Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

"Why does your phone make my head look like it's from a foreign planet?" Sakura complained, adjusting Sasuke's cellphone in front of her.

"This can't be happening," the phone's owner groaned into his palms. How Kakashi managed to assemble this motley group was beyond him. There he was, teamed with a hyperactive eyesore, aggressive perfectionist, and meek pacifist.

"Here, Sakura! Let me try," Naruto leaned over Hinata to pluck the black device from his friend, completely unaware of the heiress's fierce blush. "Stay still… 3, 2, 1."

Sakura tilted her head, flashed a grin, and held out a hand expectantly to see Naruto's attempt. "Damn it! I still look like a baby genius." She deleted the picture and frowned. "Hinata, can you help a girl out?"

Hinata nodded, accepting the phone and twisting in her seat to get a better view of her friend. "I think you look lovely in this one."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Sakura's glee. "Finally! My selfie game is pathetic, thanks!" She tapped her fingers on the screen and passed his phone back to him. He inspected her entry and rolled his eyes wryly; Sakura saved her name under 'Girl Who Wants An 'A' So Cooperate Or Else I'm Going To Kick Your Ass.' 'Che. Violent woman.'

"So we have each other's numbers, but we can't agree on anything else that's important," he pointed out, editing Sakura's contact information to 'Pink Monster.'

"P-perhaps we can settle the peripheral details," Hinata suggested, "Decide when w-we should meet, compare our schedules, exchange e-mails…,"

"Great idea, Hinata!" Naruto complimented, then drew out his cellphone. "One sec… I got a text."

"That's from me," Sakura interjected, "I just started a group text and sent everyone my e-mail. Respond with yours so we can start a Google docs together." Her own device vibrated and she squinted to examine the new alert. "Document invitation from Sasuke Uchiha?" she read out loud, confused.

"From yours truly," Sasuke muttered, his attention fixed on his phone. "I just uploaded my schedule on an excel sheet. Once everyone does the same we can start identifying meeting times."

Naruto whistled. "Calm down, Steve Jobs. I'm working on it."

Sakura was inwardly impressed but didn't give Sasuke any grounds for bragging rights. As she copied her own schedule below his, she noticed he was enrolled in computer systems engineering, finance, math, marketing, and management courses.

"Ac-according to our schedules…," Hinata began, pursing her lips, "the only time everyone's free is Sunday afternoons. Unless y-you all would prefer to meet during the weekdays after 8 P.M.?"

"That's a negative." Sasuke objected flatly. Judging from the silence of the other group members, they shared his sentiments.

"We can't only meet once a week, though. The Professor said we're graded on the scope of this project and it's, like, half our grade. I'm also a little competitive and already thinking of something big." Sakura argued.

The blonde grinned gamely and slammed a fist on the table. "Hell yeah! Let's make everyone else's projects eat dirt."

Naruto and Sakura exchanged deranged competitive looks while Hinata laughed heartily. Sasuke sighed. "Tone it down, children. We'll meet together on Sunday afternoons for major planning issues, then we'll divide the work and meet in smaller groups during the week. I'm free on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, what about you, Naruto?"

The tan student shook his head. "Nah, I've got soccer practice."

"Oh, I didn't know you were on the team!" Sakura commented.

"That's what keeps me in school." The engineer proudly stated. Sasuke rolled his eyes to which Naruto replied, "Forget him. He's still sore I handed his ass to him on the field back in the day."

Sakura jumped at the opportunity to antagonize. "On a platinum gold, $50,000 platter?"

Hinata was biting her lips to hold her mirth at bay, but she quickly interrupted after seeing the menacing glare Sasuke was mustering. "I'm also unavailable on Monday afternoons. The Hyuuga Corporation has staff meetings then which tend to run quite long."

The Uchiha nodded solemnly, understanding the grim tone in her voice. He also did not enjoy staff meetings where long-winded, pretentious businessmen vomited noise for five hours.

"Okay, it looks like Naruto and Hinata are free on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons." Sakura announced, bringing her phone to her face. "And… Sasuke and I are free on Mondays and Tuesdays." She exchanged mutual glares with the boy next to her. "Well, I guess that's our plan for now. Naruto and Hinata, you two meet whenever while Sasuke and I will decide our own time. Then we'll come together on Sundays at noon to talk, plan, organize, etcetera."

The group of four nodded in agreement as Kakashi dismissed the class. Naruto was the first out the door, grumbling about being skinned alive by his coach if he was late again. Hinata was the next to leave, excusing herself for her next class.

Sakura was packing her bags when her phone vibrated. She nonchalantly checked the alert, but upon realizing who the sender was, devoured the words in the email like a fiend.

"Tsunade?" Her groupmate inquired.

"How'd you guess?!" She practically screamed, jumping up and down.

"Oh I don't know… maybe because I pulled some strings and got you that internship?"

Her enthusiasm was unaffected by his sarcasm. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hugged her phone. "Dr. Senju said to meet her on Friday to figure out my schedule."

"Don't forget what else is on Friday."

"Don't worry," she drawled, sobering slightly, "7 P.M., Kikyo Plaza, bring a date, look hot," Sakura bit her lip, as if contemplating something.

"What?"

"Give me a high five," she commanded, flashing him the palm of her hand.

"No."

"Come on."

"No." She turned her hand into a fist and punched him in the shoulder. "Damn it, Pink!"

The girl shrugged and sauntered out of the classroom. "Should've went along with it."

"To be honest with you, newbie," the buxom doctor smoothed out her white coat, "I am floored. First, the Board of Directors unanimously passed my proposal to pilot this program. Then, they hand picked you to be my first intern before Shizune even mentioned your name, a first year who just recently graced the front pages of The Konoha Times with a scandal regarding two rich brats. Whatever you did, I am impressed."

That was certainly not how Sakura expected her first meeting with the revered physician to start.

"Er.. Well.. I, uh, that article was a complete lie, Dr. Senju." The pinkette stumbled in her speech and realized she suddenly devolved into a primitive human with a disregard for the English language.

"Baby child, I hope you did not think for a second that I believed in a word of that nonsense." The blonde stood from her swivel chair and discarded a copy of Sakura's schedule on her massive desk. "I read scientific papers to sleep at night, not Seventeen magazine."

Sakura hesitantly rose to follow the doctor out of the office. Just as they were about to cross onto the medical floor, Tsunade halted and confronted her intern squarely. "Also, don't call me Dr. Senju again. That's my father. I'll accept it from patients, but not from anybody else. Tsunade is fine. Is that clear?"

The pinkette nodded affirmative.

"Good. Now follow me, I'm taking you on the grand tour."

Sakura squared her shoulders and trailed after Tsunade. 'What's wrong with me? Where's that spunky know-it-all?' Her frown deepened the more she thought about why she was sputtering, stammering, and being a general nitwit around her new supervisor. 'Get it together, Sakura!'

Tsunade flew through the various floors and wings of Kage Hospital with the intern in tow. They started at the basement, where the morgue was located, and worked their way up. The venerable woman was everything Sakura aspired to be: intelligent, witty, professional, adaptable, confident, and sexy as hell with a remarkable rack. It wasn't that Tsunade was being harsh, the intern just felt dumbstruck and flustered.

Halfway through the 17th floor, a short old lady stopped the pair in their tracks. "New student, Tsunade?"

The blonde casted a side-glance at Sakura. "Fresh blood, Chiyo."

Sakura was unsure how to introduce herself. Was Tsunade implying this lady was a vampire? Because she just looked like the world's sweetest grandma and not a blood sucking monster. "Um, hi. I'm Sakura Haruno... Tsunade's new intern from Kage University. Nice to meet you."

The wizened woman adjusted her cane and offered the girl a kind smile. "Hello, Sakura. You can call me Chiyo." The student bowed awkwardly. "Oh, come on now. You're clearly a smart young woman. Why are you nervous? The only thing intimidating are those twins on Tsunade."

Sakura caught the laugh in her throat. She turned to gauge her supervisor's reaction, who wasn't the least bit flustered. "Hey, just because you're saggy from gravity and children sucking you dry, doesn't mean you get free shots at me."

Chiyo tilted her chin to meet the challenge. "From the way I've seen Jiraiya sneaking around here at night, I might not be the only one with kids… Princess."

At this, Tsunade's cheeks burned crimson and she unconsciously pulled the long white coat tighter around her body. "Chiyo! Incredibly unprofessional!"

The old woman shook with laughter and Sakura joined along. "You're welcome to drop by anytime, dear. I'm in room 1702."

Sakura and Tsunade bade Chiyo a farewell and proceeded to the 18th floor. When they pushed through the double doors separating the stairs, Sakura noticed that the layout was different. There were only two massive rooms on the west and east wings, respectively.

"The 18th and 19th floor are private suites. They're for special patients."

Sakura nodded, inwardly translating the word 'special,' for 'rich.'

Her superior was already knocking on the sole door occupying the west wing. "Hey, Mikoto?" she called, holding an ear to the door frame. Heartbeats later, a beautiful woman with raven locks emerged from the suite.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Senju. I wasn't expecting you. What's the occasion?" Mikoto's dark eyes discovered Sakura behind the doctor. "Oh. And who's this?"

"This is my new intern. She's also a CNA and will be helping you from time to time." Tsunade stepped back, motioning for the girl to introduce herself.

"Hi, how are you? My name's Sakura Haruno and I'm a first year biology student on the Pre-Med track at Kage University. It's a pleasure to meet you." The pinkette was relieved her voice finally regained a semblance of normalcy. Chiyo's presence did wonders.

The patient leaning on the door frame, who looked around the same age as her mother, curled the corners of her lips warmly. "The pleasure's mine. I'm Mikoto."

Suddenly, Tsunade's pager beeped. She glimpsed at the device and cursed. "Seriously?" She substituted the small machine in her hand with a notepad on which she scribbled hurriedly. "I just got called into another Board meeting. The third one today! How many times can they say the same thing with different words?!" The physician tore the page she was worrying over to her intern. "Follow this and start on this floor. If you have time, continue with your assignment downstairs. If not, save it for next time. Make sure you clock out in the on-call room so I can record your hours and I'll e-mail your official schedule to you this weekend."

Sakura analyzed Tsunade's note while the older women exchanged goodbyes. She waved at the doctor before addressing Mikoto. "I've been instructed to get to know my patients better, Ms...," She trailed off, hoping the lady would provide her with a more respectable way to call her. Clearly the patient must be important if she was had an entire wing to herself.

"Mikoto," the woman insisted.

Sakura nodded and smiled. "Mikoto. If I'm not interrupting, I'd like to spend some time with you. It would help me help you better."

Mikoto had to bite her cheek to contain the grin fighting to cross her face. "Come on in," she invited, opening the door wider for the pink haired girl.

It was after 3 P.M. when Sasuke arrived onto his mother's floor. Oddly enough, Mikoto didn't contact him earlier in the day, a habit she practiced to remind him of their Friday afternoons together. Even more strange, there was a strong aroma of cookies that permeated throughout the west and east wings.

The scent was definitely coming from his mother's suite, Sasuke concluded while scanning his cardkey. It had been years since she baked. It was one of her favorite pastimes before being hospitalized.

When the young man opened the door, he was not prepared for the scene in front of him."Mother, did you transform into Betty Crocker overnight? Why is your hospital room a cookie factory?"

"Not Betty Crocker, honey!" his mother's voice called from the kitchen. "Homemade recipe!"

Sasuke dropped his belongings on the couch next to the mountain of baked goods stacked on the table. He stole a chocolate chip cookie and headed toward his mom's direction. As he bit into the treat, Sasuke reflected that Mikoto didn't lose her touch in the slightest.

Mid-chew and mid-stride, Sasuke stopped abruptly at the kitchen door. In front of him was Mikoto pressing cookie batter onto baking sheets with Sakura cracking eggs into a mixing bowl.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

His mother's disappointment was sharp. "Sasuke! Language!"

The intern looked up, confused. She didn't seem to recognize him at the doorway. "What? I could ask you the same thing."

The boy swallowed his snack and walked past the threshold. "This is my mom's room."

Sakura's eyes widened in alarm, whipping around to face the woman. 'How did I miss that?!' "You're Mikoto Uchiha?"

The woman perked up innocently. "Yes?"

Sasuke was not amused. "I thought your internship was with Tsunade, not working as my mom's baking apprentice."

Sakura abandoned the eggs and wiped her hands on the apron around her waist. "Oh my God, Mrs. Uchiha. I am so sorry for all the trouble I caused with The Times article. I-"

"Mikoto," The patient insisted again, finishing the neat row of cookies on the metal sheet. "And do you think I believe in everything tabloids publish, Sakura?" She dropped the rhetorical question. "Now, don't be shy. We were having a wonderful conversation. I see you know my son."

Sakura equipped herself with a spatula and gathered the mixing bowl in her arms. She spun her back to Mikoto and brandished the cooking utensil threateningly at Sasuke, protectively hugging the mixing bowl. He scoffed at her childishness. "Yeah, we live in the same building."

"I'm glad to see you're making friends, dear," Mikoto pipped, pushing the unbaked cookies into the oven. Her son silently mouthed, 'not in a million years' at his classmate. When Mikoto turned around to face them, he immediately reverted back to a human being with proper decorum while Sakura concocted a wicked idea.

"And we're really close, actually."

The older woman leaned over to set the oven timer, oblivious to Sasuke's venomous glare at Sakura.

"We met on move-in day. He started opening up to me after we bumped into each other. He was all sulky because he was homesick and missed his mom. I had to comfort him for awhile in the parking lot."

Mikoto whirled around and broke into a huge grin, clasping a hand to her heart. She enveloped her youngest son in a bear hug and affectionately nuzzled into his shoulders. "Aw, Sasuke! I didn't know that. That's so sweet!"

Above Mikoto's head, Sasuke was mouthing obscenities to a snickering Sakura. When his mom disentangled herself from him, he could only purse his lips and nod. The girl, however, was not finished.

"Our professor just grouped us together in a big project with Hinata and this guy, Naruto. Sasuke's such a team player, though, he offered to take us all out to lunch for our first group meeting on Sunday!"

Sasuke wanted to tackle Sakura on the floor and cover her mouth with duct tape before she spewed further lies.

"Oh, Naruto! He's in your class? He was always such a darling, I loved it whenever he came over! I'm proud of you, Sasuke!" Mikoto was ecstatic, resuming her work on the cookie molds energetically. "It sounds like you're making lots of friends already. I tried to get you to invite more boys over when you were younger but you were so stubborn!" She glanced up in time to miss witnessing Sakura being pushed into the counter. "Sakura, can you do me the greatest favor?"

The girl regained her composure and agreed ingenuously, mischief temporarily subsiding.

"Can you keep an eye on Sasuke for me? I've always been adamant about him making more friends and taking time off from work to have fun."

"Mom…,"

"See? So stubborn! Him and his father are cut from the same cloth. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

If looks could kill, Sakura would've died yesterday from the hostile looks she was receiving from Jack The Dull Boy.

"I would, but it's just that, um, Sasuke can be a little… difficult sometimes."

Mikoto agreed solemnly. "I know. You should hear the stories about him when he was a kid. He became the fastest land mammal when he saw me pull into the driveway before he swept his room because he thought it was a girl's chore. Don't worry, I managed to set him straight."

"Mom, be quiet!" Sasuke chided, massaging his aching temple at her treachery.

A devious look resurfaced on Sakura's face again and Sasuke could practically hear the cackling in her evil little head. He clenched his jaw and shook his head gravely, as if implying the fatal consequences for her train of thought.

"Let me know if Sasuke is being problematic. He gets a little moody, but he's a good boy deep inside." Mikoto trapped him in another hug and he wished nothing more than to lock Sakura in an abandoned storage closet somewhere in the hospital far, far away from his mother.

"Oh, no problem! That's what friends are for, right?"

The oven beeped noisily and Mikoto released her son to take out the cookies. Sasuke was inwardly cursing Sakura to the ninth level of hell, who was reveling in the immunity she experienced in his mother's presence.

"You're a doll. Okay, I just put the last batch in the oven. Can you put the rest of the batter on a sheet? I want to start dividing the cookies outside into bags."

The intern faltered. "Ah, let me help you with that-,"

"One person's more than enough. We still need to clean the kitchen! Sasuke, be a dear and help Sakura?" Mikoto asked/commanded, untying her apron and looping it around her son. It was the his turn to grin mischievously.

"Sure will." He feigned obedience while his mom exited the vicinity. Sasuke stalled for a few seconds to make sure Mikoto was out of earshot while Sakura retreated deeper into the room to put some space between them. He slid the door shut.

"Don't come near me!" Sakura wielded the spatula like it was a sword. She was getting a little scared, unsure what her classmate was capable of after she severely pissed him off.

"Words cannot even begin to explain how much I abhor you right now…," Sasuke seethed, taking deliberately slow steps at the cowering girl.

"It was only fun and games! Get away!"

Sasuke was already halfway through the kitchen and Sakura was increasingly frantic. She darted her eyes around to find possible weapons for self defense since her small rubber spatula hardly seemed intimidating. The only thing at hand - literally - was the cookie batter in her possession.

SPLAT!

Sasuke frowned deeply at the front of his shirt. Sakura hit him square in the chest with soggy, unmixed batter. He forgot this girl was a walking weapon. His eyes flared dangerously as he reached for the open bag of flour on the counter.

POOF!

Sakura's face, hair, shoulders, and torso were completely smothered in white powder. She coughed and used her sleeves to wipe her eyes, then scooped up a heaping amount of cookie batter as Sasuke rearmed himself with a fistful of flour.

"Stop!" she implored, tilting her face sideways and flinging mush in her assailant's general direction.

"Homesick? Lunch? Close friends?!" Sasuke dodged a bullet of dough and finally closed the space between them.

"I was partially telling the truth!" Sakura yelped, feeling her wrists being grabbed. She tried to wrestle away to no avail.

"How?!"

"You DID bump into me on move-in day and I fell on the floor!"

"Oh, boo hoo, you already paid me back for that by causing me to crash my motorcycle!"

"Let me go!"

"Why should I when my mom's never letting ANY of this go?"

"Good, free lunch on Sunday then." In her thrashing, the mixing bowl slipped for Sakura's grasp. The noise from the metal container hitting the ground caused both students to freeze.

Hurried footsteps rushed to the kitchen and pried the door open. Mikoto looked quizzically at the scene in front of her.

"Sasuke, I told you to clean up in here!"

Her son gawked in betrayal. Was Sakura not guilty for any of this? "Which side are you on-,"

"I'm closing the door now and when I open it again in 30 minutes, I expect this kitchen to be spotless."

Sasuke slumped his shoulders in disbelief. There was no winning with his mother. Or Sakura, at this rate.

The object of his contempt brushed passed him and retrieved the forgotten bowl. Using her toes, she drew a line on the floor through the littered flour.

"Okay, I'm calling a truce. I feel somewhat responsible, so I'm going to clean this half while you clean that half. No trespassing!"

Sasuke shook his head at her antics but realized the most logical (and safest) thing to do was to "go along with it." For the next half hour, they ignored each other to tidy up their mess.

True to her words, Mikoto revisited the crime scene where she found Sasuke sweeping the floor and Sakura wiping down the counters. The room didn't resemble a war-zone anymore. "Perfect! I just finished wrapping all the bags up, too."

Her son emptied the dustpan in the garbage. "Who has the honor of receiving triple heart attacks?"

"The kids in the adoption center." Sakura answered, glaring at him while rinsing her wash cloth.

The trio left the kitchen and found four baskets filled with packaged treats. Mikoto retired to her bed. "I had a lovely time today, Sakura." The pinkette paused dusting the flour off her body to flash a genuine smile. "And as always, I'm happy you made time to come out here, Sasuke. But I'm exhausted. I counted - we made 300 hundred cookies. 300! I haven't baked that much in years."

"Would've been more if somebody didn't waste an entire batch on target practice…," Sasuke muttered. Mikoto didn't hear him, but Sakura narrowed her eyes at his comment.

"I saved some for both of you. I figured you two have to leave since it's getting late so I packed plates to go."

The intern's heart melted. Food was the fastest way to her heart and this woman knew how to play her cards right. "You're the best!"

Sasuke, however, was more concerned with the time. "We need to go."

"We?" Sakura echoed, confused.

"You're coated in flour and I'm covered in batter. We both need to be at the Kikyo Plaza by 7, preferably not smelling like Pillsbury Doughboy."

The biology student balked. "You're right! Come on, let's take all this down to the kids."

Sasuke shouldered on his backpack and hooked two baskets in his hands. "Only if we leave now."

"Can we stop by the on-call room? I have to punch out."

Her classmate was already out the door.

She followed his movements but waved at his mother before departing. "Thanks for a great afternoon and the cookies! Take care for now. I'll see you next week."

Sakura stomped up to Sasuke as soon as she rounded the corner, her sunny disposition long forgotten.

"How did a saint like her give birth to a demon like you?"

In addition to clocking out and delivering the treats, Sakura nagged Sasuke to stop by Chiyo's room to share her cookies. They exited the hospital shortly afterward in relative harmony, but not without odd looks concerning their state of dress. Sakura was heading for the bus station, but upon noticing her divergent path, Sasuke stopped. "My ride's this way."

She waved him off. "I would rather put my life in the hands of Konoha's public transport system."

"Unless you're an Olympic champion of ubiquity, there's no way you're making it back to Leaf and then to Kikyo Plaza by 7. Rush hour's just beginning. Let's go."

The girl grumbled at his logic and fell into step behind him. He keyed open the seat of his bike to withdraw a second helmet for his ungrateful passenger.

"No accidents, or I kill you," Sakura warned, fastening the chin strap securely in place. "Eyes on the road, or I kill you. And no sudden movements, or I kill you again."

"Only if you make it quick so I can be spared from your presence."

Sakura swung her legs over the motorcycle and decided to ignore his quip. Within minutes, they were bypassing a queue of cars on their journey back to campus.

The hospital intern would have reprimanded Sasuke for weaving between cars, but to his defense, the vehicles were stalled in obscene amounts of traffic. Sakura determined that she was not looking forward to sitting on the road for long periods of time following her hours at the hospital. She couldn't deny the driver's skill on the motorcycle, either, as it was her second time being his passenger. When they veered off from the main highway, she was treated to a gorgeous view of soft hills, trees, streams, and Mount Konoha in a distance.

"This road is gorgeous!" Sakura leaned forward and shouted. She could still smell the scent of cookie batter on the motorcyclist.

"Hn," was Sasuke's semblance of an agreement.

"Is this a shortcut?"

"No. It's a longer route but it doesn't have any other exits besides the University and the mountain so there's almost zero traffic."

"So… you can drive faster?"

Sasuke smirked. "You won't kill me?"

Sakura scooted closer and gripped the seat behind her. "Only if you crash."

The driver honored her request and revved the engine, to the delight of them both. In no time, they arrived at the bottom of their residential building and Sasuke was shutting off his vehicle.

"I'll meet you in your room in about 30 minutes," the Uchiha announced upon stepping into the elevator. Sakura noticed that much of the residue from their food warfare had blown off her body from the motorcycle ride but the flour in her hair was a different story.

"What, afraid I can't dress myself?" Sakura retorted once Sasuke got off on the sixth floor.

"You said it, not me."

She glared at his back while the metal doors closed and brought her up to her stop. To her disappointment, Ino wasn't in their dorm. The blonde's eye for fashion was on point and it was in that moment that Sakura realized she needed to seriously contemplate her attire for that evening. Her anticipation to meet Tsunade had dwarfed everything else on her agenda, but she owed it to herself and Sasuke to pull through at the fundraiser.

Stepping into an empty shower stall, Sakura proceeded to blast on the hot water. Thinking in the shower was where she normally formed her best ideas. Unfortunately, it did nothing for her as she only managed to think in circles about how she was going to speak eloquently in front of the press. The most experience she had with the microphone was competing in the mathletes during high school, and that was only because Shikamaru sure as hell wasn't going to rise to the occasion for their team.

Sakura resigned to defeat and turned off the water. Maybe Google could help her find answers. The pinkette toweled off, dried her hair, and donned on a fuzzy shower robe before returning to her room. Upon nearing her dorm, Sakura almost dropped her shower caddy at the sight of Sasuke dressed to the nines and leaning on the wall next to her door. The nonchalance in his posture contrasted drastically with his sharp, charcoal gray three-piece suit.

"Want a picture?" Sasuke smirked, pushing off from the wall.

Sakura blushed and inwardly kicked herself for being caught staring. "What are you doing here?"

"It's been more than 30 minutes and I was starting to think you drowned yourself in the shower… which may or may not make my life easier."

The girl swatted him with her foot and keyed into the room. "Sorry. I was caught up thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself."

Sakura was about to use her shower caddy as an extension of her fist when she caught sight of the Armani brand on Sasuke's suit and decided against it. 'His freakin' tie probably costs more than my entire closet.'

"Shut up and sit in the corner," she instructed, swiveling around to open her roommate's closet. Narrowed, green eyes sifted through the prodigal amount of clothes before them, trying to find something appropriate.

Her classmate whistled behind her.

"This is all Ino's," Sakura clarified, "she has a somewhat obsessive relationship with fashion." After some deliberation, she pulled out a white sundress and held it against her body.

"Not formal enough," Sasuke commented, peeking up from checking his e-mail on his phone.

She tried again and picked out a red mini dress.

"The fundraiser's for the orphans you made cookies for today, not fraternity members."

"Fine," Sakura acceded, choosing another option, "What about this, Tyra?"

Sasuke ignored her dig and shrugged at the long black number. "Doable."

As soon as she got a hint of approval, Sakura stalked off to her side of the room and drew the curtains. A few seconds later, she reappeared, disgruntled. "Uh uh. I look like a monk."

The Uchiha raised his eyebrows at the long train at her feet. They both forgot Ino was markedly taller. "Don't you have your own clothes to choose from? The ones you bought from The Children's Place?"

"I hate you," Sakura simply stated, disappearing behind the dividers again. After some unequivocal sounds of tearing apart her closet, she emerged with three dresses. "These are the only ones that come close to the caliber you're alluding this event to be. I doubt all of them combined costs as much as your belt."

"The gold one." Sasuke was quick to decide.

Sakura held up the piece of clothing in her right hand to clarify. "This is rose gold."

"Whatever. Put it on."

They mutually rolled their eyes at each other while the girl ducked into her quarters to change. She emerged seconds later wearing a debonair, sleeveless cocktail dress that ended just above her knees. Twirling in front of Ino's full length mirror, she asked, "How's this?"

She saw Sasuke nod in the mirror's reflection and clapped her hands. "Finally! This was my prom dress last year. Just give me a minute to put on some make up and I'll be good to go."

"Where's your date?" The boy inquired, sending off some work-related e-mails.

"He'll meet me there." Sakura answered, combing her hair with one hand and applying lip gloss with the other. "I'm ready!"

Sasuke was already at the door, waiting expectantly. The girl, however, remembered that she forgot to assemble her purse and find matching shoes.

"What happened to being ready?" he asked, annoyed. Sakura was doing the same shit that she pulled at the hospital when she said she only needed to deliver cookies, then had to stop by the on-call room, oh, and since they were on the same floor she wanted to drop by an old lady's room, too.

Sasuke wouldn't admit that his train of thought was interrupted when he saw Sakura stepping into heels. He also didn't care to share that his eyes may have strayed inappropriately when she bent down to fix her shoe.

"Okay, I'm really ready! Let's go!" Sakura declared, straightening up in time to catch his gaze. Her lips parted in surprise before turning into a cheeky grin. "Want a picture?"

Sasuke smirked and shook his head in defeat. Following Sakura out the door, he conceded to admitting one thing: this girl was an expert at throwing things back in his face.

Author's Note

Still the beginning, things are still going slowly, and I'm exchanging a fast paced plot for more interactions between Sasuke and Sakura! They sure are two sassy people, aren't thing?

I wanted to address something for some reviewers: This IS a Sasu/Saku and Naru/Hina fic and I know what I'm doing! I can say for certain there won't be any romantic elements of Sasu/Hina (or Naru/Saku), but their engagement is crucial to the plot. I'll also start adding more Naru/Hina from now on, so I hope that confirms my commitment to both pairings. If my writing style or plot doesn't jive with you, I'm sorry to hear that but I'm not forcing you to read. I can only hope ya'll like what I'm putting down. Thanks to everyone again for reading and please drop me a review :)