Chapter 7
SAKURA
...
"I don't know what to do!" Sakura sighed. She and Ino were at Dan's Dangos, a popular sweet shop, having a girl's day. They never got to hand out anymore because of their busy schedules, so twice a month, they scheduled a meet-up.
"Well, you could always ask Maki, weren't you a thing?" Ino asked back, curiously sipping on her tea.
Sakura sighed. "Well, we were..."
"Until I accidentally smashed his dining table." Sakura groaned and placed her head on the table dejectedly. "I can't show up to my cousin's wedding alone!"
"My mother will never let me hear the end of it!"
"Oh, look at Ryota! He's getting married, while you're still single!" She quoted, imitating her mother.
While Sakura was further complaining about her life and meddling extended family, Ino had the greatest idea.
Sai's definitely gonna owe me after this! She thought to herself, smirking.
"Well, what if you take one of your teammates?" She asked.
"As if that would work! Naruto and Hinata have been going strong for a few months now, and Sasuke... Don't even get me started!" She grumbled. "I mean, I could ask Kakashi, but.." She shuddered. "Absolutely not. He's like 60!
Ino rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about them!" She answered. "I was talking about Sai."
That brought Sakura's grumbling to a halt.
Sai? She thought. I mean... my family would probably believe it..
Sakura was in thought. "Yea... I guess I could ask him to come with me." But after thinking some more, she sighed. "But would he even agree to it?"
"Why wouldn't he? It's not like he's got much going on anyways" Ino smirked haughtily.
Sakura rolled her eyes as she continued going over her options one last time.
"Oh, come on Sakura! You know this is the easiest option. And besides, he is cute enough to make your gossiping cousins jealous." She smirked.
Sakura met eyes with Ino and they both burst into giggles.
"Ew Ino! As if!" Sakura said through her laughs.
Then it was decided. Sakura would take Sai as her plus one.
That day, she went over to Sai's apartment to ask him in person. She stood at his door, wondering if she should knock, but then remembered that she had a key, and since Sai never knocked, she wouldn't either.
She whipped on her spare key and walked inside. The lights were off, and she spread out her chakra to see if he was even home.
He wasn't.
Sakura groaned. "Well, that's just great!" She grumbled, shutting the door behind her. The blinds were closed and she could barely see a thing. She walked over to his window and started opening them one by one. Just as she finished, she decided she would wait for him to show up as she had finished with all her tasks and had time to spare. She walked over to his kitchen and scoured the fridge and shelves.
"Are you serious? Water and Ration Bars?" She rolled her eyes, "Great." She looked around and started to dissect Sai's apartment.
She had been over to his home before, but only a handful of times, and they were to get him for a mission or some other shinobi-related task. She briefly recalled the awkward gift-giving attempt she made before shooing it away.
She never really took the time to actually look at it. Just as she was thinking of going further inside to explore the apartment, her stomach growled.
She sighed and decided to go get some and bring it back here to wait. After all, it was only the middle of the day, he'd show up at some point.
SAI
Sai had just came back from a B-Level mission. Nothing to bad he supposed. Just retrieving information.
He headed for the Hokage's office to drop off his mission report, before walking home. He took to the rooftops, and while jumping, he passed Sakura's apartment.
I wonder if she's sleeping right now. It is quite late after all. He thought to himself. Sai knew her schedule like the back of his hand. He reasoned that it was only the responsible thing to do as a teammate. No other reason. Definitely.
Just as he landed in front of his door and reached for the knob, he felt a presence inside his home. Just as he was about to ready himself for a fight, he recognized the comforting presence.
Sakura.
But what was she doing there? He was pondering, before he realized he had an even bigger problem.
His art room.
His heart felt like it dropped to his stomach, and even though he couldn't pinpoint what was so wrong with having his art displays of Sakura in his home, he had a feeling that she would not be pleased.
He opened his door and stepped inside, but what he saw wasn't something he expected.
There laid a sleeping Sakura, wrapped in a bundle of pink blankets he didn't remember buying, on his couch. Beside her, on his coffee table, lay two containers of take-out boxes, one being half-eaten with chopsticks still in it.
He looked around his apartment and noticed some slight changes.
There was a small pot of pink tulips in the middle of his kitchen island. His curtains were still open, being held by a red bow-like clip, and a red kitchen rug was placed in front of his sink. His eyes drifted again, and he noticed that beside a kitchen drawer stood a light red trash bin.
He spotted another flower, poppies this time, near his entrance with vines flowing out of its pot.
His eyes eventually drifted back to Sakura, and he noticed her peaceful face in total tranquility with his home.
He couldn't pinpoint what he was feeling, but the wariness he was feeling before had taken a total shift. He almost felt fulfilled looking at the serene scene in front of him. It was almost as if they were a family. She had decorated his home and added elements of herself into an aspect of himself. He didn't know if it was wrong to feel the way he didn't, but he couldn't help it. A small smile (which may have looked strange as he wasn't used to doing that) appeared on his face.
Just as it felt like he was standing there forever, Sakura stirred.
She blinked twice, before sitting up and yawning.
"Geez Sai. How long does it take you to come back home."
That did it.
That made his feeling of fulfillment grow even stronger.
She said "Come back home"
He knew she wasn't saying it in a "familial" sort of way, but that didn't stop his heart from beating twice as fast.
"Sakura. What are you doing here?" His monotone voice rang out.
"I was waiting for you 'cause I had something to ask." She looked around sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind. I got hungry and went to pick up food but saw a furniture store that I just couldn't pass on."
"After all, your home is bare. I thought it needed a little something." She finished lamely, waiting for his reaction.
He took a while to collect himself. " No, do not worry. I quite enjoy the change." He said in what he hoped was a joyful tone.
Apparently, it was close enough since it put Sakura at ease. "Come here and eat. The stir fry may be a little cold, but I promise it's the best I've ever tasted." She said, motioning to him to come closer.
Sai walked over and sat directly beside her, a little closer than he typically opted for, but this was a special occasion.
They finished their food, with chatter coming from Sakura about her day.
"So anyways, I had a question to ask you." She started. He looked up from his noodles and waited for her to continue.
"I have an event to go to, and I need you to attend with me." She said.
"Alright," Sai responded, a little confused because following Sakura to random events was not uncommon.
"Hey Sai! I need you to come with me to art supply, I'm working on a project."
"Sai, come with me to the weapon's smith, I heard they just received new Kunai from the Water Country and you just went on a mission there, so you'd know the best to buy."
"Sai, I need to go shopping, come with me. I know you don't have better things to do"
He doesn't think Sakura realizes just how many times he has tagged along with her to outings. And he doesn't really want to remind her because he genuinely enjoys being in her presence. He has shown up to her home and work so many times that he's become a regular occurrence in her life. She's gotten used to him popping in and coming with her, so he can positively say that there's no place in the village where he hasn't been with Sakura yet. Except maybe a few districts.
But what makes him sit straight are the next words that come out of her mouth.
"There's just one slight caveat. You need to pretend to be my boyfriend." She finishes off sheepishly.