loud, not caring a bit about anything else besides Sakura and her tainted innocence. He was really angry for not noticing this earlier, because he would have made sure to find a way to put a stop to it.

"He's clearly just using her," Sasuke spat out, which was an unconscious outburst on his side.

"Teme, what are you implying?" Naruto asked, while narrowing his eyes at Sasuke. "You think that she's not worth the attention, huh? You are such a bastard, you know that!" he spoke irritably, feeling the hate within him intensifying to a considerable point. It was not that he hated his best friend, but he really hated to see him treat Sakura with disrespect.

"Of course not, dobe," he disagreed heatedly, while he added in his head, 'She's more than worth it.' He admitted to himself that he should never even utter those thoughts out loud. He started to realize his feelings for Sakura months ago, but he was still not ready to fully acknowledge them. "But, I don't think that he likes her for herself if he's making her buy... whatever she is buying," he explained, but it was pretty obvious that he strained with the words.

"You really think so, teme?" Naruto asked with an entirely serious expression marring his features.

"Aa," Sasuke gave his consent in a manner that was usual for him.

"Then we have to save her from him," Naruto said, as if just realizing what this meant. A moment later, he whispered in defeat, "I can't believe that she already slept with him."

Sasuke felt something prickle his skin as he heard those words. "Dobe, shut up," he spit out, but his tone was different from other times, because it held an unfamiliar edge.

Naruto noticed the change in tone, which served to surprise him a bit, but as realization downed on him, he said, "Teme, are you jealous?" His voice held slight amusement, which was also evidenced by the half smile forming on his face.

"As if," Sasuke spoke in a hushed tone. His ears burned slightly, but he managed to suppress the blush from rising on his cheeks with the help of the anger he felt that overpowered every other feeling.

"Oh, wow, you really like her, don't you," Naruto whispered lowly, heavy surprise written on his face. He might have been able to read Sasuke well, but there were still a lot of things he thought of as impossible when it came to his best friend. Suddenly, he could not stop the bright smile from stretching on his face, because he felt as if his friend finally found something that could help him overcome the gruesome memories from his past.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sai, who decided to suddenly ask, "Have you two considered the fact that she might be doing this for herself?" Then, he took a moment to think, before speaking for a second time, "I read in a book once that―"

Naruto cut him off rudely, not caring about Sai or his opinion. "Sai, we definitely don't need to hear what you read in a book, okay. This is serious stuff."

"But, I am being serious," Sai tried to explain.

"Whatever… just pay attention, will you?" Naruto said, once again dismissing his words as unimportant. Now, he had a mission to make sure that Sakura and Sasuke ended up together and that meant that he had to deal with a certain bastard prior to that. That is why he focused on the task at hand and turned his attention on Sakura, who stood in the store. He was able to see clearly into the store because of the vast window-shop.

"Okay, she is definitely buying some lingerie," he spoke, his tone taking on a heated edge.

"How can you tell?" Sai asked in open curiosity.

"Well, look at what she's holding," Naruto specified, nodding with his head in the direction where Sakura stood, who was clearly holding a small item in her hands.

Sai did not have to strain to note the details of the item, but he was definitely clueless enough to speak out loud, "It's lacy... and..."

His description was cut off by none other than Sasuke. "...red!" he spat angrily, already trying to control his own urge to lash out at something by tightly clenching his fists.

"This is definitely not good," Naruto whispered, feeling as if being splashed by cold water.

"What are we waiting for?" Sai asked, as he strained his eyes so he could get a better look. However, it was proved as pointless, since they were standing not that close to their target. "Are we expecting something?"

"Anything could give us the information we seek," Naruto explained expertly, as if he knew what he was talking about, which was not true. He really had no idea what to expect or if this entire thing was pointless. However, what surprised him most was Sasuke's presence. He definitely did not expect to see the raven-haired boy display such patience over some self-assigned mission that centered around Sakura and her daily activities, or trade his precious training time for this. But, that only served to prove his previous assumption… that Sasuke really liked Sakura.

"We've been here for seven hours," Sai said, his expression surprisingly twisting into slight irritation. "What is she doing in there?"

"She's working, apparently," the blond spoke sarcastically, but Sai was not capable of taking note of that for at least a minute. The good thing was that he did catch the sarcasm in Naruto's voice, after which he smiled in slight satisfaction with himself.

However, not a moment later, he felt compelled to share his thoughts. "I still think that this is pointless."

"Sai, you can leave if you want," Naruto said, while clenching his fists in anger. His patience was growing thin and he was starting to regret for ever inviting Sai to join in their spying.

"But, I don't want to," Sai said in return, as nonchalantly as possible. He really did not want to leave, besides thinking that this was a complete waste of time. What was important for him was that he felt like this was almost like their bonding time.

The entire time Sasuke was trying to ignore their pointless banter, but he really could not take it anymore. "Then, shut up," he spat, as he turned to glare at Sai.

Not long after they waited in silence, they noticed movement in her office. "Hey, look, someone just walked in her office," Naruto spoke, feeling the necessity to clarify, when it was unnecessary because they could all see everything with their own eyes.

"Do you think it's him?" Sai was the one that asked the question. Apparently, he was so used to asking question he started to believe that it was a normal thing. Maybe that is why he did not even notice how much it irritated the other two.

"I don't know," Naruto answered, narrowing his eyes in the process. He was not only irritated by Sai and his constant inquiring, but at the entire situation. They were rooted to the spot for seven hours already and finally there was something that they could use as proof. However, that is exactly what grated his nerves even more; he did not even want to consider the possibility that the person in Sakura's office could be the bastard they were after. Surprisingly, their actions proved that they were after him just as they were after any criminal that threatened their village or its villagers. Actually, this case was even more important than that, because it was personal.

In the meantime, Sasuke was going through some rough time, because of the jumble of emotions bubbling in his chest. He was unable to get a hold of himself even if he desperately tried to do so. Besides being aware of the effect this had on him, he still felt quite lost. As he continued to focus on his thoughts, he was no longer concentrated on what was going on around him.

"He just gave her flowers," Naruto spoke, interrupting Sasuke's thoughts.

Sai took a moment to think, before speaking what just came to his mind, "It might be him, but why didn't she hug him or give him a kiss?"

Sasuke, upon activating his Sharingan, noticed something else. It was a small detail, but significant, nonetheless. "Dobe, he works at the flower shop," he said, sharing his discovery with his friend.

"How do you know?" Naruto asked dumbly, straining his eyes to maybe notice what Sasuke clearly saw. However, he could see nothing that could serve as a proof that would confirm Sasuke's statement. Suddenly, he realized what this meant and he almost rounded up on Sasuke. "Have you been buying flowers for someone? No wonder Sakura-chan gave up on you," he spat in accusation, not giving shit about anything at the moment. He just really wanted to make him regret for ever betraying Sakura's feelings. At the moment, he could understand why Sakura ignored him and paid no attention to him ever since he came back home.

"I haven't been buying anything... just look at his jacket," Sasuke explained through clenched teeth. He was particularly annoyed after hearing the accusation coming from Naruto, without really knowing the reason for feeling that way.

The blond turned to look at the man in the office and after a bit of strain on his side, he finally noticed the writings on the jacket. "Oh... right!" he said, as if he just found out some very important information. He could not deny the slight relief that washed over him in that instant. Because of that feeling, he forgot all about the rumor, so he asked curiously, "But, still... who would give Sakura-chan flowers?"

"I think they are from her boyfriend," Sai answered in a normal tone. "Apparently, guys give flowers as a gift when they are satisfied by what they get from the girls in return," he explained his reason for believing his previous statement. After all, after reading so many books in the library he felt compelled to share his findings. However, he had no idea the effect those words had on the other two.

Sasuke was feeling his blood boil and he desperately needed something that would help him blow off the steam, while Naruto shuddered in disgust.

"What are you implying, Sai?" Naruto spat almost furiously. "You better not be suggesting what I think you are," he added for a good measure, sounding as if he would gladly use Sai as a victim of his wrath.

After hearing those words, Sasuke jumped up and started toward the training grounds, because he really needed to hit something.

They continued to follow her for a few more days and every single thing she did made them suspect the rumor was true. The fact that she did not sleep at her apartment at night was what angered both Naruto and Sasuke. Whenever she would go out of her house she would act suspiciously by doing everything in her power to sneak out. They weren't even able to follow her, because she was using her powers to apparently transport herself to some unknown place.

There was only one reason that flew through their minds and it was the most logical explanation for her behavior... she was snaking out to secretly see her boyfriend. The fact that they were not willing to accept that as true had small effect on their true feelings. So, in hope of finding out the truth ― the one that they would approve of ― they continued with their mission and kept following her movements.

Finally, after three long days, they came to the point where they finally had some solid proof that the guy existed for real. They were currently in hiding and observing her as she went through her daily activities, when all of a sudden she stopped to greet a male of their age. It was definitely the first time they saw him, because his face was not even familiar. At that moment, they started to wonder how she could have possibly met him and most importantly if he was a civilian.

As they observed they noticed that she was smiling pleasantly at the bastard and talked to him animatedly. They never even considered the fact that she was like that with everyone, even her patients.

"I don't think that she would choose this guy," Naruto said, while he scrunched up his face as if in slight disgust. He really was acting like an immature person, because he was definitely overreacting. Without knowing, he allowed himself to be led by his feelings and not even try to think in a rational way. If by any chance he was being honest with himself, he would have admitted that the guy was not bad looking and appeared to be quite normal.

Sai obviously rationalized in that particular way, so he asked, "Why not?"

Naruto turned to look at him, with disbelief written all over his face. "Do you always ask such stupid questions?" he asked, his tone dripping with accusation. He really could not believe that Sai was so blind and not notice the obvious. The way he saw it ― and, strongly believed to be true ― the guy was nothing more than a slimy cretin that was clearly using Sakura.

Sai did not understand why Naruto was suddenly behaving like that. "Was that a stupid question?" he asked in slight curiosity.

"It was! Now, could you please cut it out?" Naruto spat out. He was not even aware of the fact that he was treating Sai as if he was his enemy, but he certainly felt betrayed after hearing such questions. At that moment, he was glad that Sasuke shared the same thoughts as him.

"Teme, I think I might have assumed wrong. Look," Naruto said and pointed toward where Sakura stood with her acquaintance. However, the fact that she was holding his hand in hers was enough of a proof to make him seem as more than simple acquaintance. "This is definitely the guy." Naruto spoke that line with a heavy heart, because deep down he still did not want to accept this as true.

Sasuke was only able to grunt as a response, "Hn." He seemed shocked, but most of all he felt a painful sting in his chest. The feeling flowing through him was making him believe that he lost everything.

"He's not that handsome," Naruto stated nonchalantly, but it was obvious that he wanted to comfort himself – as well as Sasuke – with those words. Nevertheless, that was all he could do, because there were no more ideas in his mind that could serve as an escape route from this situation.

"Maybe she's not into pretty guys, anymore," Sai said, not even aware what those words meant for the other two.

Naruto instantly turned to look at Sasuke, as if expecting some form of reaction from him. However, he was left with nothing, because his friend just glared at him in return. "Dobe," he spat for good measure, lying himself that if he released some of his anger on Naruto the unpleasant pain in his chest would be gone. Apparently, he was very wrong to think that something as simple as that would help him.

Naruto caught on instantly on what was going through Sasuke's head, so he waved his hand dismissively, "Okay, okay... don't get so offensive." He hoped that his next words would serve to cheer him up. "I am going there."

"Why?" Sai asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Now, who's with me?" Naruto stood up and looked at the other two with a pointed look. He expected for Sasuke to accept without giving a second thought, but he was still waiting to hear Sai's answer.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response, already standing on his feet. He clenched his fists in determination, because he was definitely not ready to give up so easily without putting a fight. He was an Uchiha and there was no one alive that could take something that belonged to him.

"I want to come, whatever your reason is," Sai answered, before flashing a small smile at Naruto.

The blond smiled triumphantly and shared a significant look with Sasuke that was full of understanding. After all, the both of them considered each other as best friends for a reason.

Just when they were about to jump out and head over to where their female teammate stood, Kakashi appeared right behind them. His commanding voice stopped them in their tracks, "The three of you better stop right there."

They turned to look at him and Naruto just narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. Kakashi lifted a hand in way that was supposed to speak of his honest intentions, so the three of them decided to let him speak.

He already knew of their actions and their reasons for following Sakura, but he was not ready to let them to make a mess out of the situation. Especially, after he met Sakura that morning in the hospital.

"Sakura has invited us all to dinner and we are going to go there peacefully and let her tell us the truth herself. Okay?" as he finished, he looked at them with a severely pointed look, almost as if scolding them for being so rash in their decision. After hearing no answer from them, he just asked, with much more directive in his voice, "Are we understood?"

Naruto was way too stubborn to give up his plan, but after seeing the serious look in Kakashi's eye, he gave up. "Yes," he said, but did not stop at that. "But, you better not make me regret this, because I won't hesitate to beat you too, Kakashi-sensei,"

"I am looking forward to see you try," Kakashi answered back with as much challenge in his tone as Naruto held in his.

He, then, looked at the emotionless boy. "Sai?"

"I don't mind, because I want to see her happy," he answered in all honesty.

"Sasuke, what about you?" Kakashi asked the one he believed to be the most affected by this entire scene. However, he already knew something that would change his attitude and he was hoping that after this he would learn his lesson and actually act upon his feelings.

"Okay, I will go to that stupid dinner," Sasuke answered with an angry edge to his tone, because he believed that he would regret for ever accepting the offer.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled happily. "That's what I wanted to hear. Now, behave yourselves," he said with a tone that sounded a bit too cheerful to be considered as a good sign. It seemed as if he was thoroughly amused for some reason.

Naruto just stared at the wall in front of him, trying to think of something, because this entire thing was making him feel quite anxious. It was like he was unable to stay calm during the storm, which is exactly what he thought of the current situation. After a whole minute ― a very excruciating minute for him ― he could not take it anymore, so he decided to just ask Sasuke, who was seated right next to him on the couch in Sakura's living room. "Hey, teme," he whispered, as he nudged him with the elbow.

"Hn," he grunted, sounding more irritated than usual.

It was not hard for the blond to guess what the reason for his broody mood was. After all, he already knew that Sasuke liked Sakura. "What do you think that we should do?" he asked in a hushed tone, trying to hide his intentions from Kakashi who was sitting in the chair opposite the couch. Their sensei was acting like a guard dog the entire time and that small fact already started to piss Naruto off.

"I don't know, Naruto," Sasuke answered, feeling quite lost himself. He would have loved to do something, but at this point he thought that it would be pointless even if he did something. He tortured himself with thoughts about Sakura and he was extremely bothered by the fact that she gave her love to someone else. The tightening in his chest was brought on by the feeling of betrayal ― he was just stupid enough to believe that she would always belong to him.

"You will behave yourselves and let Sakura do the talking," Kakashi spoke, giving them a pointed look.

Naruto could hardly believe that this was happening. "What is the point in that?" he asked bitingly, narrowing his eyes in slight anger. He really could not believe that Kakashi was behaving like this.

"The point is that you will respect her choice," Kakashi answered in a cool tone.

"Hmpf," Naruto breathed out in exasperation, a stubborn expression on his face. He really did not need to see the gray-haired man acting like a wise man when things were quite dire. At least, that is what he thought.

Kakashi was not surprised to see Naruto refuse his suggestion. If he had to admit to himself, he would have said that he was rather surprised to see him this calm. He certainly expected a different kind of behavior, something that would involve some really drastic ideas. "Naruto, just try to stay quiet over dinner," he said with a measured voice, not wanting to ignite his temper. After seeing the stubborn expression on his face, he added, "Do it for Sakura."

Naruto's facial features softened at those words and he felt almost guilty for trying to meddle in her personal life. But, the point was that he considered her to be one of his closest friends and he felt deceived because of her decision to keep this as a secret. After a long moment of silence, he finally gave in, by saying, "Alright, I will try, but I can't promise you anything."

Kakashi nodded his head, already praying that Naruto will try to be quiet for at least the next two hours.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that, because if that is what Naruto said it would only mean trouble. He just knew that in a moment of immense tension the blond was just incapable of keeping his mouth shut. "Dobe," he muttered under his breath, mentally preparing himself for an eventful dinner.

And, he was right, because it didn't take long for the blond to ruin everything by speaking out. One moment they were all peacefully eating the meal Sakura prepared for them and in the next one he was already out of his chair, while shouting like a crazy person.

"Okay, I really can't stand this anymore," he spat out, while frantically flailing his hands in the air. He was really capable of creating a scene even when it was completely uncalled for. "This small talk is completely unnecessary." He was referring to the talking Sakura did during the dinner.

"Naruto, are you okay?" she asked, sounding a bit worried.

"No, I'm not okay!" he shouted, while looking at her with heavy accusation.

Sasuke and Sai just stared at the scene, leaving everything in Naruto's hands. After all, he was very capable when it came to situations like these, especially since he had a knack for adding oil to the fire. Kakashi, on the other hand, was not very pleased.

Sakura was more than surprised, so she hesitantly asked, "Why? Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I'm not sick, but I am not okay either. How can I be feeling okay when you just sit there and pretend like nothing is wrong?" he asked, sounding even more infuriated than before. It was hard for him to sit there and act as if nothing was wrong, while Sasuke did nothing to fight for her, while it was blatantly obvious that he liked her. Naruto was not willing to let that happen, at least not on his watch.

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Sakura asked, before turning to look at the others. After seeing the various expressions on their faces, she realized that something was not right and that they were all involved.

"Naruto, sit!" Kakashi ordered in a harsh tone. He wanted to stop him before things escalated to a point of no return.

"No, no, I want him to speak, Kakashi-sensei," she said with an angry edge to her voice, because she really hated it when they left her out of whatever was going on. However, she was really suspicious of Naruto's behavior and the way he was accusingly looking at her. She did nothing wrong for him to be accusing her of anything.

"Why didn't you tell us that you have a boyfriend, Sakura-chan?" Naruto finally asked the right question, not even realizing what it might cause.

Kakashi slumped in his chair, because Naruto already dropped the bomb and there was nothing that he could possibly do to make this stop. He already knew that it was pointless and that this dinner would not end up in a good way.

"What!" Sakura screeched in astonishment. She stared at him with eyes rounded in shock, but then she just stood up and dropped her hands on the table with force. The dishes rattled and all the boys jumped up in surprise. "I don't have a boyfriend. Where did you hear such a thing?"

"Um… Ino?" Naruto spoke in a shaky voice, while glancing at Sai for a short second. He was only capable of recalling a blurry image of Sai shelling out the info that he heard from Ino that Sakura had a boyfriend.

It took Sakura only a second to realize what was happening and that her so called best friend spread out a false rumor. She seethed in anger and decided to give her a little piece of her mind once she would get a hold of her. "I can't believe that you would believe a stupid rumor over me?" she asked in disbelief, while staring them down with heavy accusation shining in her eyes. She was emitting a deadly aura, feeling like she was ready to lash out and beat the crap out of them for being so stupid ― because even if Sasuke and Sai kept their mouths shut the entire time, she knew that they were all involved in this.

"Sakura, just calm down," Kakashi spoke calmly, trying to remind Sakura that this could never be settled with angry outbursts. He received a glare in return, which made him realize that she won't be able to calm down any time soon.

"You don't have to hide it any longer, Sakura," Sasuke finally spoke, his voice calm but reproachful. He was experiencing some difficulty in controlling his own emotions, because this was affecting him more than he wanted to admit to himself.

"Yeah, we saw you with that guy… you were holding his hand," Naruto explained further, nodding with his head as if he knew everything and that she had nowhere to go or keep this as a secret for much longer.

"What guy?" she asked dumbly. She really could not believe that she was hearing this, because she did not even know what they were talking about. Mindful that it would be pointless to ask from where they came up with such nonsense, she kept her mouth shut.

"The one from today," Sai provided the small piece of info, in hopes that it would be enough to make her realize what guy they were talking about. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind that involved Sakura dating a couple of guys at the same time. He really could not help himself, because apparently she was confused about who her boyfriend was. He got really scared at that point, because he thought that she might have been holding the hand of more guys that same day.

"I just can't believe this!" she shouted as she started to pace back and forth in her dining room. She was aware that she had to calm her nerves or else she might have to use drastic measures and teach them all a lesson. Once she felt her anger deflating, she started to speak, "He was a patient in the hospital that I treated a few weeks ago. He came to me with a broken wrist and today he asked me to check if everything was okay, because he was experiencing some pain." Then, she turned to look at them with narrowed eyes.

"Really? But, we thought―" Naruto spoke, his voice weak. He did not know what to say, because he was really surprised to hear such an explanation when he was so sure of himself.

Sakura cut him off by spitting out, "Well, you thought wrong, Naruto." Her tone was a bit mocking. At that moment she made sure to stare them all down for ever suspecting her.

"What about the flowers?" Sai decided to ask about that scene, because he was really curious about the kind of explanation she would have concerning that.

"The white roses you mean?" she asked, already recalling the day she made the order. "I bought them for my mother," she explained, while shaking her head in disbelief. She really could not believe that this was happening, especially because she felt as if she was being interrogated about her personal life by her teammates no less.

"And, the underwear?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He was still not convinced by her answers.

Her jaw dropped at that. It came as a shock to her to hear him speak of underwear in such a cool way. She definitely did not expect something like that from him, especially since he just openly admitted that they were spying on her while she was buying said underwear. "Oh, no! This is getting over the line… you were actually spying on me!" she shouted, staring them all down with a very nasty look. She kept her eyes longer on Kakashi, silently asking him if he was involved, because she was ready to die of embarrassment if he actually was.

He shook his head at her and spoke reassuringly, "Don't get so angry, Sakura."

Besides feeling the relief wash over her, she still felt angry enough to ask bitingly, "How can I possibly not get angry?"

"Just answer the question, Sakura," Sasuke addressed her, but this time his tone was a bit too demanding.

She felt offended once she noted the tone in his voice. "For your information, Sasuke-kun, the underwear was a present for Ino. She started dating Shikamaru and I wanted to tease her a bit," she explained with a mocking edge to her voice, happy that she was able to make him angry by making a fool out of him.

However, he did not consider himself a fool, because these questions were quite important for him. He really could not stop the onslaught of thoughts that she might be sleeping with some random guy. Those thoughts bothered him immensely, especially since he could feel a painful rip inside his chest every time he thought of the possibilities. That is why he did not stop at that and asked, "Where were you during the nights?"

This time, Sakura caught the slight jealousy in his voice, which made her feel extremely confused. She started to wonder why he was being jealous when he didn't even like her. Deciding that it would be best for her if she dismissed the idea, she started to explain, "I can't believe that I am about to say this… I was assigned a top secret mission by Tsunade that required me to work at a secret lab in the hospital and she assigned me to be mission leader." She took a moment to regain her breath, before continuing, "It was very important because I was to become a Jounin if I completed it flawlessly, which is why I invited you to dinner." She really could not believe that she had to reveal that while she was still angry at them. The entire day she was ecstatic about the dinner and that she will be able to tell them the news in a normal way, but apparently they always ruined everything. Seeing the questioning looks on their faces, she realized that they were waiting to hear the good news, so she finally spoke, "Yes, I am a Jounin now."

Naruto was the first one that reacted, which was not surprising. "Wow, Sakura-chan… that is huge," he said in open astonishment. He was really happy to hear such news, so he completely forgot about the mild quarrel they had moments ago. "Congratulations!" he shouted and enveloped her in a hug.

"Congratulations, Sakura. You deserved this," Kakashi spoke, as he stood right next to her and brushed the top of her head as if she was still his twelve year old student. He felt tears prickle the corner of his eyes ― it was hardly believable how emotional he sometimes was.

"Congratulations, Ugly," Sai spoke, a real smile stretching on his face. "You achieved this before dickless and emo here did," he added a moment later, the smile never leaving his face.

Seeing the happy expression on his face angered Naruto, so he shouted, justifying for himself and Sasuke in the process, "Hey! We both had our own reasons."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in addition. This was one of the small number of times they both agreed on something, at least openly.

Witnessing the scene, Sakura was reminded of every time this happened. "I guess nothing will ever change," she muttered, shaking her head as a small smile appeared on her face.

Suddenly, Naruto thought of something very important, so he rounded up on Kakashi. "You already knew that this was just a stupid rumor, huh?" he accused him knowingly, pointing a finger at him. He could not believe that he didn't tell them, when it was obvious that he already knew when he told them about the dinner. Naruto was partly angry at himself for not figuring it out earlier.

Kakashi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, while at the same time he tried to fake an innocent expression. "Well, Naruto, you see..." he trailed off, all of a sudden losing his cool.

"You don't have to play innocent. I already know that you are anything but innocent," Naruto said, giving him a nasty look.

Sakura watched them with heavy disbelief written on her face. She could not believe that they were fighting over something that was clearly not their business. "Why are you making it all about you?" she asked, starring them both down. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at them. "So, what if I had a boyfriend? What would you do then?" At that moment, she hoped ― for their sake ― that they would find a satisfying answer.

"Sakura-chan, we wouldn't have done anything... it's just that we wanted to hear it from you," Naruto spoke, his voice taking on a shaky undertone. He was really nervous because of the way she was looking at them all. She even flashed them with her no-nonsense pose and that was not good, at least that is what he came to believe in, from personal experience of course.

She just shook her head in disappointment. "Well, you obviously thought that I would hide something like this from you. I just can't believe that you would think that."

"We are really sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto apologized, before looking at the others as if asking for help. He really needed some support from them, especially since they all received a nasty look from their female teammate, who was known to have a vicious temper.

"You don't look sorry," she bit back and glared fiercely.

"Please, forgive us," he pleaded, already giving up on the rest of them. Apparently, he was always alone when it came down to this. In reality, Sai did not know what to say, while Sasuke did not care about apologies.

"Alright, but I really don't want to see any of your faces right now," she said, suddenly tired of feeling angry. She just needed some space and time to possibly forget about this. "Can you leave me alone? I need to think," she added a moment later, looking at them with pleading eyes. She really hoped that they would understand her.

"Okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto said in defeat. He knew that she already forgave them and that is what was important, but he felt a bit guilty for ruining her night.

Naruto already started to leave, after saying goodbye of course. Sasuke and Sai followed right after him, while Kakashi stayed for a while longer, because there was something that he wanted to say to Sakura.

"You don't have to be mad at them. They were just worried about you," he spoke, while pressing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She looked at the ground, a sad expression on her face. "I know, Kakashi-sensei. But, that is what they always do… worry about me," she whispered sadly, feeling like she was still just a child in their eyes.

Kakashi just smiled behind his mask and spoke, "That is only because they care about you. Don't forget that." Then, he left her there to think about his words.

And, she did... she really did. While thinking about everything they all went through, she realized that they really cared about her and she already received acknowledgment form all of them. That is why she always knew that she could never possibly get mad at them for anything they did. She told herself that she could yell at them, but that she would never be really angry at them, because they were her friends... her teammates. Actually, she wasn't that sure about Sasuke, because she sometimes felt as if she did not know him that well. Ever since his return, she felt utterly confused, because there were moments when she enjoyed his presence, but there were also moments where he would distance himself. She did not understand why he did that. Also, she could never even begin to understand his staring, because he did stare at her, a lot. She wasn't blind, after all.

Sometime during the time she was thinking about him, she heard a knock on the glass doors of her balcony. She stood up from her bed, but as she walked toward the doors she realized that Sasuke Uchiha was standing there. It would be a lie if she said that she wasn't surprised to see him there. However, she just decided to dismiss her own confusion, so she just let him in.

"Sasuke-kun?" she uttered his name in question. She didn't mean to sound so surprised, but she did and there was no turning back. "...what are you doing here?"

"I want to talk," he stated simply, while staring at her in a profound way.

She noticed his staring even in the darkness and she instantly became curious as to why he would be looking at her in such a way. "You want to talk... to me?" she asked, still feeling a bit astounded. After all, he never even expressed a desire to do so and she was really curious to hear his reason for wanting to talk to her. "About what?"

He smirked and lifted an eyebrow, before speaking in a tone that was not usual for him, "Isn't it obvious, Sakura?"

To Sakura it sounded as if he was playing with her, because his tone was a bit too suggestive for it to be normal. "No... I don't think so," she said, as she looked at him in a strange way.

"Us... I want to talk about us," he said in determination, his voice full of seriousness. Even his expression changed into a serious one.

Sakura suddenly felt like this was just one of her dreams, because she never thought it would be possible to hear something like this from him. She opened her mouth and all that came out of it was, "What?" At that moment, she scolded herself for saying something so stupid, when she should have used the opportunity to say something more meaningful.

Sasuke was thoroughly amused by her reaction, so he just smirked in response. "Okay… we don't have to talk if you don't want to," he spoke, while he already formed a new plan in his mind.

Sakura felt a gentle caress on her skin by the onslaught of air, but not a second later she felt his lips on hers. She suddenly realized that he swiftly appeared right in front of her just so he would be able to kiss her. Her entire body shivered because of the electric feeling, but once he griped her waist in his hands the feelings flowing through her intensified considerably. She could feel her body burn right where his hands were positioned and the feeling was exhilarating. He kissed her in a gentle way, but fiercely strong at the same time. By the way he moved his lips against hers he urged her to do the same and at that exact moment she decided to enjoy every bit of it. She reached out and touched his face with her hand, while she lifted the other and placed it behind his neck.

After some time they parted, but remained close in the same position, enveloped in each other's arms. They could feel the breath of the other coming out in a rush and the beat of their hearts caught on the same fast rhythm.

"Sasuke-kun… what is the meaning of this?" she whispered, not even daring to open her eyes. She was still under the impression of the intense kiss. Actually, it wasn't that intense, but she definitely felt intense feelings flowing through her. She felt like she was ready to fly away into heaven.

"Do I really have to explain?" he asked, and she could see the wide smirk on his face in her own head. She did not have to look at him to know that he was acting like some smug bastard.

For an entire minute she did not even wanted to speak out loud, but she really could not take it anymore. After all, Sasuke's fingers were caressing the skin on her neck a bit too teasingly. She finally opened her eyes to look at him and she saw him smirking at her. He seemed exceptionally amused for some reason. "You actually like me?" she finally dared ask the question that flew through her mind for some time already.

"Hn," he grunted, before leaning in to kiss her neck. It seemed like he was particularly fond of that part of her body, because the way he caressed her skin was wondrous.

She could not believe that this was happening for real, but those butterfly kisses he left along her neck definitely felt real ― very much real. "I can't believe that you just answered by grunting..." she spoke almost as if out of breath. He was making her weak in the knees with those kisses of his. "But, I guess that is just who you are, Sasuke-kun." She then breathed out, her entire body tingling because of his ministrations.

He finally lifted his head to look at her and after seeing the rosy blush on her cheeks, he smirked in satisfaction. He was definitely more than satisfied to see her react in such a way. Then, he leaned in and kissed her fiercely, making sure to make her even more affected. Once he heard her moan into his mouth, he broke the kiss, because that is what he wanted to hear. Suddenly, he just decided to tease her a bit, so he spoke, "I have a girlfriend that is a Jounin… I actually like the sound of that." He smirked at her shocked expression and pressed his lips to hers in desperation.

Sakura needed a moment to clear her own mind and actually register his words. "What? Did you say… girlfriend?" she shakily asked, feeling like she was more than overwhelmed.

"Aa." His smirk widened, as he clarified, "That is what you are, Sakura… my girlfriend."

She finally flashed him with a bright smile, something that he wanted to receive ever since his return. Then, she was the one that kissed him passionately. Once they were both out of breath, she lifted herself up on her toes and enveloped him in a tight hug, which he gladly returned.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please, review!