Disclaimer: I don't owe Naruto. Yada, yada, yada.

"Another D-rank mission?!"

Naruto, the overly ambitious under aged ninja exclaimed in irritation.

"Please don't tell me we're to help a nursery center baby-sit again, or worse still, scrape gum off the pavements!"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and smiled.

"It's nothing like that. Today's D-rank mission is relatively easy. We'll just have to go to the hot springs area, and pick up the litter there, scrape algae off the walls, clean the facilities, and…"

Easy? Relatively?

Team 7 exchanged looks of dismay. Today was going to be a long day.

10 hours later, a fatigued trio dragged their feet to the front door, where Kakashi awaited them for the successful completion of their mission.

"Good work! You guys are some really hardworking young genins!"

Who spent the whole day reading Icha Icha Paradise instead of helping out?

Naruto was too fatigued to voice out his discontent, which was unlike the typical him.

The sour looks on Sasuke and Sakura's faces were worth a thousand words, as the saying goes.

"Well, come on. I have a surprise for you all! Since everybody's so tired, I begged for a favor, so you guys can unwind and relax at the springs free of charge for tonight!"

"Better than nothing." Sasuke turned and began to trudge to the changing room.

Sakura naturally followed suit in Sasuke's footsteps, and Naruto went along, just not to be left out.

Oh well, time to submit the mission report. I'll come back for the free session, I mean those kids later. Kakashi smiled to himself, and vanished in typical jounin style.

Sakura leaned back on the side of the spring, enjoying her unwinding process.

This is so nice.. but it's utterly boring! I'm the only user here since the springs were closed for the day. Oh well..

I wonder how Sasuke-kun and Naruto are doing over the other side?

Struck by a sudden burst of –insight-, Sakura realised "If not for that extra bit named Naruto, I could have been alone with Sasuke-kun in the hot spring if I went over to join him now! SHANNARO! Damn Naruto."

Over the other side of the tall bamboo fence, Naruto sneezed.

"Did you just say something bad about me, Uchiha moron?"

"Who can be bothered with you, idiot? Go home if you're going to catch your death from cold."

"And leave you alone here with Sakura-chan? You sly, conniving, closet pervert!" Naruto made quite a show of emphasizing his statement by hurling a handful of water at Sasuke.

Sly, conniving, closet pervert?

Sasuke was contemplating whether to go for his kunai in the changing room, or to settle for a fire jutsu, when the mental image of being with Sakura together in a hot spring came into his mind.

No! I'm not like that!

He hoped Naruto didn't see him blush through the mist.

Not long after, Sasuke felt sleepy. It had been a long day, after all.

"Dead last, I'm going to get changed now."

He heard Naruto's faint snore over the other side of the spring, and decided that it was enough of a reply.

Securing the towel around his waist as he made his way to the changing room, he grumbled to himself as the waterlogged towel kept threatening to slide down enough to cause a faux pas.

Maybe it would help if I tied it around my chest like what Sakura would do..

The mental image of Sakura lounging in a hot spring clad only in a towel came back to his mind unbidden.

Oh, damn it. Think of something else, you Uchiha moron. Tomatoes, Itachi, tomatoes, Itachi, tomatoes..

His eyes closed in an attempt to shut out that uncharacteristically amorous thought; Sasuke took a wrong turn, and headed into the wrong changing area.

Weird. I swore I left my stuff here. And that idiot's stuff was over there too. Why does this place look so unfamiliar?

Wait a minute. That pink bag belongs to.. and if it's here.. then.. must be.. Damn.

Butterflies running amok in his stomach, Sasuke turned around to see a petrified Sakura finish wrapping her towel around herself hastily, as she was in the midst of changing when Sasuke.. walked in.

Perhaps shapeshifting to look like a girl would be a good idea now.

"Sa..suke-kun? You wa..nted to look.. for me?"

"Not.. really. I just took.. a wrong turn." The words tumbled out of Sasuke's mouth automatically. Knowing himself, it was a personal rarity.

"Oh.. ok then." Unable to maintain eye contact any longer, Sakura dropped her gaze before blushing furiously.

Like a ripe tomato.

Before he could embarrass himself any further, Sasuke fled.

After Sasuke left, Sakura looked up, and turned her gaze to where he stood just now.

Did he do it on purpose? No.. he wouldn't. I've never seen him look so.. uncertain before. Maybe it was just really a wrong turn.. but what if it wasn't?

Sakura giggled.

Perhaps I should barge into him now to return the favor.. Ino will be so mad if she hears about this!

Damn, damn, damn. What a bad day.

Furious, Sasuke mentally admonished himself as he changed into his clothing. In the correct place this time, of course.

If this is puberty, I HATE puberty.

Exiting the changing area when he was done, Sasuke bumped into Sakura at the common corridor, who happened to exit her changing area at the same time.

Unable to muster any words, Sasuke made his way to the exit, with Sakura behind him.

Unspoken words whirled frantically in their minds.

Perhaps Sasuke-kun is mad that I didn't make the first move, like what I always do?

Sakura generally barked up the wrong tree.

Why isn't she killing me the way she hits Naruto whenever that idiot accidentally touches her? I didn't touch her, but that was equally bad, if not worse. Is she waiting for my apology? Is she going to tell Kakashi? I'm going to be laughed around town for this. What can I do to make it up for her? Damn it, it's that Naruto's fault, implanting those ideas in my head, that's why I walked into the wrong room, whilst trying not to think of..

Sakura.

Deciding to get the explanation and apology over and done with in his direct style, Sasuke abruptly turned around, and saw Sakura looking at him coyly, with a shy half-smile on her lips, her cheeks tinted red with a blush.

Not good.

"Erm.. Sakura? About just now.."

"Sasuke-kun?" The sickeningly sweet tone of voice woke the horde of butterflies in Sasuke's stomach again.

Fighting to maintain his normal stoic and unbothered look, Sasuke continued

"I'm sorry for what I did just now."

"It's ok, you don't have to apologize, and anyway, you know something?"

"What?"

"You really should fasten your towel tighter next time."

Sakura giggled and looked away.

Sasuke spaced out for a moment, mercifully.

It was Sakura's turn to shrivel with severe embarrassment when Kakashi turned a corner and walked by them, with every indication that he overheard their conversation. Unable to resist a taunt, Kakashi mouthed to his love-struck and love-weary students.

"Pink hair matches the Uchiha fan well."

He then made his way into the changing area.

Sakura realized that "mortified" wasn't good enough to describe her feelings, and Sasuke had already exceeded his tolerance for feeling mortified in the female dressing area earlier.

Kakashi's final instruction for the day reached their ears through the walls.

"Sasuke, send Sakura home. It's dark now. No excuses permitted."

Thankfully, the walk home for the couple was uneventful, apart from a somber-faced Uchiha and a blushing Haruno, which was pretty typical of them anyway.

Lying on his bed later after reaching home, Sasuke found himself unable to fall asleep despite the tiring mission they had earlier on that day. Usually, he would mentally revise seal forming in his mind until he fell asleep, but somehow, the close encounter with Sakura earlier was disrupting his regime with emotions he never felt before in his twelve years of life.

She looks so adorable when she's shy.

No! She's just my teammate, my comrade in battle, my..

I still have goals to reach for, no time for this romance crap.

Itachi, tomato, Itachi, tomato, Itachi, tomato, Itachi, tomato, Sakura, Sakura?

Sasuke fell asleep and dreamt of Sakura that night.

Snug between the covers of her comfortable bed, Sakura gazed out of her window at the moonlit sky, relieving every sweet moment she spent with her beloved that day.

I've never seen him so shy before.

I wonder if he's annoyed at me for telling him about his towel?

I shouldn't expect too much from this.. after all, he's not going to love me just because he saw me clad in only a towel. At least, he had not better.

-smile-

Perhaps he'll notice me more from now.. he can't really be that oblivious to girls?

He did blush just now..

You're naughty, Sasuke-kun.

Sakura fell asleep with happy thoughts, and dreamt of Sasuke that night, which she did quite often anyway.