AN: Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to update. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the previous ones.

Special Thanks to J.a.M.i.16, Secomie, animeXnutXcase, and SnowTigerShelby for reviewing. It really is an inspiration to write.

Chapter 8

Sakura stood, pulling laundry off a clothes line, and folding them as she placed them in a basket. She hummed softly to herself as the warm sun shone brightly above her. She looked over to her side when she heard the back door open and watched as Sasuke stepped out. A small smile appeared on her face and she happily went back to finishing the laundry.

“Do you need any help?”

Sakura practically jumped when Sasuke was suddenly at her side. Taking a deep breath, she looked to the young boy and smiled, shaking her head. “Iye. Don’t worry about it.”

He blinked, staring at her for a moment. “You sure?”

“Hai.” Then she looked down at her basket. “Well, actually, could you grab me another basket? This one is almost full.”

“Hai.” He turned and walked back to the house, grabbing a basket from just inside the door. Quickly he went back over to her and placed the basket on the ground. He watched as Sakura lifted the other one, and handed it to him.

“That can go in your room,” she told him, and he just nodded and brought it inside.

He wasn’t sure why he was helping her, but he just didn’t feel right letting her do all the chores around the house by herself. She did it of her own free will, so why did he care so much? He placed the basket on his bed, and started putting the clothes away. When he was finished, he brought the basket back out, and placed it with the other baskets. He was about to go back out and help Sakura when he saw her come in carrying the basket against her hip. She flashed him a soft smile and headed towards her room.

Tucking both hands into his pockets, he headed towards the couch, when there was a knock on the front door. Walking over, he pulled it open and sighed when he saw Naruto standing there. “What do you want?”

“Is Sakura home?”

“Oh Naruto.” The two boys’ gazes turned over to where Sakura stood in the hall. She slowly made her way over to them. “What brings you over here?”

“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date! I got these two coupons for Ichiraku Ramen, and I wanted to treat you,” Naruto excitedly explained.

“A date, huh?” Sakura stood there for a moment, thinking about, when a small smile appeared. “Okay. I don’t see why not.”

Sasuke blinked at Sakura’s answer, and he wondered why it upset him so much, but he never said anything about it. He watched as Naruto’s face lit up, and he reached out to grab Sakura’s hand, dragging her through the door. He listened as Sakura laughed, that laugh quickly disappearing as the door closed behind her.

xxx

Hinata walked down the street, alongside Kiba. They were headed to Ichiraku Ramen to meet up with Shino. Both Shino and Kiba had just returned from their mission, and so all three of them decided to go out and eat together. Hinata was just about to enter Ichiraku when she saw Naruto walking along with Sakura. A bright blush lit up the beautiful girl’s face as the couple approached them. To the side of her she could hear Kiba laughing at her.

“I-i-it’s not funny, Kiba.”

“Hinata!” Sakura’s face lit up as she spotted the shy girl and she bounced over. “Are you okay?” She blinked as she stared at the girl. “You’re face is…” Then she laughed as she looked over at Naruto. “Oh. I get it.”

“Sa-Sakura-san!”

“What? What? What do you get?” Naruto asked, bouncing around the two girls.

“None of your business, Naruto,” Sakura simply answered and pulled Hinata into Ichiraku Ramen. There Hinata found Shino already sitting down, and she took a seat next to him. Sakura took a seat next to Hinata and looked over at Shino, then at Kiba who took a seat as well. To the other side of her she could feel Naruto sit next to her. “So who are your friends?” Sakura asked.

“I agree,” cut in Kiba. “Introduce us to your friend Hinata.”

Hinata just smiled at her friends and nodded. “Sakura-san, these two are Kiba and Shino. They just got back from their mission today. Kiba and Shino, this is Sakura-san. She’s currently staying with Sasuke.”

“Oh, you’re the one we heard about,” Kiba said.

“Nice to meet you,” Shino joined in.

Sakura smiled as she nodded to the two boys. “Nice to meet the both of you.”

“So how is it living with Sasuke?” Kiba asked.

“Actually it’s nice,” Sakura responded with a smile. “I really enjoy it there.”

“You do?” Kiba sounded very surprised by this and Sakura wondered why. Sasuke was a very kind person. Sure, he could be cold a lot of the time, but under that she could see a peek of the real him.

“Is that so surprising?” she asked.

“A l-little bit,” Hinata answered. “Sasuke isn’t really the kind to… well…”

“Get along with other people,” Shino finished for her.

“Hm…” Sakura smiled. “Not many people like him, huh?”

“Not really,” Kiba explained. “But we’ve all learned to deal with him. The only ones who really like him are fangirls, and Naruto.”

“Does… he have a lot of fangirls?” Sakura asked a little nervously.

“Jealous?” asked Kiba with a grin.

“Jealous? Me?” Sakura laughed. “Yeah right. What do I have to be jealous of? That’s crazy.”

“That’s denial. You’re as bad as Hinata,” Kiba pointed.

Sakura blinked and looked over to Hinata, whose face was still a nice shade of red. She didn’t really like Sasuke, did she? Shaking her head, she decided against it. She hadn’t known the boy long enough to like him.

“If you say so,” she told the boy then ordered herself a bowl of ramen. She was done with this topic.