[Disclaimer] I do not own Naruto or its characters.

[A/N] This is something I whipped up for Valentine's Day, a SakuHarem ONESHOT for Rawrgoesdadino and Jan Hart. Finished this last Saturday actually but the document manager wouldn't allow me to upload the file. Luckily, it's posted now :) Hope you all enjoy this !

[Summary]

It's 14th of February again and Valentine's Day is here. Sakura Haruno decides that this year she could hand out chocolates to all her friends for always being there to support her. A little mishap in the kitchen says otherwise.

But no one said anything about homemade chocolate right? There's a newly open candy shop at Konoha Complex and rumour has it that they sell the best and delicious chocolates and sweets. Apparently no one told her anything about the eye candy males who work there either.

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ARE YOU READY?

SET,

GO!

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Sweet Surrender

I maybe your sweet spot

Take me to your candy shop

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It was a total disaster.

If anyone had walked into her kitchen, they would have thought World War III happened in there. The kitchen was in a complete mess. Lucky for her, Mr and Mrs Haruno were both away on a business trip. Her mother might have gone all warrior woman on her if she saw the horrid condition of her beloved kitchen.

Don't freak out. Don't freak out.

She kept chanting to herself. She ran a hand through her messy flour coated pink hair and got up slowly back on her feet. Grabbing the nearest cloth, she wiped the patches of chocolate cream on her elbow. Her left eye was still twitching unbearably. How could they pull a kitchen disaster on her right now?

Sakura Haruno is no kitchen princess.

In school, she was known as the pink haired fighter. Some even called her the pink demon. They even made a joke of calling her as Sakura the Hulk. No, she wasn't bullied in school. Who would dare to even lay a finger on her?

It was because of her insanely super strength that could send the loudmouth Naruto flying across the classroom. Or the wrestling move she pulled off on Sai who called her Hag. Or the time when she gripped the table so hard the sides dented. Or when she –

She had a really unique hair colour. Pink. The people she met often thought that she was just a little pink haired girl who couldn't kill a fly. Never judge a book by its cover. Or never judge a person by the hair colour.

Sakura just wanted to give a little surprise for tomorrow's event. Her brilliant idea was to whip up a batch of cookies and cutely wrapped heart shaped chocolates for her friends. They had always been there for her through bad and good times. She felt the need to repay them back. Since it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, she could use it as an excuse to give them presents.

And that was how she ended up in the kitchen in this situation.

Broken eggs lay on the kitchen floor. Those evil creatures made her slip and fall on her bottom. Flour all over her clothes, hair and face. How it happened, she still couldn't recall. One side of her cheek was smudged with chocolate and some vanilla cream.

CHA! Don't give up yet!

"I will never give up!" She mimicked her Inner voice and punched her fist in the air. Sakura was determined to bake at least something for her friends. A little kitchen mishap wouldn't stop her from doing so. Until..

Splat.

Something slimy, wet just dropped on her head. On her hair! Then, it began dripping down her pink locks. Her eyes narrowed at the brown gooey substance. She refrain the urge to scream. Sakura's face jerked up towards the ceiling, ready to glare.

SPLAT.

Let's give up now.

It was all over her face now.

She needed to scream her frustration. Or punch something. Now. Right Now.

"Sakuraaaaaa-chan! I came over to see if you could help me with my maths homework!" Naruto's obnoxious voice called out from the living room. His footsteps were moving closer to the kitchen. Obviously, the blonde had let himself into her house. Well, Naruto had been her childhood and best friend. What was wrong if she had given him her extra house key?

The whiskered, tanned male almost fell over in shock. His mouth was wide open now. What happened to his poor Sakura-chan? Who did this to her? However, the concern towards his pink haired friend took over his protective instinct.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, SAKURA-CHAN?"

He made a mad dash over to the poor girl. His clumsy feet stepped over the slippery surface and collided into Sakura. Both of them fell over together in a crumple of mess onto the floor with Naruto on top of Sakura.

"Who did this to you? What happened here? Did someone hurt you? Why is your hair like that?" Naruto began with his questions, never stopping to let Sakura answer. He tugged the pink haired girl into an embrace, not bothered by her dirty clothes. "I will avenge you, Sakura-chan!" He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck.

"You're such an idiot." Sakura muttered, frowning. She blushed when Naruto squeezed her harder and closer to him while nuzzling her more. "I can't breathe! Get off me, Naruto!" She hissed, trying to push him off by putting her hands on her chest. How on earth can he still hug her when she looked this bad?

Immediately, the hyperactive blonde released his death grip on her. He was now on his knees, checking her for any injuries. "Are you hurt, Sakura-chan?" He brushed her bangs away and looked down at her with his concerned gaze. Naruto was loud and annoying sometimes but in many ways, he would show his concern and care in his own funny way.

"I'm fine! Stop acting like a mother hen, will you?" She sighed, prying his hands away from her. At the same time, she prayed that her maddening blush would go away. "Can't you see I'm busy?" Sakura levelled a glare at the blonde who looked too innocent for his own good.

"But –"

"No buts, Naruto! Get out now before I break your legs!" She growled, her eyes narrowing even further.

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaannnnnn.." He whined.

SPLAT.

The kitchen became deathly quietly.

"Errr….I.."

"Shut up." She hissed through her clenched teeth. Her emerald eyes were like slits and her darkening aura behind her was way too eerie for the boy to deny. Her hulk side was beginning to emerge, seeing the burning fire in her green depths.

"Brown looks good on you, Sakura-chan.."

"Naruto."

"Lemme get you a towel…"

"No. Get. Out. Now." The dark tone in her voice sent shivers to him.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously, a sweat rolled down his face. He laughed a little and got up quickly. He ran for his life out of the kitchen and out of her house, almost falling over again in his steps. As much as Naruto Uzumaki wanted Sakura to be his beloved wife, he'd rather not receive the beating of his life.

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She ran her fingers through the chopped pink locks. Standing in front of the mirror, she turned her head from left to right. She could finally see the pinkness of her hair instead of the gooey brown stuff. What the gooey thing was, she had no idea. In fact, she wouldn't want to know at all.

"This is so much better." Sakura nodded, happy with her appearance. A beep came from her cell phone and she curiously checked for any texts or calls. Much to her surprise, she did receive a few texts and missing calls.

A Hello Kitty keychain was dangling from her phone. She giggled like a schoolgirl and poked the miniature cat. Who would have thought the troublesome Shikamaru was such a big softie for Hello Kitty? The genius proved her wrong when he appeared on her doorstep, fumbling over with his ribbon boxed gift on her birthday last year.

And boy was his face pink. Really, really pink. Like some sort of constipated giraffe.

"Maybe he ate something nasty." Sakura concluded. "That's what you get for being best friends with Chouji."

You have received three text messages.

Sakura-san,

I just wanted to remind you about the English Project.

When are you free to meet up?

Neji.

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Sakura,

dinner at my house 2nite.

Sasuke

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sorry :(

sakura-chan, I'm sorry! T_T

please forgive me. don't be mad?

btw dinner tonight at teme's house

mikoto wants us to try out her new dish

naruto

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Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes at Neji's polite and friendly message. The Hyuuga family had trained him well in mannerisms and ethics. She wished Neji could be a little less uptight and let loose once in a while.

Thinking of the coffee colour haired male, Sakura realised that she had indeed been spending lots of time with him lately. He had walked her back home yesterday like the kind gentleman he was. Her face was starting to heat up just thinking of him. Sakura shook her head furiously and texted the Hyuuga boy back.

Sasuke's short and commanding text rendered her speechless. Her fingers glided across the alphabets in a very short reply, ok. Before she slid her thumb across the button send, she made sure to insert a smiley face there. Just to irritate Sasuke.

A cheeky grin lit up on Sakura's face reading Naruto's cute and apologetic text. She just couldn't stay mad at him for long. He was too damn innocent for his own good. She replied him, saying that she wasn't angry at him and she'll be seeing him at Sasuke's tonight. Again, she inserted one those of smiley face.

"I'm not going to deal with another kitchen drama." Sakura muttered, rubbing the sides of her face. "What am I going to do now?" She paced around her room. "Think, Sakura. Think." Her feet walked in circles. "Chocolates. Cookies. Sweets."

BUY THEM.

"That's right!" The pinkette jumped in joy. "I don't need to waste more time making those. I could easily buy them…" Her voice trailed off, leaving her confused. "But where?"

Then it hit her.

Ino-pig did mention something about a newly opened candy shop in Konoha Complex. How could she forget? The boy-craved Ino was squealing right next to her ear. She'd have to thank Ino for this afterwards. For now, she let herself bask in the glory of her smartness and quick-thinking skills.

CHA! I'm a freaking genius!

Or at least, that's what Inner Sakura thought.

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The sleek, black motorbike served so fast to the right side of the road. The momentum was so strong it almost threw Sakura who was walking along the pedestrian road, aside onto the ground like a ragdoll. She felt a sudden breeze between her legs and yelped in embarrassment to try to pull her skirt back down.

SCREEEEECHHHHH!

"Hey! Watch where you going punk!" The pinkette growled loudly. Loud enough to be heard by the person driving the bike which was gradually slowing down.

Sakura swallowed back more protestations as the bike halted just a few metres in front of her. The all-black clad driver was steadily getting off from the seat and throwing small glances at her. Or that was what she thought. With the black helmet covering his whole face, she couldn't see much.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Shit yes! Those are some nice abs.

Her face flamed. The driver who was approaching her boredly was wearing a tight, really tight mesh shirt. Suddenly, she was feeling very intimidated by this male. The familiar looking chains hanging around the pockets of his washout jeans were starting to ignite a spark in her mind.

"Don't come near me!" She pointed a finger at the male. "I said don't come near me! Or I'll…I'll.."

Her pupils dilated at the sudden closeness. Since was he only a step away from bumping her nose? Well, she was going to bump her nose onto the helmet if he did step forward. And that would hurt.

Sakura smiled at him, a sweet smile and in her most innocent tone she replied. "I'll scream." Then, the next thing she knew the male was covering both his ears behind his helmet from her piercing scream of rape.

"Oh-omph!"

"Stop."

His soft low voice stunned her momentarily. It was so familiar yet she couldn't remember. She wanted to scream more into his ear, if only he would remove his hand away from her mouth. And damn, this male had muscles.

"Don't you recognise me?"

She bet he could see the fear in her eyes and was enjoying it. For him, to torture her like this was a fun game. His voice was painfully familiar like she'd heard it from somewhere but not frequently. The low and sexy baritone was far too hard to resist.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sakura."

The male saw the recognition lit up in her emerald orbs when he told her he wasn't going to harm her. He chuckled, the sound making her whole body tingle. Then, he removed his hand from her mouth, not before tracing the curve of her chin and took off his helmet.

The first thing Sakura spotted was the male's flaming red hair and then the kanji tattoo. She was lost for words. And now she that knew who this male really was, she didn't feel that threatened anymore. She'll be threatening him after this.

"Gaara. That wasn't funny!"

His lips were pressed into a firm line indicating that something was bothering him or he didn't like what she was doing now. The gaze in his jade eyes was blank but dark.

"Why're you out walking alone?" Gaara stressed on the last word.

Sakura scoffed. "I was walking up alone," she directed a glare at the red head and continued, "until someone decided to run me over like a cat." She forgot that the Sabaku heir was one of her friends with the overprotective male instincts. It was cute at the starting but not anymore.

"Ride me."

"What!" Her eyeballs almost popped out of her sockets.

"Ride on my bike. I'll take you to your destination."

"But - I don't really – Fine."

Gaara smirked. No one could ever beat his infamous stare down. And Sakura could never deny his demands especially if he was giving her that look. Gaara Sabaku just wanted to spend some time with his Sakura and it wasn't something out of the blue he did.

"No, you wear your helmet, Gaara. It's dangerous!"

"I could say the same to you, Sakura."

"What – you – FINE. Give me that!"

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"Thanks for the ride, Gaara!"

"Hn."

"I'll see you tomorrow at school then!" Sakura beamed and turned around to enter the shopping complex. Before she parted with him, she smiled and squeezed his hand lightly. She couldn't see his reaction, since he had put on his helmet by then.

In spite of the huge crowds, Sakura found her way to the newly opened candy shop her blonde friend was babbling about. Here she was. The block letters 'Sweet Wonderland' imprinted with the colours of the rainbow, the two huge lollipops for display, the heart shaped boxes filled with heart shaped chocolates, rows and rows of different jars containing multiple selection of candies, despite all the magnificent things inside and outside of the shop – that was not what made Sakura's jaw drop.

It was those drop-dead gorgeous men with matching uniforms of black with red clouds on the collar and the white apron tied around their torso to their hips made them even more delicious looking.

Mmmmmmmmm. Definitely eye candies.

Inner Sakura began to picture images of those good looking males with huge ribbons around their waist or lower, ahem and they looked more than ready to be unwrapped. Ah, how much fun she'll be able to have with them.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yes, how much are those candy wrapped males?

Sakura could feel her face burn. Hearing the polite yet impatient voice made her twirl clumsily at the speaker. And when she did, her breath was taken away by the sheer beauty of the male who stood opposite of her. Like a fish out of the water, she had lost her ability to speak or move or do anything except staring.

The tussled red haired boy gazed back at her dully with his half lidded hazel orbs. He waited for a reply from the pink haired girl while a frown began to make its way to his lips. He hated waiting.

For what seemed like an eternity after admiring the red head, Sakura could move her lips. "Actually, I'm looking for some choc –" She stifled a surprise gasp when a pair of hands, manly hands embraced her and tugging her from behind. Her back collided with a firm chest as the hands grasped her small waist.

"Sasori, un! Where have you been hiding this cutie?" A light, teasing voice came from behind her.

Sakura, for one was totally flushed. Who is this guy? Wait, is he even a guy? She caught a glimpse of a long ponytail. She craned her neck a little to see one of his eyes covered by his blonde bang. His hairstyle was something similar to Ino's. She'd have to ask him if he's related to the Yamanaka girl.

Sasori looked a bit agitated seeing his best friend slash rival hugging the pretty pink haired girl he was talking with. What? He thought she was pretty. Okay, he lied. Sasori thought she was simply stunning. The red head aimed a glare at the blonde and hissed in his coldest tone. "Release the customer, Deidara."

Deidara made a huffing sound before releasing the pinkette. He took a step forward and reached for her hand, pulling it up to reach his face. "Forgive me, un. I've never seen a girl as beautiful as you until you walked in." The handsome blonde winked and kissed her hand softly, eliciting another gasp from the flustered pinkette.

Jealousy took over. Sasori smacked Deidara's hand away and pulled Sakura closer to him. "Stop that, brat. You're not going to flirt with her."

"Is someone jealous?"

"In your dreams brat."

"Well, if you don't mind Sasori. I was just going to ask for this pretty lady's name, un…"

"No, you're NOT."

"Hey cutie, what's your… hey, where did she go?"

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She panted, dragging her finger over her tousled pink hair. Sakura had no idea what to do with those two males, so she did the first thing she had in mind. Run and hide. The tall shelf with jars of gummy worms appeared to be the safest place she could hide and hope those two wouldn't find her.

"They may be cute and all, but no way I'm getting sandwiched between them!"

"Sandwiched between whom?"

She was certainly not prepared for another male ambush.

"And why are you hiding here of all the places, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's green eyes flickered at the tall figure hovering over her. Standing there was none other than her best friend's older brother, Itachi Uchiha. Damn, why did he have to look so deliciously gorgeous? The frustration was building up on her already.

"You work here?" She managed to spat out.

Itachi crouched down on the floor, his raven locks falling over his face to frame his model-like features. The Uchiha smirked and edged closer to the nervous pinkette. "Is that how you treat a friend? It's been quite a while." His slender fingers danced across her chin and cheeks, feeling the smoothness of her skin.

"That doesn't answer my question." Sakura glared. She never did liked Sasuke's brother much. Maybe it was because of Sasuke's influence on her.

"To answer your question, he works here for me, love." A hot breath blew in her ear followed by a purr. "I'm sure you missed me right?" Something wet just licked her earlobe.

Oh my God.

Oh my God.

"Oh my God."

"I'm glad you always think of God, love. I hope you always think of me as well."

"Madara."

Madara's lips twitched. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Uncle, stop harassing Sakura."

"You're such a party pooper, nephew."

"Hn."

"Now I know where Sasuke picked that up from."

Since their attention were both on each other, Sakura took the chance to sneakily edged away from those two and moved soundlessly across the shelves, hoping not to alert the Uchihas. Like she said before, the attention was just too much for her to handle at times.

Besides, Sakura Haruno had a mission.

To buy chocolates for her friends on Valentine's Day.

And if she ran into any more hot guys, her mission might as well be dropped aside.

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Well, shit.

C'mon, you can't say you didn't like that! Those males are really exquisite.

Sakura refrained from blowing her top off and screaming like a mad heathen. She wanted to blow this place apart. This stupid, stupid candy shop. Up until now, she didn't have the chance to search for those chocolates. How could she when every corner she goes, there's one or two or more handsome males waiting to smother her?

After her encounter with the two Uchihas, she bumped into a very peculiar looking shark-like male who had blue skin. Although, he was tall and bulky, he looked a little too intimidating. And a part of her actually admitted that the shark guy was sexy. Sakura wondered what kind of weird spirit possessed her that moment. When Kisame tried to get cosy with her, Sakura took off into another direction.

There was also another unique worker there. The one who sat on the cash register and counting the money, never once looking up or away from the cash. This guy had stitches on his face and even his mouth. He wore the nametag 'Kakuzu'. Sakura was so entranced with those threads attached to his lips, she didn't even avert her gaze when Kakuzu looked up at her. He held her gaze for a few minutes and when he did so, Sakura was blushing from head to toes.

The one who pissed her off the most was the silver haired Hidan. That one punch to his eye just wasn't enough to satisfy Sakura's anger. She should've socked his other eye as well. Indeed, Hidan was the typical image of a sexy playboy. If only, he would stop harassing her from the moment he saw her searching high and low for the chocolates. If only, he didn't squeezed her bottom like the pervert he was. That earned him a black eye and a string of colourful words from the pinkette. Yet, he looked pleased as if he was enjoying the sadistic pain.

Zetsu, as he introduced himself was kind at least. He didn't molest or grope her. Instead he treated her like the rightful customer she was. For that, Sakura was grateful towards the half painted black and white male. Zetsu and she did make some small talk, mostly about his bi-polar personality and the newly opened shop. The shy male asked for her number and surprisingly she did give him. She hoped her decision was right.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you looking for something?" A feminine voice asked her.

Sakura could almost sigh in relief at the presence of a female. All the while, those males working here could drive her crazy to the point of losing her insanity. The pinkette gave her best smile. "Yes, I'm looking for some chocolates actually. I've been searching for them and I couldn't find them.." She trailed off, a little embarrassed.

The blue haired female adjusted the origami flower clipped on the side of her hair. Judging from her posture and the way she carried herself, she must be a very elegant and soft-spoken female. And the more Sakura looked at the blue haired beauty, envy raged within her.

"I understand." She softly said. "It's quite huge in here and you can easily get lost if you don't know your way." A small smile tugged at her lips making her look twice as beautiful like an angel. "If you'd follow me here, miss." She bowed a little before guiding Sakura towards the chocolates section.

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"I'll go wrap these up for you okay, Sakura-san?"

The pink haired girl nodded. "Thanks, Konan."

"You're very welcome. Just give me a few minutes. Please wait here." Konan replied back with her usual politeness. Even when the two newly met friends were chit-chatting, the blue haired girl had been nothing but polite and well-mannered.

In return, Sakura had no choice but to be on her best attitude of good mannerism. "Sure!" The pinkette chirped, very glad that she bought what she needed. All that's left is to wait for tomorrow to give the little presents to her friends.

She took notice of a heart shaped glass window somewhere in the corner of the wall. Just out of pure curiosity, Sakura went towards it to observe the peculiar structure and contrastic colours of red, pink and black. She fingered the wood texture of the window sides coated with colours of black with printed red clouds.

Once she peeked out of the glassy partition, she was taken aback. It was raining. Droplets of raindrops began to fall from the grey sky and onto the ground with splat sounds. There were numerous colours and patterns of umbrella moving up and down the busy streets. Those who didn't have the umbrella were busy covering their head with their hands and quickly moving to shelter. All of them except for one person.

He was standing in the middle of the streets. His hair colour was bright orange, the colour demanding Sakura's full attention. Piercings, lots of them on his face. The one under his lower lip was really distracting. His eyes were closed and although from afar, Sakura could see the muscular built of the male. Or maybe it was because he was soaked and his clothes were sticking to his body like a second layer of skin.

What is he doing?

The auburn male just stayed there under the pouring rain with his face raised up to the sky and eyes closed, letting the rain hit his face. Slowly, he lifted both of his hands to the side and opened his palms, as if trying to catch the droplets of liquid.

So mystical, so mysterious. Those were the words to describe him. He looked so peaceful, so calm. For a moment there, Sakura had the urge to join him under the rain. Just for a moment. The moment broke when Konan came back.

"Sakura-san, here's your chocolates."

"Oh, they look adorable!" Sakura giggled at the small tiny boxes decorated with pink heart shapes and a red bow on top. She was ready to thank Konan again for her kindness but when she kept quiet, just to observe the blue haired girl.

Konan, too was standing next to Sakura, her gaze outside the window glass. The expression on her face was calm and yet a small meaning smile played across her lips.

"Pein." She said it so softly, Sakura would barely hear it if she wasn't beside her.

Is he your boyfriend? The question was stuck in her throat. Why should she even bother? Sakura shook her head. It wasn't her business. The pinkette nudged Konan's shoulder, surprising the blue haired girl. "Thanks again, Konan."

"Do come again when you have time, Sakura-san."

"I will."

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Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter.

The sound of raindrops falling reached her ears. It formed such a beautiful harmony, Sakura wished that it would rain more when she came outside. The weather was cold and breezing until she had to wrap her hands around her body to warm herself. She kept her handbag clutched close to her chest.

"Gah! Did I even bring an umbrella?" She squeaked and rummaged inside her handbag for her foldable red umbrella but to her luck, she only found her lip gloss, her purse and her cell. She watched across the streets, it was still raining. How in the world is she going to go back home now? Oh, well.

She walked back into the shopping mall, looking for a place to sit down and relax. She would consider going to Starbucks and getting a cup of cappuccino but when a flash of a certain dog lover with a wolfish grin who worked there made her reconsider. If Kiba saw her, she wouldn't be able to hide these chocolates then her secret surprise will be ruined!

"Sakura-san!"

The pinkette blinked at the running Konan, face full of question marks.

Konan sighed and walked over to her with an umbrella in one hand. "It's raining outside and I know you don't have an umbrella with you right?" Seeing Sakura shrug her shoulders, she gave a light laugh. "Here, take this. You can return it back to me next time." Her eyes twinkled, a genius plan forming in her mind already.

"Uh..." Sakura trailed off, looking quite unsure herself whether to accept Konan's offer or not. In the end, she decided to accept the girl's offer and might as well return to visit her shop for a second time. Otherwise, it would just be rude of her to reject it.

If it was possible, Konan's smile became wider as she pushed the umbrella into Sakura's hands. "I'll be seeing you around then, Sakura-san." There was the twinkle in those eyes again.

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He shuddered. It was getting colder and colder by every passing second. Pein still remained in the same position, head tilted upwards and hands spread apart. The pierced man could have sworn he felt someone staring at him. Who? He didn't have an answer for that. It was just a nagging thought.

Until he heard the sound of footsteps making their way towards him and the water swishing with every step the person took. Pein decided that he wouldn't pay mind to the intruder. He was too caught up with his emotions in the rain. The cool droplets of rain hitting his face were refreshing and he desperately needed this.

"You're going to get sick if you keep standing there." A voice scolded.

The auburn haired male kept his eyes shut and ignored the voice, thinking that it was one of those illusions. He could barely hear what the voice was saying to him. The cool liquid washed down his face, down his neck. Then, there were no more. Something was shielding him from the rain. Someone was shielding him.

"This is crazy or either you are crazy."

He couldn't decide whether he should laugh or glare at the person who dared to call him crazy. All he knew was he must find out who this person was. And when he opened his eyelids, Pein was oddly mesmerised by the natural glow coming from two bright emerald orbs. The owner of those eyes was none other than a pink haired girl under a red umbrella.

"Who are you?"

The question just flew out of her mouth accidentally. Sakura threw her hand over her mouth as she didn't expect to ask him that. It wasn't her fault that this pierced male was so, so godly looking. Sakura could feel his eyes on her with its burning gaze.

"That's not important." His voice was an octave lower than Gaara's. It would be quite shameless of Sakura to actually think that his voice was sexy.

"You do have a point, Mr. Piercings."

The stoic male's eyes dilated at the nickname. Pein was unhappy with the nickname but he didn't make any noise about it. He was just deadly curious of this female.

"Look." Her voice was firm. "You can't stay out here." She looked at Pein pointedly. "You're going to get sick."

His ringed orbs regarded her coolly and he replied in a deep tone. "I don't see why this is any of your business still."

Sakura snapped back abruptly. "Why're you so pig-headed?"

"That would be referring to yourself, pink."

"You did not just call me that!" She growled her face red and the hot steam practically coming out from her ears. Her fingers tightened its hold around the umbrella, squeezing hard as she dreamed of squeezing his neck. Angered, she glared at the pierced male. "My name is Sakura. Sakura!"

Pein looked serious.

If he was going to jump on her and attack her like the street gangster he looked like, Sakura was prepared to take him down. Thankfully, Lee had taught her a few good skills of self-defence.

He met her eyes briefly before tearing away and smirking. "The name suits you well, cherry blossom."

The teasing tone of his voice affected her so badly, her jaw was dropped open. Not to mention, her cheeks were starting to become a deeper shade of pink. Sakura could only frown at the auburn haired male. The frowned soon turned into a thin line.

"That umbrella. Does it belong to you?"

"N-No. It's a friend's." Damnit! She did not just stutter because of those damn captivating eyes and that smouldering gaze and that handsome smirk and – ARGH.

"I see." Pein muttered.

Sakura straightened her back and took a step closer to him. Something, there was just something about this man who screamed out for her to reach for him, to hold him and show him how. She was about to find out. It was just a question out of the blue and she didn't expect him to answer her.

"Do you love the rain?"

It took him a few seconds longer to answer. Pein stretched his left hand out, letting the rain fall into his palm. He let more raindrops fall into his hand then they rolled out and fell onto the ground. A smile etched across his face. A really tiny smile. Even as he spoke, he didn't turn to her.

"It is a part of my life and forever it shall be." Pein's heart clenched. Those words carved a deep meaning inside his heart. Watching the rain, Pein had the urge to share his emotions with this peculiar girl. Funny thing was he didn't even know why.

"I see." She half muttered. His gaze didn't land on her. Sakura didn't mind. She was too busy admiring his reminiscing smile. For one thing, she realised that he looked beautiful when he smiled.

It was drizzling.

Sakura frowned.

Pein closed his eyes and the smile disappeared. "The rain comforts me."

If she was surprised, her face didn't show any trace of it. Instead, Sakura regarded him silently with interest. She'd never met any male who said the rain was comforting. She'd never met any male who she felt comfortable with even if he didn't speak much. She'd never met any male who was mysterious yet calming. Until she met him.

"Your name.."

"Is a secret." He smirked at her. His blue ringed orbs were playful and teasing. His spiky hair was wet and sticking around his face. Pein must have noticed Sakura gazing intently at him. He pushed back a few wet spiky hairs away from his eyes intending to get a better look at the pink haired beauty.

Hunger for her reaction, the pierced male loomed over Sakura and grasped her chin with his fingers. With a short chuckle, he tugged her face towards him. His hot breath hit her face enticing another blush and gasp from her. His face was moving closer and closer to hers.

Sakura's heart was beating so loud, it sounded like a war drum. She bet she was sweating now, her palm was sticky. She thought of pushing him away. She thought of closing the distance between them with her lips. She thought of laughing at their sudden proximity when they had just met a few minutes ago. All thoughts were gone when he spoke his next words.

"I will see you again tomorrow."

See her again? Tomorrow? What?

Ridiculous, he didn't even leave her his name. How would she even find him?

"Return the umbrella to the owner tomorrow."

And with a last smirk, the handsome auburn haired male turned and left just as quickly as the rain had stopped.

"He did not just imply that he wanted to see me again."

Oh, yes he did.

If he was any ordinary male Sakura had come across, she would have just ignored him and his advances towards her. She would have smack him on the face and scream bloody hell or deliver a swift, painful kick to his jewels. But she didn't. Because he wasn't just any ordinary male. He was interesting.

Sakura Haruno was looking forward for tomorrow. Namely, Valentine's Day. Who knows, she might find herself a new boyfriend (one with hot piercings and hypnotizing eyes). Or her soul mate.

She wanted to know more about this strange male.

"I don't mind this actually."

She grinned to herself. Inner Sakura had to agree.


Never To Be Continued ...

THE END.


Post-Valentine Special !

"Are you going to give me her fucking number or not?"

"No. Back off, she's mine."

"Sharing is caring, Zetsu. The girl's quite a doll."

"I second that, danna! Besides, that cutie is available un."

"Don't be so sure about that, Deidara. Sakura-chan's my future wife."

"Uncle, you are such a pedophile. Also, lay your hands off my Sakura."

"YOUR Sakura? Itachi-kun, have you no shame? Did your mother not teach you not to steal other people's belongings?"

"Hn."

"Quiet, I can't concentrate on my counting."

"Fuck you and your money, Kakuzu!"

"Hidan, seriously, just shut up."

"I could say the same to you, blueass!"

"Don't involve my skin colour in this, old man!"

"Who're you calling old -"

"Sakura-san might be single but that doesn't mean she's interested in you boys."

"Konan, you're not implying she's a lesbian are you?"

"I wish she was."

"Oh my Jashin."

"I'm just kidding, Hidan."

"What does that mean, un?"

"Sakura-san obviously has an eye for someone else."

"WHO?"

"That would be a secret."

"50 bucks."

"Sorry, Kakuzu. My lips are sealed."

"As long as the doll's single, I still have my chance."

"We'll see about that, Sasori danna."

"Girlie boy, that sexy bitch will be mine in no time."

"Don't be so sure about that. Afterall I do have her number."

"She's interested with my stitches."

"She likes guys with tattooed gills way better."

"Sakura-love goes for older and mature males."

"Sakura doesn't go for perverted, pedophile Uchiha uncles."

"I'm still sexy, Itachi-kun."

"Not as much as me."