~*~Just A Date~*~

Part 4

Sakura led Sasuke to an isolated area not too far away from the shops and houses. She cleared away some fallen leaves on a nearby tree trunk and then sat down. She gestured the boy to sit next to her, eyes questioning him-would he sit down next to her?

Sakura's dark green eyes caught Sasuke's attention. ". . . ?"

"Here, Sasuke-kun." She reached for her bag and took out a small bentou box. "Let's eat!"

Sasuke grabbed his stomach. He could swear it was making his legs walk over to Sakura against his own freewill.

". . . ." He gave in and sat down next to the girl. He received the food and opened the container.

"Oh, here Sasuke-kun." Sakura handed him a pair of chopsticks.

Sakura took confidence in a lot of things, but this was the first time she had made someone a lunch so she was a bit embarrassed. Besides, this wasn't just anyone! It was Sasuke-kun for crying out load!!

"I tried my best to make it but..." She went on. "I think I may have under-cooked the eggs..."

Sasuke took the chopsticks and dug into the food, not quite listening to her. He ate some of the rice first then ate a couple of the hot dog wieners that resembled tiny octopuses.

Sakura glances at him as he was taking in the food. She gulped, hoping for some sort of reaction to appear on his face.



Nothing.



She wanted to ask badly what he thought of it. Was it so bad that he couldn't say anything? Wouldn't someone at least say something like 'it looks good' before eating it? Or maybe it looked so good that he was speechless?

She sighed deeply. Who was she kidding? Getting a reaction out of Sasuke was like ordering Naruto NOT to eat ramen for a day. It just couldn't be done that easily...if not at all!

Sakura opened her bentou box and started to eat her share of food. Quietly, beside Sasuke oblivious to who was there just a few feet away in the shrubs.

'FOOD!' Naruto drooled just at the sight. "I'm so hungry..."

Naruto had been following the two since they went in to the forest alone together, crawling on the forest floor careful not to be seen. His sleeves where full of dirt and leaves that fell off the shrubs stuck to him like rice.

He lay there wondering what he was doing for a second, what was he trying to accomplish here? Naruto was disappointed that Sakura had chosen to go after Sasuke the night before and had sadly decided then that he would try to give up on Sakura but... There he was, dirt all over him and spying on the two.

He watched as the two ate, and grabbed his roaring stomach in pain.

"I wish!" He wiped some of the drool away from his mouth. "I wish I could have some...damn that Sasuke!"

"Did you hear something?" Sasuke's eyes glared up from his food.

Instantly, Naruto took his both hands to his mouth. Sasuke couldn't have heard him from this distance, could he!?

Sakura swallowed. "Huh? What's wrong Sasuke-kun?"

"There's someone here." Sasuke got up from the trunk, and set the bentou on it.

Sakura looked around her. "What? I didn't hear any---"



"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JYUTSU!!!"



Without warning, or knowledge to what was going on, a large cloud of smoke had burst throughout the area where Sasuke and Sakura were.

"What's going on!?" Sakura got off of the trunk and faced Sasuke. "Huh? Sasuke-kun?"

"What the hell?" Sasuke wasn't far from the now confused girl but was blinded by the smoke. He quickly attempted to search for Sakura, still on guard. "Sakura! Where are you?"

"Sasuke-kun!!!" She cried out. She wasn't able to find him near her, but could clearly hear his voice. "I'm here! I'm here!"

Sasuke, who heard this, noticed that she was yelling but her voice had gone softer, quieter. It struck him that as he was trying to find her; he had really just been running from her. "Damn it!" The smoke didn't help the situation any.

Sakura who was trying to find Sasuke, started to be blinded by smoke around her as she walked. As if being in some sort of fire, she started to cough up the smoke and her vision became a bit blurry. She ducked down and decided to wait till the smoke settled.

A few minutes had pasted and the smoke started to clear; now all that was left was a small light fog around the two ninjas.

To Sakura's surprise, Sasuke was right there just a few feet away from her.

"Sasuke-kun!" She ran up to Sasuke in relief. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I . . . " Sasuke hesitated. "I'm fine . . ."

"I'm so glad!" She checked around her again. "What was that!?"

"I don't know." He answered. "...maybe it was some kids playing a prank or something."

Sakura looked up at Sasuke, who to her, looked a bit ...nervous?

"Maybe we should go out of here, and back to town." Sakura suggested, and then smiled at him." We can finish up our date there..."

"Yeah, let's go back to in to town!" Sasuke cheerfully said.

Sakura had her mouth open and couldn't believe what he just had done. She rubbed her eyes a bit and then shook the notion off, telling herself that he had just been her imagination. There was something in the smoke. 'Yeah, that' s it... because Sasuke would never, and I mean NEVER be that enthusiastic and grin at me that warmly in a million years'...

But then again, she never thought he would have asked her out on a date either. She stared at him questionably. " . . . . "

'Ah!' Naruto quickly thought. 'Sasuke doesn't smile and talk excitedly! No smiling! No being nice! Be a jerk, be a jerk!'

"*Cough* I mean," 'Sasuke' said. ". . . . okay."

The two started to head back in to town.

Now, Naruto did not do the 'Kage Bunshin no Jyutsu' for nothing.

Several feet away, Sasuke was still attempting to find Sakura in the forest. Sasuke hopped on to a nearby tree and started to survey the area from top view.

Bouncing upon branch after branch, he looked for the pink haired girl. He knew that the smoke was meant for them to get separated but didn't think that he couldn't find her. Could if be some thieves? No, Sasuke didn't have anything of value and Sakura only had possessed her bentou and bag. Besides, Sakura could handle some thieves and he would of been able to find her by now.

'Where is she!?' Sasuke repeated this in his head for the hundredth time, still unable to find her. He stopped, trying hard to catch his breath and from the corner of his eye he spotted something and got on to ground level to walk toward it.

It was Sakura's bentous and bag.

He looked hard at Sakura's belongings; to the bentou that had been so neatly presented to him when he first saw them. Now on they laid on the floor of the forest ground, met with the dirt. He picked them up and set them back on to the trunk from which they fell. "Sakura..."

"Sasuke...!" A figure in the bushes called out. "There you are!"

Sasuke zipped his head over his shoulder, watching, as a dark figure in the bushes suddenly got familiar to him. It was Sakura.

Not changing his expression, he let out a small sigh of relief from seeing that she was safe. "Are you okay?" He asked anyway.

"Huh? I'm fine. Um.." She looked at him slightly, not quite happy to see him. "...glad you're alright."

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a few moments then sat down on the trunk, and picked up his bentou that she had made for him.

"It got knocked over when the smoke hit us." He showed her now empty bentou box.

"Ah, damn! I wanted to taste..." Naruto trailed off, almost forgetting he was Sakura now. " *Cough* Ahem. I mean, Tee-hee. It's alright."

'Ha. Stupid Sasuke, doesn't even know that I made two clones of myself and then transformed into him and Sakura-chan.' Naruto thought, as his ego started to rise up some.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke eyed 'Sakura' and stared over at 'her'.

'Ack! Act like Sakura-chan, act like Sakura-chan...!!!' He quickly ordered to himself.

"Sasuke..." He couldn't believe the next words that flew out of his mouth. "You're . . . so . . . c-cool."

Sasuke said nothing, and started to empty the spoiled food on to the ground. He took the now two empty bentou boxes and put them in the bag that Sakura had brought. He got up and started to walk toward 'Sakura'.

'Act like...Sakura-chan...' Naruto had no choice. He had to do the unthinkable, to get Sasuke 100% convinced that it was Sakura right in front of him. He pecked out his lips and took a step forward to Sasuke. Then another, and another... until they faced each other.

"Sa...Sasuke..." Naruto felt like he was going to throw up.

" . . . ?" Sasuke starred at the girl now in front of him.

"I LOVE YOU . . . and um, even though you can be a JERK sometimes . . . " 'Sakura' continued on. " . . . umm. . . I want to have your children!"

Naruto stood there, concealed as Sakura, and didn't know what to say next. Was that too much?

"Sakura . . ." Sasuke quietly said.

'YES! He bought it!' Naruto grinned.