Summary: Sakura watched with disdain, her eyes on her longtime crush, Sasuke Uchiha. She watched with hopeless eyes, wondering what the idiot had that she didn't. She was the only girl Sasuke paid any attention to. She grew to hate even muttering her name for this reason. "Naruto Uzumaki," she growled. Fem!Naruto. NaruSaku. Some FemNaruSasu and SasuSaku. Purely experimental. Rating may change.

AN: Anxiety is killing me but I'll still post this anyways. Like wtf am I even thinking? Lol. Pretty much an excuse to write innocent yuri (or maybe not so innocent in the future)? I wanted to write SakuIno, but gah, I love NaruSaku way too much, and this idea wouldn't leave. Haha this might be my first Naruto M rated fic if I continue this long enough.

Warning: Beginning of the series Sakura, so bear with me lol. She gets better of course haha.

Recommendation(s): Daisy – Zedd ft. Julia Michaels (I made a NaruSaku AMv to this song so check it out. Look up "Daisy NaruSaku AMV"). Illusion – Zedd. Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap. Break the Distance – Ashton Edminster. Where I Belong – Nine Lashes.

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How a Kiss Should Taste

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"Naruto Uzumaki." It pained Sakura to even think of her name at that point. She couldn't help but growl in jealousy. Ino and the rest of Sasuke's fangirls eyed the blonde haired girl with so much hatred. They only wished looks could kill, because they would have most likely laughed if the girl had dropped then at that moment.

They weren't happy at the situation.

Sakura and Ino stood side by side, the first time in a long time. Usually, they would be at each other's throats. But the two rivals instead were focused on the other girl. Their eyebrows twitched, and their expressions screamed vehemence.

"Who does she think she is?" It was Ino who growled that out. Sakura was in agreement, her eyes darting to the blonde haired girl who was arguing with Sasuke Uchiha. They were so envious of the girl – she was the only girl who could ever even hold a conversation with the young man, let alone get a rise out of him. Sakura, for the life of her, couldn't understand how this girl, this stupid, stupid girl – dead last who couldn't even make a single clone – was the only one who could garner Sasuke's attention.

Sasuke himself would call her dead last (which was true), but he would actually acknowledged her, and it irked her to no end.

"What is dead last doing here?"

"How did she even pass the genin exams?"

"She can't even make a clone to save her life!"

"Yeah, she's not even supposed to be here: she failed the exam, last I checked!"

Sakura watched with disdain, her eyes focusing on her longtime crush, Sasuke Uchiha.

She watched him with hopeless eyes, wondering what Naruto had that she didn't. She was, again, the only girl Sasuke ever paid any attention to. She grew to hate even muttering her name for this reason.

It was a pity, because they used to even be friends.

Ino and herself used to defend the girl, too. They would often tell her to not listen to those mean girls, because they didn't know what they were saying…

But now Sakura thought similarly to those mean girls, since Naruto seemed to be winning in the game of gaining Sasuke's affections. Sakura now saw her as a rival, as competition, which is why she didn't care anymore what the other girls said about her, no matter how mean they were.

Especially in this moment in time, where the last thing she expected happened.

What happened next made Sakura want to throttle the girl.

Naruto kissed Sasuke!

It took a moment for Sakura to even process what was going on. Her eyes grew wide, her pupils dilated to the point she wondered if she was seeing correctly. All the girl's eyes widened, completely taken off guard by their longtime crush, kissing the class clown.

Sakura's fist fell to her side, completely surprised by what just occurred. She still couldn't comprehend what she just witnessed.

"Naruto Uzumaki," she growled. She wanted to cry, she wanted to get away and drawl over why she should have been Sasuke's first kiss. She wanted to comprehend what all of this meant.

"Teme," Naruto rasped, her cheeks inflamed. She wiped her mouth, hoping that would get rid of the gross feeling of Sasuke's lips on her own. Sasuke's face was heated as well, glaring at the floor, looking at anything but Naruto's face.

"Looks like Sasuke finally decided who will be his Uchiha bride and bare his children," Kiba laughed. The rest of the girls, however, made him stiff in fear. They were glaring at the boy. Kiba whimpered, and Akamaru yipped, frightened as well. "I-I'm just saying." Kiba tried to brush off their hateful glances with a shrug. The girls immediately turned to the couple who just displayed PDA and glared at them. They didn't even notice, for Sasuke and Naruto continued to bicker, their faces still red. Sakura's envious eyes took a moment to notice the red over Sasuke's cheeks. That was the first and only time she had ever seen him blush or show any emotions. Sakura frowned, feeling that hopeless feeling return. She felt sick. She wanted to run away, because it felt like the one person she had feelings for would never feel the same way.

She wanted to give up entirely.

This feeling lasted all but a few seconds, however. Sakura's jaw clenched, her fist tightening. She stood tall, ready to make her move. Sakura stomped her way to the Sasuke's desk.

"Excuse me," Sakura sneered, nearly shoving Naruto away to sit next to Sasuke. Naruto only made a mewl before watching the girl who only looked at Sasuke. Naruto glared at Sakura and Sasuke, before she averted her eyes, a deep frown forming for a split second. She quietly snarled, crossing her arms and making her way to the seat next to Sakura. Sakura turned to the seat where Naruto was, glaring. She leaned in, surprising Naruto – this was the first time Sakura acknowledged her in such a long time.

"You may have somehow been Sasuke-kun's first kiss, but he will be mine," Sakura whispered with malice, her eyes showing nothing but hate. Naruto gawked, nearly falling out of her chair at Sakura's words. She almost choked on her own spit at that.

"W-what? That's not even what happened, I'm not-" Naruto had to stop her spluttering, because Iruka-sensei walked in, greeting the class and ready to assign teams.

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The teams were assigned.

And to Sakura's pleasure, she was on Sasuke's team.

To Sakura's horror, so was Naruto, the girl who was already closer to Sasuke than she ever dreamed of.

Sakura sulked, her hands over her jaw as she leaned into the palm of her hands.

"I'm glad I'm on the same team as Sasuke-kun, but now Naruto is too, and she has a better shot with Sauske-kun than I do." She wanted scream at the sheer luck she had. She was jealous too, wondering why Sasuke acknowledged Naruto and not her.

Her fairytale was becoming a pipe dream she finally woke up from. Sakura was out in the open, on a random bench, but she still couldn't stop the tears that threatened to fall.

"What does she have that I don't?" Sakura said in between sniffles. She wondered if it was Naruto's pigtails, or if it was the fact that her hair was longer than her own. She did hear that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. Sakura eyed her own hair with distaste, brushing her bangs.

Sakura's saddened expression turned to one of disgust.

She didn't understand how he could like a girl like her. Yeah, Naruto's hair was longer than her own, but she remembered how badly it smelled. She barely washed her hair for crying out loud! Plus, she never moisturized her skin, so she bet it was flaky too. And she wore ridiculous orange shorts and jacket!

Sakura looked down to her own body, wondering if it was because Naruto was slightly curvier than her. But it wasn't even by much!

If Sasuke wanted a curvier girl, then he would have definitely went for someone like Ino.

Sakura remembered all the insults the girls used to say to pick on her, similar to the insults she was thinking about now. Sakura smirked at them, relaying them back. Even her name was something the girls would insult her for, because what kind of girl has a name like Naruto?

It was pretty ridiculous.

"I don't get it… Why would Sasuke-kun like someone like her?"

Sakura's anger transformed into sadness once again. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her lap as her hands clasped her cheeks sulkily.

Sakura thought of the girl even more.

Naruto did have pretty blonde hair, however. It was a darker shade than Ino's, but more natural than her own. Her own hair was pink, and probably made people think of a person's insides. And Naruto's cheeks were chubby, but that just made her face cute. The shape of her deep blue eyes reminded her of a cat in a way too. The three marks on both sides of her cheek, the ones all the girls used to make fun of, actually made her stand out and different from all the average girls in their class.

She also had a smaller forehead, she was sure. And she guessed her tan skin, although flaky at times, was the trend these days – it suited her complexion, too.

Naruto was cute, actually. She couldn't deny that.

Cuter than her.

"That's probably why Sasuke-kun likes her instead," Sakura continued to sulk. "How can someone like me compete?"

She never felt more insecure than at that very moment.

"Um, Sakura?" Sakura glanced up to the girl she couldn't stand to even look at: Naruto. She sat up straighter, preparing herself for fight if she had to.

Truth be told, Naruto never gloated or made fun of her, but she could never be too prepared.

"What do you want?" Sakura sneered. Naruto looked away from the girl's cold glare.

"Can I talk with you? We are on the same team," Naruto asked reluctantly. Sakura watched the girl, her back straightening and her eyes sharp as she watched Naruto make her way to the bench. She took a seat on the farthest side of the bench.

"I know you hate me… I don't know what I ever did to you, but you and Ino stopped talking to me… Whatever I did, I'm sorry, but we are going to be on the same team, and we are going to have to start working together." Naruto said this looking away from the girl, still looking angry and reluctant to engage with her. Sakura watched the girl, still a bit on edge. Sakura was momentarily shocked by her truce, before Sakura glared again.

"Don't think you can fool me. You just want me to let my guard down so you can sweep in and steal Sasuke-kun away like you always do," Sakura seethed, her fist clenching. "I'm not falling for your cheap tricks."

Naruto's eyes widened, gawking, nearly falling out of her seat.

"Steal Sasuke? What?" Naruto was legitimately surprised. Sakura was taken aback by her shock.

"Yes. Sasuke-kun kissed you or you kissed him, but that won't change the fact that I'll win his heart." Sakura crossed her arms, standing up before yelping when Naruto grabbed her hand, squeezing, as if she was pleading for Sakura to finally listen.

"Sakura, that was an accident. I didn't want to kiss him!" Naruto tried to convince. Sakura took a step back at this, shocked by Naruto's admission.

"What do you mean you didn't want to kiss him? He's Sasuke-kun! He's only the most popular guy and the coolest ever!" Naruto made a face at that, as though she was about to throw up. As much as Sakura hated to admit it, she was already feeling better at Naruto's confession. It pleased her.

"That guy is super annoying. You'd know if you actually got to know him," Naruto retorted, her arms crossed. Sakura glared.

"You're just saying that because he always calls you dead last and a bother," Sakura said, smirking at Naruto's glare. She was right, Naruto knew it.

"Well, who would want a guy like that anyways? That makes him annoying," Naruto retorted back. "He calls all the girls annoying, so why would any of you want a guy like him?" Sakura frowned. "He has the best grades and yeah, he is good at jutsu and in class, but his personality is so boring. FYI, we're always fighting. Guys like him make me sick."

"So you don't like Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, a bit embarrassed. Naruto looked at her as though she was crazy.

"What? Why would you think I like a guy like him?"

"You two kissed in school!" Sakura frowned, feeling completely hopeless. She pinched the bridge of her nose before rubbing her temples. "It's clear that he likes you!" Sakura yelled, before immediately shutting up. She realized her own heated words, before sitting down on the bench again and reevaluating her life.

Sakura looked devastated. Naruto frowned.

"You know, Sasuke is a bastard. You don't have to worry about me stealing your precious Sasuke-kun away. I hate him!" Naruto reassured.

Sakura scoffed, "How can you hate Sasuke-kun? He's the best!"

"In truth, I hate him… because… he took the only friends I had away from me… It's so annoying. Every girl: 'Sasuke-kun' this and 'Sasuke-kun' that. I feel like I'm one of the only girls that just doesn't care about getting noticed by a guy like him. Even then, I still lost you and Ino: my only friends. You two were the only ones who even talked to me, but I somehow got mixed up in all that Sasuke mess…" Naruto clenched her knees, fighting back tears. Sakura paused, frowning, feeling guilty. Things came to perspective. Sakura felt foolish, again. She didn't think that Naruto would put more value in their friendship than on winning Sasuke's heart. She didn't think about the ramifications. She always dismissed the hurt in her eyes when Sakura said nothing about the other girls picking on Naruto, or when she would give her envious glowers. Before, where they would defend the girl from the other girls, they now were in agreement, often with the girls who would make fun of Naruto.

Back then, Sakura only knew it was the best to cut ties, especially when she figured Naruto was winning in the game of love.

But Sakura never saw her cry in front of the girls. Naruto would just glare, or say something clever anyways before running away from them. Even when it was just the two of them, neither would say anything. Sakura would just ignore her and leave or glare.

"You know, before, when you two stopped talking to me… I thought I did something wrong. I was going to ask, but you two ignored me like everyone else. It was so painful, I just got so angry, especially when you two would glare at me or let the other girls pick on me. It was so horrible, feeling all alone again." The water droplets forming just kept rolling down her cheeks. She tried her best to wipe them, but more would just keep coming. "I didn't even really care what they said about me. Sure, it hurt when they would say even cats hated me because they left scratches on my cheeks, but I got used to those insults. I stopped caring what they said about me." Sakura winced at that, knowing she was one of the girls who laughed when Ami said that to her. "But the worst part of it all, was knowing your friends left too. That they were there, laughing with the other girls." Sakura fought back tears of her own. She felt incredibly stupid for not speaking up, for thinking all the mean things about her, for being horrible.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I'm so sorry. I… I didn't think about how much that hurt you. I only thought of Sasuke-kun at that time. Me and Ino even insult each other for Sasuke-kun's affection, I don't think either of us thought how much it would really hurt you. I thought you were the same, that you wanted Sasuke-kun too." Naruto laughed.

"That's why I hate Sasuke so much. That's why I'm always fighting with him, I guess. What you see as me trying to win him over, was me picking fights because I hate him for what he caused."

"It wasn't Sasuke-kun's fault. It was us, we were all just being so dumb." Naruto smiled at her still. She laughed halfheartedly.

"It's really pathetic of me. Because I can hate Sasuke. But you and Ino-chan were my only friends back then. In reality, it was you two who saved me from loneliness… so as much as I know that it's not really his fault… It's still hard to hate either of you." Naruto laughed bitterly, wiping away the tears. "I just… wanted us to be friends again. Make fun of me all you want, pick on me for it, but that's all I want." Sakura's lower lip trembled, her eyes forming tears at the sincerity in her words.

Was that really all she wanted?

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry we stopped being friends, it was all my fault. I even stopped being friends with Ino. I thought… I thought you liked Sasuke-kun too back then. Please forgive me," Sakura explained, before enveloping her in a hug.

Sakura wasn't sure how long they were in that embrace, but Sakura pulled back after a while, before she saw a radiant smile on Naruto's tear-stained face. Sakura tiredly smiled too.

"For the record: everything they say about you, it's not true at all. You're actually really cute." Naruto's face heated at her words, but Sakura hadn't noticed. "All of those girls, including myself, were just jealous. Really jealous. And at least you don't have a humongous forehead like me, or unnatural pink hair like I do," Sakura laughed at herself, and she thought Naruto would laugh to, but she didn't. She frowned, and Sakura made a small gasp when Naruto's hand went up to her forehead.

"Sakura-chan… you shouldn't care about what anyone thinks of you, or say that about yourself. I stopped caring about what other people think about my looks. Because one day I'll be Hokage and I'll make people see me for who I am. Before, no one would even talk to me, let alone notice my existence until you and Ino came along. I guess getting insulted all the time is a compliment, since they're just jealous. At least that's what I told myself." Naruto shook her head. "But that's not the point. The point is, you shouldn't talk about yourself like that. You're the prettiest girl I know, you're so beautiful. I learned this the hard way, but you should never have to change yourself for a guy, Sakura-chan. You should look how you want, because it makes you feel good and it's what makes you happy. That's why I don't get how you can let a guy get in the way of friends. It's just so ridiculous to me."

"It's because… Sasuke-kun would make me happy. You say you want the villagers acknowledgment... All I really want is his acknowledgment. That's all I ever really wanted." Naruto frowned, before looking at her lap again.

"Why would it make you happy? You don't need his acknowledgement to be happy. You should realize that you can be happy without a guy's acknowledgement like that. You should do things for you. But in a way, I guess I kind of understand." Naruto smiled, understanding that maybe Sakura was similar in wanting Sasuke's acknowledgement. But she couldn't for the life of her understand why.

"I was being really dumb. I thought you liked Sasuke-kun too." Sakura said. She should have known. "Maybe that's why Sasuke-kun likes you. You don't care about what he thinks."

"You know… if what you say is true, and he really does like someone like me. Then… Then I bet it's because I'm such a good kisser," Naruto said, changing the subject and winking at the girl. Sakura looked surprised, her mouth gaping.

"What?"

"Yeah, I read magazines before! I didn't exactly use my good techniques on a guy like him, but I'm sure that got him, if what you said is true… I… I can show you if you would like," Naruto offered, hoping they could be friends again.

"Really?" Sakura asked, her eyes wide and her heart pounding with excitement. Images of her kissing Sasuke began to form. Naruto nodded before she began to laugh. "I was joking though. That's probably not it." She giggled. Sakura didn't share the same sentiment.

"But what if that's it… can you help me?" Sakura asked. Naruto paused, blushing madly. She watched Sakura, the shy look in her eyes as she asked. Naruto's blush deepened, before hesitantly nodding.

"Sure I can help you," Naruto smiled. Sakura looked excited. Naruto looked nervous afterwards, however, twiddling with the ends of her skirt. "But… you do know that if I do… that means we would have to…" Naruto trailed off, her fingers now threading through her long blonde hair.

"How are you going to help me?" Naruto smiled awkwardly before looking around and embarrassingly smiling.

"Um… the only way I can think of… But, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Naruto was mumbling now, her face completely red at the idea of doing something like this. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the girl, completely confused now. "Just close your eyes, okay?"

Sakura did just that, wondering what she was planning to do. She gasped when she felt a pair of light lips over her own. She immediately jumped back, nearly falling off the bench.

"N-Naruto! W-what are you doing?" she asked, gawking at the girl. Naruto blushed, shaking her head. She was blushing just as much as the other girl.

"Sakura-chan, it's okay, I-I just want to teach you!" Naruto yelped fretfully.

"Teach me like this?" Sakura spat.

"How else are we going to get the experience?" Naruto asked. Sakura's blush didn't subside, her bottom lip quivering. She looked around, panicking, praying no one saw.

"But… out in the open? What if someone sees though?"

"No one is here! Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto tried to convince. Sakura pursed her lips, wondering if she should. This was so weird. It's crazy how they even got to this point. Honestly, she was hating the girl in the morning, and now she just kissed her.

She kissed a girl. It felt so odd to do. It made her stomach do flips and made it churn in weird ways.

"I'm not sure about this, Naruto…" Sakura frowned. However, another thought crossed her mind, too. Naruto was the only one who kissed Sasuke-kun, plus, she was also the only girl Sasuke ever even acknowledges.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! It's alright, I'm sure I can help you another way then…I really was just joking around." Naruto paused for a moment, retracting her statement and blushing incredibly, hoping she didn't seem too desperate. Sakura shook her head, however, her previous thoughts sealing the deal in her mind.

"No, let's try it again. I want to get better," Sakura decided. Sakura leaned in, her eyes wide open and more prepared this time. Naruto nodded, before slowly leaning in herself.

"I…I heard that you're supposed to close your eyes." Both girls blushed, before doing just that. They leaned in, their lips finally meeting. Sakura was shocked, thinking this kissing thing wasn't so bad. She was sure she could do this when she was with Sasuke. This would be so easy.

The kiss was short. They were so close that she could even feel Naruto breathing through her nose. Sakura noticed that her lips were pretty plump. They were nice. However, she couldn't help but hope that Sasuke would think that hers were nicer.

Sakura was the one who pulled back, her eyes finally opening after several seconds. She looked at the girl next to her. Her eyes were still closed, her face heated with an odd smile on her face.

There was a long silence between the two. When Naruto's eyes finally opened, her face heated, trying to brush her blonde bangs aside as she watched Sakura, wondering what she would think or do after the chaste kiss.

She was surprised and pleased to hear the light giggles.

"You know, I think I got the hang of this. I wanted my first kiss to be with Sasuke-kun, but at least I won't be completely clueless now. I didn't know there was so much to it, but it's pretty easy once you get used to it." Sakura smiled. Naruto smiled as well, nodding. "Thank you so much, Naruto," Sakura said appreciatively before bringing her into a hug. "You're the best." Naruto only smiled.

"I'm just glad we're friends again." Sakura nodded.

"Me too."

"You know, you and Ino-chan should make up too." Sakura frowned.

"Ino is in love with Sasuke-kun, though. It won't end well." Sakura looked conflicted, realizing that trying to mend her friendship would only show weakness in her efforts to win Sasuke's heart.

"I still wonder why you let a guy like him get in the way of your friends. We've always been there for you! Don't forget the people who are most important to you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto tried to convince. Sakura still looked dejected, before she sighed.

"Okay, okay. Maybe the next time I see her again… I'll try talking to her." Naruto smiled, hugging her again.

"That's a relief. I hate that things changed so much. I just want us to all be best friends again," Naruto confessed. Sakura smiled.

"Even back then, when you got picked on even more, I never saw you cry like that, Naruto. I'm sorry I hurt you so much. I wish I could change the way I acted towards you." Naruto gave a shy smile.

"I'm just really glad we're friends again," Naruto confessed. Sakura smiled at the girl, before rubbing her shoulders.

"Why don't we have lunch before we meet our sensei, yeah?" Naruto nodded, giving off a smile that felt as warm as sunshine.

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"Sakura-chan?" Naruto started, eating a bite of her rice ball. Sakura put down her own and looked at the girl.

"Yes?" Sakura asked, taking another bite of her food.

"Um… Sakura-chan… I don't… I don't think I like boys…" Naruto blushed, her long hair over her shoulders as she averted her gaze to the ground. Sakura paused for a moment before she smiled, her hand over her shoulder.

"Hey, hey, that's fine, right? When you meet the right boy, you'll know! There's plenty of available shinobi out there, you'll find the right one when you see him," Sakura said. Naruto's eyes looked tired to Sakura. Naruto wanted to frown, wanted to let her uncertainty come out, but she couldn't even find the right words at the point. Naruto couldn't think of the right thing to say, to really convey her whirlwind of feelings. Naruto wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but she didn't think she had the strength to do that now. Sakura and Ino used to be her best friends, and she didn't want to lose Sakura after finally making up with her. Naruto just nodded, brushing through her long blonde hair, before offering Sakura the best smile she could.

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AN: You may know me as Aly or Wubbzy on my main account. Won't bore you with the details, but long story short: I made an alternate account for more freedom to experiment with different AU ideas and different pairings (check my profile).

Well, I'll just go in my little corner and question all my life choices now. xD I actually wanted to write SakuIno, but then I kept thinking, "What if Naruto was a girl?" (because I love NaruSaku way too much) Idk. If I make a next chapter, it will definitely be in Naruto's POV, because she has a lot of emotions and feelings she has no idea how to deal with by herself. I think I wrote more fluff in this piece than I do my regular NaruSaku stories. xD Anyways, I hope you guys liked this, and I hope you guys are open to all the alternative stories I'll be writing in the future! This is just the start. This account is purely for fun experimenting. ;) Questions? Please review! Would love to know your thoughts!