It was her 16th birthday and she wanted as a birthday present, what she always wanted her whole life, Uchiha Sasuke. The boy who always made her blush and dream about good things. She couldn’t bear to see the boy she liked pushing her away every time she was going to speak to him, it made her sad.

It has been a year and a half since Sasuke had return from Orochimaru. He was forgiven by the Hokage and was now training for his upcoming tests. He had been training day and night, so he can be able to gain the peoples trust and advance onto Jounin level. What did he expect after being gone for about 3 years, to receive a welcome party? To be respected and feared? It was quiet the contraire, the konoha villagers did not fear him or respect him, they felt as if another monster had approached konoha. A second Naruto, but who were they to blame if they did not know what Sasuke had been gone through. He was barely forgiven by Lord Hokage, and the rest of the guys already had forgiven him. He felt better just with them saying: your forgiven!.

Sasuke was now walking his way around the village, with his old well known pose, hands on his pockets looking at the ground and several times looking up. He could feel the cold glare of the people on him. But he did not care, he just kept walking. He came and turned on a corner which was quiet shady, he then just leaned on the wall for a couple of minutes, avoiding those cold stares he was getting from the people. ‘Who are they to judge me, when they no nothing about me’ he thought as he came out of the ally and kept walking. He was getting more impatient by the people and speed up his walk to try to get away from there as soon as possible. He then looked up as soon as he saw Naruto running right towards him and just grinned when he saw the blonde and annoying creature running right up to him.

“Sa-Sasuke” Naruto said still catching up his breath, “Whoa! I should start more with the training now” he said on a low voice only himself could hear.

“ Yeah! You need more then just a couple of hours of training…enough about that what do you want” Sasuke told Naruto, as the boy stood still now with a big grin on his face.

“You have no idea what day is today do you” Naruto said still with that goofy smile.

“What?” Sasuke asked.

“Well is Sakura-Chan’s Birthday and I was on my way to see her and give her a present but, I saw you first …so I was wondering may be we could go together!” Naruto finished saying as he then examined Sasukes expression which was very interesting. Sasuke was looking up trying to void Narutos sight and was thinking…a big day dream… or perhaps he was just not paying attention but it seemed like he was since he started blushing.

“ why the hell are you blushing about?” Naruto asked now confused.

“ohh..oh.. Was I?” Sasuke shook his head a little and then looked at Naruto, now him examining Naruto. He noticed Naruto didn’t had a present on hand.

“You were going to Sakura-Chan’s place, what were you going to give her? I don’t see any presents with you” Sasuke said now standing very still with his hands on his pockets.

“ oh…well I was going there, umm” Naruto said now scratching his head, and biting his lower lip.

“come on, you will buy her something” he said walking and looking at the ground as if he were hiding his face, was no surprise most of the people were still staring at him.

“Are you going to buy her something?” Naruto asked looking at the Sasuke who was now very irritated for the comments he heard while he passed through a small group of guys who were chatting and looking right at him.

“hum? Ohh well I’ll see, may be not” Sasuke lied, he wanted to buy her something, he doesn’t even know why he wanted that. Had been since he got back to Konoha, that he hasn’t seen her, and he was afraid that may be Sakura would not even talk to him or do as the rest of the people do, ignore him. He could still remember the day he left Konoha, she was crying for him to stay, but he wouldn’t listen. He had to go.

“Why not?” Naruto asked a bit concerned from Sasuke’s sad expression. “ I mean she would love a present from you” he finished saying.

“wh-what?” Sasuke was surprised to hear that. “ Why would she, she must hate me”

“You care about her? that’s the first” Naruto said surprised, and smiled when he saw that Sasuke blushed when Naruto said that. “Or…You love her?”

Sasuke was now blushing violently, as if he were to pass out. A red that comes when you are really nervous and don’t know what to say. That even other people could see it, a red that makes you feel hot and that your about to explode like a erupting volcano.

“Don’t be stupid, I don’t love her” Sasuke lied once more. As a matter of fact, he was starting to feel something for her, but he just didn’t admit it. There was a few times he saw Sakura walking down the small roads of Konoha, he would just look at her from a distance. One or two times he had gotten jealous when he spotted Sakura walking out of the craft shop with Neji. He felt as if his world was crumbling apart. Or the time when she saw her walking with Neji by the forest. Is as if they were on numerous dates, on which Sasuke had just been left out of her life.

They arrived at the flower shop and Naruto had bought her a dozen red roses, Naruto was happy for his present. Ino quickly wrapped it up on pink and white paper.

“So Ino-Chan, are you going to visit Sakura-Chan today?” Naruto asked looking at the Ino who was clearly distracted by Sasuke who was looking at daffodils and the pink roses by them.

“oh..oh yes…of course” she mumbled and just smiled closing her eyes.

“ahh that’s good” Naruto said looking at the roses smiling.

“You are giving her Roses?” Ino then asked looking at Naruto’s smile. “I bet she will throw them right back at you once you try and give them to her” she said with a big grin on her face.

“ come on, Sakura-Chan is not that immature…”Naruto said paying Ino.

“of course not, just a bit aggressive” Ino took the money and gave him his change, then she would turn back to look at Sasuke “ are you taking some flowers?”

“humm?” Sasuke looked up and looked at Ino who had an eyebrow raised and was looking at him as if he were crazy.

“I said, if you are taking some flowers…you know for Sakura” Ino repeated, but now she smiled at him. Practically she stilled loved him, but not that crazy love of ‘hey stay away from Sasuke you bitch, he is mine’ was more like ‘I care for you, you’re my friend and anything they do to you hurts me, and I would support you and help you’. Besides Ino had started to go out with Shikamaru, who lazily had asked her several times but she didn’t said either a yes or a no, she would just ignore him. But apparently she said yes a while ago and now was happily dating him.

“umm? Yeah why not…” he took a daffodil, and walked right up to Ino and paid her.

“that’s it?” she said looking surprised at Sasuke. “Crazy head here takes a dozen of roses, and you who she expects the most take just a daffodil?”

“That’s right” Sasuke said taking the daffodil on clear white paper and a small red bow tied to it. Naruto was too surprised, he had been hanging around Sasuke for a long time and has noticed that several times he was mad and cursing Neji out loud. ‘why would he be cursing Neji’ Naruto thought to himself just there that moment.

“well bye Ino see ya’ around” Naruto said now leaving the shop to catch up to Sasuke. Ino would just wave bye and sat back down on the chair and read her magazine. Naruto ran up to Sasuke and then raised his present up high, making the roses petals come off.

“Ahh…no!” Naruto said when he saw that. He then just held the bouquet down and easy, as if they were made out of crystal.

“You Idiot! Those flowers will die anyways…a week or so and they would be in the trash” he said looking at the Naruto who was kind of clearly creating a force field around the bouquet, invisible but it was his way of been stupid(like if it could get any worse)

“ yeah but still, her birthday just comes once a year… I just want to give her something nice you know.” Naruto answered to his stupid comment.

“lets go here!” he then said looking at Sasuke who was looking right up to the place, What did naruto expect to buy her on the Craft shops? A vase for the roses? What?

“I want to give her a card!!” Naruto said now entering the store, and before Sasuke could reply to that, he entered as well after him frowning like if he were tired.

Naruto was checking out the cards and reading some. He went to the romantic ones and was blushing up.

“I don’t think she will get that from you” Sasuke said almost laughing at Naruto, whose expression had erased away as soon as he heard Sasuke.

“I knew that…”Naruto said, then he reached for the card that had a cherry blossom tree in the front. “so Sasuke what are you taking?” Naruto asked once again looking at him.

“humph” Sasuke just moved away from him and walked out of the card section. Naruto just looked at him and then grinned and kept looking at the romantic cards.

Sasuke walked right up to the isle of necklaces, rings and all those kind of jewelry. He was eyeing around, and with a expressionless face he would just walk through the place. Necklaces of flowers and little animated creatures where lined up. Animals and several others with just colored rocks. Rings as well all sorted, and the bracelets where very beautiful and shiny. Sasuke stopped by the necklaces and looked around at them, then he spotted the most beautiful necklace around there, something that had to do with Sakura. The necklace was a Sakura-Petal(Cherry-Blossom petal) was a light pink and really shiny, with a black cord, it looked as if nobody had touched it yet, no finger prints on it and was well made. He quickly picked it up, looking out for Naruto, so he wouldn’t see what he was getting and bug him with more ‘You love Sakura’ or ‘You do like her don’t you?’.

He paid the man, which to his surprise wasn’t mean to him or gave him a cold glare.

“Do you want it on a box, well presented?” The man asked.

“oh… sure” Sasuke answered looking at the ceiling with his now rosy cheeks.

“Ha,.ha…sure young love…” the man said putting the necklace on a black box with a pink bow lace around it, and for the finish touch a pink bow with golden stripes. “Here you go” the man said giving the box to the blushing Sasuke who just took the box and stormed right out of the store with out telling his companion. Naruto didn’t see him around the store so he just hurried and went to the man and paid him for the card.

“second today, there must be a pretty lady on the lose” the man said to Naruto laughing and gave him his card back. Naruto just looked at him weird and took his card and left the store.

“what a crazy person” Naruto murmured and looked at Sasuke who was leaning against the wall. “come on, you don’t want to be late do you?”

“What ever” Sasuke pulled from the wall and walked up to Naruto who now had tied his card to the bouquet.

“You now…”Naruto started to break the silence between them. “Ino is right…why are you just taking a daffodil”

“…”Sasuke still quiet.

“I mean, like Ino said, Sakura does expect more from you…I don’t mean an expensive present or something, I mean like a rose or something romantic, you know” Naruto finished saying.

“Now why would I give Sakura a rose or something romantic?” Sasuke said looking to the ground a bit irritated at Naruto.

“why wouldn’t you?” Naruto backed the same question. “Don’t you like her, may be just a bit”

“NO…”Sasuke said shocked at what he just had answered, looked away back to the flower shop. Sasuke was now astonished when he noticed that Neji came out of the shop with the same present as Naruto, a dozen roses.

“What’s with you guys getting roses anyways?” Sasuke asked Naruto, still keeping an eye on Neji who had just walked around a corner and disappeared from his sight.

“huh?…I told you why I’m getting this for her, her birthday comes only once a year” Naruto said closing his eyes and walking faster. There were a few moments of silence.

“Sakura hurry up and come down, I’m getting impatient” Sakura could hear Tenten scream from outside the window.

“I-I’m going…”Sakura replied with a big jump from her bed leaving her notebook covered by the blankets. She ran down stairs and opened the door for Tenten-Chan and Hinata-San who were waiting outside.

“come in, come in” Sakura welcomed her friends with a big smile.

Tenten had become really close friends with Sakura, as well as Hinata and Ino again. Tenten had been too worried from Neji hanging out with Sakura a lot, and to Sakura’s point of view, may be Tenten was just looking after and see she wouldn’t do something else. Sakura led them up stairs to her room and closed the door right behind them. Sakura then sat on her bed taking off her shoes and bending her knees, a habit she hasn’t broke and that would stick to her, since it was her thinking position. Hinata smiled and shyly brought out a small white box and gave it to Sakura.

“Happy birthday!” Hinata said smiling and looking straight to her.

“aww, thank you very much Hinata-San…I really appreciated.” Sakura said smiling kindly and opening the box. Sakura was really happy, there were two pink and two black flower like hair clips. Sakura quickly took the black ones out which had the surrounding of the flower golden, they looked quiet lovely. She clip them on and looked her self at the mirror.

“They are beautiful, thank you Hinata-San” Sakura smiled once again and gave Hinata a big hug, then sat back down on the bed.

“well I guess is my turn…” Tenten said bringing out another white box but was a bit bigger.

“Go ahead open it” Tenten rushed her a bit excited. Sakura smiled and opened the box and found a pair of earrings. They were Sakura-Petals.(If they only knew Sasuke’s present). Sakura pulled them out of the box and placed them on her palm as if they were very delicate objects. Then she clipped them on her earlobes.

“I love them, Thank you Tenten-Chan” Sakura smiled and gave her a hug. Tenten smiled and sat back on the chair. They had been chatting for about two hours and it was getting late. It was already 6:30 pm and they had to head back home. Sakura had already received Neji’s visit, which kind of made Tenten jealous and also Ino and Shikamaru had come over and game her their presents. By 6:45 pm all of them were gone and Sakura was once again alone on her house, ‘seems quiet, since mother and father are not here’ she thought as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her parents had been gone for a mission on the Village hidden in the mist, and it was unknown when would they come back.

“Grrr, Naruto next time….skip taking short cuts from a little brat” Sasuke said catching up his breat and glaring at Naruto who was too tired.

“S-sorry…Konohamaru just keeps fooling me” Naruto said tired, “but see we are here” Naruto smiled as he looked up to Sakura’s window. Naruto then walked up to the door and knocked. Sakura opened the door and was surprised to see Naruto, but not as surprised as Naruto and Sasuke were by seeing her look really beautiful on her earring and hairclips. It already matched with her short white skirt and the red sleeveless shirt she had on.

“Are you going to come in or just stand” She smiled once more and let them inside. Sakura was quiet shocked to see Sasuke in there, she didn’t expect him by. She offered them drinks on which they took gladly.

“Here you go guys” She sat down and looked at them expecting for one of them to break the silence. Naruto was blushing like crazy, apparently he still had a crush on Sakura. Sakura noticed that and just smiled as she looked down to her cup and took another sip of her water. Sasuke was about to say something when Naruto opened his mouth first and stood up walking right up to Sakura.

“Here you go Sakura-Chan, hope you like them” Naruto handed him his bouquet which were now a bit damaged. No wonder, taking another advice from Konohamaru for shortcuts, was quiet stupid. And running so he won’t try to make more excuses so Sasuke and Naruto would stay and play with him.

“Thank you Naruto-Kun, they are…beautiful” Sakura smiled as she took the card off the bouquet and looked at it. Sakura was so happy from receiving lots of presents from her friends, she hugged Naruto who blushed fiercely, looked as if he were to pass out from exhaustion. Sakura then walked to the kitchen and put the roses onto water. Sasuke was now embarrassed, he was surprised he was, he was trembling that even Naruto noticed it.

“What’s wrong with you” Naruto asked puzzled by Sasuke’s reaction. When Sasuke heard that question he just stood straight and looked right on front of him, he couldn’t understand why was this happening to him. Why by just seeing Sakura, the girl he would have wished to go away and leave him alone, made him so nervous. He would several times reach for his pocket and press on to the box, which had Sakura’s present inside. They stayed on visit with Sakura for a couple of hours, Sasuke barely said something, and Sakura was just getting more upset for that. But how could Sasuke notice if he was entertained looking at the ground or away from her, avoiding her sight.

“Well is time for me to go Sakura-Chan” Naruto said yawning as he stood up and gave her a hug. Sakura just smiled. Sasuke just looked up and got a bit jealous. Naruto smiled to Sakura and wished her a happy birthday once again, then looked at Sasuke who had now stood up and was by the door.

“Bye Sakura-Chan!” Naruto said as he walked out with Sasuke who just said a simple ‘bye’. Sakura smiled as she waved them good bye. Sasuke didn’t had time to give her his present, he didn’t want to do it in front of the stupid of Naruto(as he thought). Naruto waved good bye at him as he jumped on to the rooftop of a house and jumped away, disappearing in the shadows of the night. Sasuke took a deep breath and walked back to Sakura’s front door as soon as he found no one around. He knocked, Sakura answered the door quiet surprised to see Sasuke standing out side her door, again.

“uh? Sasuke-Kun” she said quiet puzzled to see him there. “did you forgot something?” she said as she looked back to where he was sitting before.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he said with a cocky smile.

“ohh right, sorry…would you like to come in?” Sakura asked him apologizing. Sasuke walked in and sat back down where he was before.

“do you want more to drink?” she asked nervously.

“do you want me to piss my self in your couch?” he asked smiling and looking away from her.

“no no, sorry” she apologized once again and sat down in the other side across from him. It was getting really tense between them. Sasuke broke the silence by giving his present to her.

“it’s a little something” he gave her the small black box with the pink ribbon on it.

“ohh, Thank you Sasuke-Kun” she grabbed the box and opened it and found the Sakura-Petal necklace in it.

“oh my god, its beautiful!” she took it out of the box and tried to tie it but the other side would slip. Sasuke then stood up and helped her, by tying it. “thank you Sasuke-Kun”

“uhh.. no problem” he said looking away trying not to blush. He questioned himself ‘why do I feel this way?’ ‘I don’t like Sakura like that’ ‘this is strange she is just a…friend’ he thought to himself. Sakura then out of no where hugged Sasuke tightly, making him nervous. After a few second she let go and smiled closing her eyes. Sasuke just pretended he got angry and just slipped his hands back to his pockets.

“I’m, I just really love it” she said apologizing once again.

“that okay…”he said. They spent a few minutes in silence.

“well I have to go now, I’ll see you around then and …happy birthday” Sasuke said as he opened the door.

“right..” Sakura said smiling and waving bye to the guy she always liked and who had just given her a beautiful necklace. She closed the door and pressed the Sakura-Petal close to her closing her eyes.

“this sure has been the best birthday ever” she whispered as she turned off the lights and walked back to her room quietly.

To be Continued…