Hello friends! I've decided to try and update as many stories as I can between today and tomorrow as my birthday present to you! It's my birthday tomorrow! YAY! So here's chapter 7 of Fifty First Dates.

Ohh, and this chapter is dedicated to my wonderful fan keraii : ) She's the one that asked me to do the pairing in this chapter. Oh, and I will still be asking one reviewer every chapter who they want Sakura to be paired with next! So if you want a pairing I have not done yet review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruo

Chapter 7 : Akasuna no Sasori

Sighing slightly I opened my computer while laying on the couch. It was raining outside today, and Tsunade had given me the day off because of it. Smiling I signed on to my online account; maybe a good date could come out of this rainy day.

XXxxXX

Sakura,

I will be in Konoha Forest at 12 pm; do not make me wait.

XXxxXX

It was an unexpected, and also unsigned date. I was surprised by the bluntness, but I couldn't help but also feel intrigued; who ever wrote me this message was very mysterious.

Looking at the clock, I sighed. The message had given me an hour to get ready, and head to the forest; at least I didn't have Ino to nag at me. Sometimes it was nice having Ino here to choose what I got to wear, but most of the time it wasn't.

Slinking over to my closet, my eyes scanned the contents. I really didn't know what to wear; this date was a complete mystery, and I had no idea what to expect.

Glancing at the window, I noticed idly that the rain had seemed to calm down a bit. I put on my little black dress; if this guy was trying to be mysterious I guess I could try too. I quickly looked myself over in the mirror, before I grabbed an umbrella and left the apartment.

This dating process was going a lot better than I first thought it would; all the males I had been going on dates with were being completely sweet, and ones that I actually knew quite well. At the end of all this, I really wasn't sure who I was going to choose.

This surely would not be fair to everyone… there were going to be a few broken hearts left in my wake, but in the end Ino made the account for me, not anyone else. Ino said that I should worry about myself for once, and enjoy ever date I get to go on without feeling guilty; I think I'm finally taking her advice to heart.

Smiling slightly, I thought back to the man's message… I did not know who he was, this date could be a joke for all I know. But for a silly reason, I trusted those fifteen words he had sent me; he sounded sincere.

Walking through the Konoha gate, I still thought about the message… I guess if his words weren't so confident then I would have to think he was shy, but that was the problem; I could tell he wasn't shy. Why did he want to meet me out in the Konoha forest?

Sensing a foreign chakra, I tried to leap up to the trees, but something stopped me from doing so. Whatever it was, it felt like a rope was pulling me to backwards. Glancing down, I noticed that there were light blue strands of chakra that were wrapped around both my wrists and ankles. There were only two puppeteers I had met over my life time… and only one that had used this kind of manipulation before.

Standing before me, almost an instant later, was Sasori… the same Sasori I had killed back in Suna… the same Sasori that was supposed to be dead was standing in front of me.

"Sakura," his voice sounded almost angelic-like.

"…Sasori," I tried to keep my tone calm as I watched him take a step closer to me. My eyes widened slightly as I caught sight of one of his hands. Said hand was moving towards my face.

I quickly closed my eyes and waited for an attack, but I did not get one. Opening my eyes again, I was slightly caught off guard by the gentleness in Sasori's own. His hand cupped the side of my face, and his skin felt warm.

My eyes widened again at the feel of his skin against my own; his skin. Looking up questioningly at Sasori, I watched as his eyes danced in amusement, and then he let out a soft chuckle; a chuckle that made my insides tingle slightly.

"Oh, Sakura," Sasori said with a slight smirk to his lips. "You really did kill me once; that is why I admire you so much. I've seen you grow into an even stronger Kunochi after you defeated me. All I want is the chance for you to get to know me, like I have gotten to know you."

My eyes were still slightly wide as I took everything he had said in… he had been watching me? I didn't know whether to feel freaked out or slightly proud. Someone had taken the time out of their life to watch me; not Sasuke, not Naruto, but me.

I watched as Sasori's expression changed slightly into one of worry; was he afraid I would reject him? I guess that would be the easiest thing to do in a situation like this, but I couldn't bring myself to.

"So… where are we going on our date?" I asked Sasori while looking into his beautiful auburn eyes. I watched as said eyes sparkled slightly, before he let go of the chakra strings that had tied my wrists and ankles.

"I am sorry for having to use those methods to restrain you," Sasori commented before walking to stand beside me. "I was not sure how you would react… to this. Where we are going is only a few miles away from here. Shall we start walking?"

"That sounds wonderful," I said with a slight smile, and it was wonderful. The rain had not completely stopped, but it was only sprinkling now; this was my absolute favorite weather. Walking beside Sasori I couldn't help but smile. "So you don't mind if I ask you about what happened, do you?"

"Of course not," Sasori said with a slight shake of his head. He sighed slightly, and I watched as he placed his hands within his cloak (a dark black coat, mind you). "I guess you could say I always had a defense mechanism for if I ever died. You see, I did not place my whole heart in the container back in my puppet; I also left it in my old body… this body. I know it sounds a little unbelievable, but after you killed me, I woke up in this body."

I nodded slightly; medically that kind of made sense. I wasn't sure how he was able to split his heart, however. "… how is your body not decomposed then?" This was actually medically fascinating for me; if he could do it, then could other people?

I watched as Sasori smirked slightly. "Now that Sakura, will be my little secret," Sasori said as we continued to walk through the forest. I giggled slightly at his response, but nodded my head; I would not give away my techniques to an enemy shinobi either.

My eyes slightly widened at that, and I turned to Sasori. "…Is us meeting okay with the rest of the Akatsuki?" I asked with a slight flush to my cheeks. I didn't want him to be in trouble for coming on a date with me…

Sasori smiled and walked closer to me; without even placing an arm around me, he walked beside me. It felt like I molded against him perfectly. "The rest of the Akatsuki know," I watched as something seemed to dance around in Sasori's eyes… was that amusement, and then jealousy? "and are well aware, and completely okay with our meeting; too okay if you ask me."

"What do you mean by that, Sasori?" I asked as I found myself drawn to the heat of his body; I didn't know how one person could be so warm.

"It's nothing to really worry about," Sasori said with a slight sigh. "Let us hurry up, shall we? The place I want to take you to works only when it is raining."

I raised an eyebrow at that comment, but chose to ignore it; for now. Walking further into the forest we stopped in front of a fairly large cave; one that I had never seen before.

"This is it," Sasori commented from beside me. His hand brushed mine casually as he began to walk further into the cave. I sighed, but walked next to him; I assumed the cave was going to be cold, and that I'd need Sasori's warmth to get me through this… I wasn't really sure if a cave could be a romantic place.

"I guess I really don't know you all to well Sasori; I mean I know what it said in the Bingo book, but I don't really know you," I said with a smile. "What are you like?"

The question seemed to catch Sasori off guard for a second, but he quickly recovered with a small smile. "I guess you could say I like to stay organized, I like to be on-time, and I like my piece and quiet. You already know I enjoy making puppets, but I also enjoy reading as well. I hope you don't find that too boring, Sakura…"

I watched as Sasori stopped in front of me and turned around. He took a step closer to me, and I couldn't help but blush at our proximity. "You don't think I'm boring… do you Sakura?" Sasori asked with a slight smirk as he noticed my pink cheeks.

Taking another step closer, I watched as Sasori's face was about an inch away from my own. I felt his warm breath caress my face, and it made me slightly breathless. The contrast between the cool air and Sasori's warm breath; it was almost too much to take.

I watched as Sasori took a step back, and smiled towards me. I couldn't fight the smile off my own face as I glanced around the cave. Stalagmites seemed to have surrounded us; I hadn't noticed them before. Smirking to me, I watched as Sasori made a few hand signs, and water began pooling around his feet.

My eyes were slightly wide before Sasori nodded to me. I walked a few paces over to him, and watched as his water jutsu hit the first stalagmites. As the water hit the rock, a florescent blue glow began to emit from the stalagmite. My eyes widened as the water kept flowing, and continued to hit all the stalagmites in the cave. Before my eyes beautiful blues, greens, pinks, purples, yellows, and reds started to glow, and the sight left me breathless.

"How- how did you find this place, Sasori? It's beautiful." I commented while looking to the red head before me.

"I enjoy looking at beautiful things," Sasori said with a slight smile. "Bringing two beautiful things together was well worth the trip to Konoha."

"Our date isn't over is it?" I found myself asking, slightly disappointed. This place was beautiful, but I hadn't really gotten to know Sasori. I felt like I owed it to Sasori, to at least try to get to know him. With a quirk of his lips, Sasori's smile turned into a smirk.

"Of course not, Sakura," Sasori stated. Walking over to me, I couldn't fight the blush off my face as his hand brushed my own. "What kind of gentleman would I be, if I didn't take a lady out to lunch? Would you like to stay here a bit longer, or would you like to go to eat now?"

I struggled slightly with my response. I was hungry, but this place was so pretty. "This place really is beautiful, Sasori, and I feel very privileged to see it, but I really am hungry."

"Say no more then," Sasori said while walking towards the entrance of the cave. I smiled slightly at him; Sasori really was trying hard on this date. "I know a café a mile or so away from here; it is one that criminals can feel free going to without feeling like they are going to get caught. I trust taking you to this place, Sakura."

I couldn't help but smile; did Sasori say he trusted me? This was a far cry from a few years ago when we battled in Suna… Thinking of which, in the end, if I wanted to pick Sasori, how would it work? Would I have to become a missing-nin, or even join the Akatsuki to be with him? The idea scared me; Konoha was my home, and I was very loyal to my home. I was also sure Sasori was loyal to Akatsuki because that was his home. I couldn't help but frown at the idea… if Sasori and I were going to be together, how would we actually be together?

Sasori's eyes darted towards mine as the silence began to persist; my eyes were downcast to the ground, and there was a frown set upon my lips. "What's the matter, Sakura?" Sasori asked as he stopped walking. Standing in front of me, his hand moved towards my chin to allow my eyes to meet his.

"I'm not saying we are, Sasori, but if we were to end up together, how would you and I be together?" I asked with a very small voice; how had I not thought of this before? I guess I really hadn't gotten the chance…

"Sakura," concern showed through in Sasori's eyes as he looked at me. "I would never ask you to betray your village, if that is what you are asking, and I would hope you would never ask me to betray Akatsuki. We would be together much like we are now."

"I don't know if sneaking time between missions would be enough," I said as I watched Sasori smile softly to me. "I'm not sure that would be much of a relationship."

"Sakura," Sasori said with a firm smile as he moved a pink strand out of my face. "Do not worry about it; were we not having fun only a moment ago? I'm not asking you to leave Konoha; I am just asking you for a date. I can sense the Leaf anbu, and they are no where near us; if we were together, I would make sure they would never find out about us. Please do not worry your pretty head, my dear."

With a slight sigh, I nodded my head slightly. I guess this was kind of silly… this was Sasori and my first date, and I was already thinking ahead to what it would be like if we really were together. But being with Sasori made me want to think about my future. He was so accomplished; it seemed like Sasori knew exactly what he wanted, and it was easy for me to admit I was jealous of him because of it.

Allowing a smile to appear on my face, my hand moved to Sasori's own. I squeezed Sasori's hand slightly before we started to walk again. "What is this café like?" I found myself asking while we walked further.

Sasori smirked slightly, but then spoke. "The café is actually very peaceful, and calm. It is a very wonderful place to eat; beside a waterfall I believe."

I sighed, this café sounded wonderful. Walking only a few more minutes, the two of us stopped in front of a large log cabin styled restaurant. Stepping forward, Sasori nodded towards the waitress before taking me to a table in the back.

I allowed my eyes to dance from wall to wall; the craftsmanship of this place was beautiful. I noticed as we were sitting down, Sasori had given us a table next to a window, and he was also correct about the waterfall outside. "This place is beautiful."

"I'm very glad you approve," Sasori commented with a smirk as he grabbed a menu. "What do you think you're hungry for?"

"I think I would like some tempura with miso soup," I said while looking over the menu. I glanced over to Sasori and watched as he casually observed the menu as well. "What do you think you want?"

"Hmm," Sasori furrowed his eyebrows as he scanned the menu again; the concentration on his face was actually pretty cute. I could not help the warmth that came to my cheeks as I thought this. "I guess what you're having sounds pretty good to me, too."

I watched as the waitress walked up to us, and took our orders. She seemed to know Sasori very well, and my eyebrow rose as she addressed him as "Sasori-sama."

As the waitress left, I couldn't help but allow a smirk to appear on my lips. Leaning forward, my mouth hovered over Sasori's ear as I whispered, "Sasori-sama…"

I watched as Sasori turned his eyes towards me, and smirked. "She calls me Sasori-sama because I helped carve the wood in this café."

"Really?" I asked as I leaned back in my chair. Glancing around the café again, I was able to appreciate the more detailed work on the wood.

"Yes, really," Sasori's smirk widened slightly at my question. "Though it may be hard to believe, most criminals are surprisingly normal, and have surprisingly normal hobbies."

"Says a man who was once a puppet," I commented below my breath, but Sasori still heard me. My cheeks turned pink once again, as I heard the red head's chuckle.

"I never said I was normal, Sakura," Sasori said with a smirk. "I also never said the rest of the Akatsuki was, either."

I giggled slightly at this, and smiled. "So… what should we talk about?"

"What type of missions have you been on lately?" Sasori asked while he took a sip of water. My eyebrow rose, but Sasori shook his head to clarify. "I'm not really asking what happened Sakura; I know you're not really supposed to discuss mission details. If it makes you feel better, just forget the question. What have you been doing at the hospital lately?"

"I was actually caught off guard by your question," I said with a smile. "I really haven't been on any missions lately. Tsunade-sama said she wants me to start running the hospital soon without her or Shizune's help."

"Interesting," Sasori said with a small smile. "So your Hokage believes you will be able to run the hospital by yourself?"

"Yeah, I believe so." I smirked; was he impressed? "Are you impressed?"

"I actually haven't stopped being impressed since I've met you, Sakura," Sasori said with a small smile. "I'm not ashamed to admit you made an antidote for my poison; you bested me. You're obviously more talented then most people realize."

"It must be the pink hair," I commented with a small giggle; people had been underestimating me since I was ten. My comment made Sasori chuckle slightly.

"It must," Sasori stated with a smirk as the food came to our table. The smell of the food almost caused my mouth to water; if the food was as good as it smelled then it was going to be delicious.

I allowed my hand to stray on the table as my other hand reached for my chop sticks. I felt something brush against my first hand, and my eyes rose as I watched Sasori's hand caress mine softly.

"You really are something special, Sakura," Sasori stated with a small sigh. Sasori's hand moved to intertwine my own. I smiled at the softness that was Sasori's hand; it was just as warm as it was soft.

My cheeks blushed softly, but I still smiled nonetheless. "Do you enjoy making me blush, Sasori?"

"I believe I do," Sasori stated as a smirk. Letting go of my hand, Sasori grabbed his own chop sticks, and began eating.

XxxX

The walk back through the forest was quiet, but not in a bad or awkward way. Sasori's quietness had brought out a sincere calm I had not felt in a while. We were walking hand in hand, and I couldn't' help but smile. "Thank you for an amazing date, Sasori."

"You are more than welcome, Sakura," he said while letting go of my hand. We were very close to the Konoha gate, and it made me nervous for Sasori's safety.

"You really didn't have to walk me all the way back to the gate," I commented. "I was really alright."

"I know," Sasori said with a small smirk. "But it would not be gentleman-like of me to let a lady walk back through the forest, in the dark, alone."

Sasori was right, naturally, it was dark outside. We had stayed at the café because Sasori had wanted us to see the sunset; which had been beautiful like everything else had been on this date.

"You're kind of sweet, you know," I told Sasori as I took a step closer to him. His eyes widened slightly at the comment, but I wasn't done with him yet. Moving another step closer, I smiled before kissing his cheek softly. "Thanks again for the great date."

As I walked towards the gate, I couldn't help but look back at the red head. He stood behind a tree a small smile etched to his face. His hand was touching the cheek I had just kissed, and there was a slight blushed that adored his cheeks. I blushed slightly but waved to him before walking through the gate.

It was weird for someone to make me feel like a silly little school girl; Sasori was so… he was so… sophisticated. I don't think I had ever been with a guy like Sasori; it had been an interesting date, but I really had a good time.

I couldn't help but smile as I walked back to my apartment; Sasori was a surprise. An unexpected, but not unwelcome surprise.