Himawari

"Arigato."

That was all that he could say.

His eyes fell on the beautiful blossom on his hand. It was bright yellow with a dark face. He felt the strong stem underneath such delicate petals.

"Isn't it pretty?" she asked, her green eyes dancing.

"Ah, yes," he answered as he averted his eyes. A light blush crept up to his cheeks. He wished she would look somewhere else.

The sky was so blue and the flowers were so yellow. It made his heart ache. The contrast of the two colors was so beautiful. He couldn't believe that there was still a place in Konoha that had such innocence and serenity. He didn't want to believe that if they lost the war that this place would never be the same.

She smiled at him. "Thanks for coming here with me."

He didn't answer. It was unexpected, really, that he was here with her. Their training session with Hatake Kakashi had ended early.

She saw the sunflower field when they were in the forest to go back to town. It caught her eye and she had to go to it. That was what Haruno Sakura was. Sometimes he thought of her as a bundle of spontaneity and impulsiveness that always left him painfully charged with the feeling of being alive. Maybe that was the reason that he could stand being in her presence again.

Usually he wouldn't let himself go with her. But today was different. Something was going to happen. Uchiha Sasuke did not want to miss it.

She turned to look towards the horizon. Her eyes squinted to make out the outline of the mountains and the trees beyond. She smiled as she thought about how beautiful they looked against the blue sky. The sun was so high that she wondered if it would ever leave the sky. It was so perfect here.

Sakura began to pick some of the flowers. She giggled at how young it made her feel. She remembered playing with Ino on the flower gardens and making flower wreaths. She remembered her innocence, child-like wonder and all of the things that made up her childhood. She missed that innocence.

The sunflowers stood proudly underneath the sun's gaze. She knew that they meant innocence and happiness. They were bright, happy and optimistic. She loved their simple beauty. She loved how young and innocent they made her feel. And she loved the man that she was with.

She sat down on the grass to make a flower wreath. The simple task was so easy. It was as if she'd done it only yesterday when in truth she had stopped doing it as a child. She laced the best blossom to the front to be the jewel of her crown. It was the prettiest thing she'd ever done.

Without a second thought, she placed it on her head. A laugh escaped her lips as she turned to Sasuke who was blushing redder than she'd ever seen him. "Kawaii, ne?" she asked.

"K-Kawaii," he agreed as he looked away. She shook her head and laughed when a few petals fell. Her hair was so smooth and silky that it did not get caught in the stems of her wreath. She reached up and righted it.

"Sasuke-kun, arigato!" she said as she looked up at him. Her eyes shone with delight.

"Why are you saying that?" he asked quietly. "I didn't do anything."

"Just for being here with me," she said cheerfully.

"How can you still smile?" he muttered under his breath. He stared at her as she lay down on the grass, laughing unabashedly.

Sakura looked at him curiously. "There are so many reasons! I smile because I am happy."

He stared back. "You're happy?"

She got up and took his hand. Sakura wasn't shy around him anymore. She'd learned not to let her feelings get in the way of her interaction with him. "I am. Sasuke-kun is talking to me. I am in a field of sunflowers. This is a beautiful day. Isn't that enough reasons to be happy?"

He wondered why he felt calmed at her argument. It was just like a child's answer. She looked so sincere. He wondered too why he had never let himself feel the simple innocence of her happiness.

Sakura kissed his cheek. She grinned as he touched it with a quizzical look on his face. "I want you to be happy."

Sasuke never really knew the feeling of happiness. It was a strange word to him. He'd lost the capacity and ability to learn happiness when he lost his parents, identity and self. He was too broken to understand. But he felt his cheeks warm when her lips had made contact.

A soft, warm feeling rose in his chest. He couldn't believe what was happening. "I can't be happy."

"Why not?" She wrinkled her forehead in her effort to understand. "Everyone wants to be happy."

"Because," Sasuke couldn't go on. He was too confused now. "Just because."

Sakura giggled and touched his hand. She handed him another flower. "Then take this. Just because."

Sasuke's fingers closed around the most beautiful sunflower he had ever seen. He nodded, understanding. A rare smile leapt to his lips. "Thank you."

She smiled back and followed him as he started towards the woods. It was a lovely day and she had made her love very happy.

oOoOoOo

A/N: This is a spur of the moment fic. I don't know why but it felt so right… It's been a long time since I wrote a SasuxSaku one-shot. I hope I didn't lose my touch. XD By the way, himawari means sunflower in Japanese. :D