A/N: How are you all doing people!? I'm doing alright, I guess. Welcome back to another chapter of Mismatched Chapters, where we will dive right into the story after a few short messages. Those messages being I hope you enjoy and I hope you all have a good day.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters.

Mismatched Fragments

By Yangster

Chapter #4: An Awkward Visit

It was the sound of his alarm clock blaring that woke him up.

A whole hour earlier as well than the usual time he would wake up. The reason for why he was waking up this early?

Well...

She was coming back. To pick up her stuff.

While he was normally a morning person, he found himself hating the act of waking up more and more after that day a few weeks ago. Nothing was that different, at least not physically. It was just that he felt a bit more sore and a bit more tired than usual. He was sure that he was just in a funk and that in time, he would be able to get back to his normal routine without having to force every action as if his body was being weighed down with lead.

He groaned loudly as he willed himself to slowly leaned upward into a sitting position. Tilting his neck a bit side to side, he flinched a bit as he heard the sounds of his joints cracking. Was it just him or was he starting to outgrow his pillow?

"Alright..." he murmured quietly before he mustered up the strength to fling his legs over so that they were off of the bed.

Getting out of bed, he ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his phone before he slowly wandered towards the door to the bathroom. Just as he passed by his dresser, he stopped as he saw the ring box from the corner of his eye. Even now, just looking at it brought on the feeling of something carving its way into his chest and gripping on to his heart. With Sakura coming, he knew that the feeling would only get worse if she mentioned it.

Sighing quietly, he walked over towards his dresser and picked up the ring box. Opening one of the drawers to his dresser, he dropped it in before turning around to resume his little journey to his bathroom. Rubbing his eyes a bit over the sink, he then took a look at his phone.

Another message from Sakura. Something about her saying that she would be there a bit earlier.

"Great," muttered Naruto as he placed the phone down and looked at himself in the mirror. "I guess I'll just cut my shower short."

Running a hand over his jaw, he took note of the light stubble that had developed during his sleep. Sometimes he wondered whether or not it was a curse to be of mix race like he was. Sure, he got to be tall and blonde, but then again, he had to shave daily or else he would end up looking like a scruffy mess. Perhaps someday he should try growing a beard.

But then again, if he grew a beard, he would lose that boyish charm of his.

He grabbed his toothbrush before turning on the sink. Wetting the tip of his brush under the water, he then applied a generous amount of toothpaste before he began brushing his teeth. While he liked having shiny, white teeth, he hated brushing. It did not help that he was impatient and that he did not enjoy the sensation of mint. He had more than once considered buying one of those tubes of flavoured toothpaste, but in the end, he always brushed the thought to the side.

The only fun part that came with brushing his teeth was the part where he got to spit out the mix of saliva and toothpaste into the sink.

Stripping off his sleeping clothes, which was basically a pair of boxer briefs and a sleeveless t-shirt, he tossed them into the bin before he turned on the shower. Waiting for a few seconds, he stepped in once the shower windows began to fog up.

He sighed softly as the hot water did wonders to his sore muscles and misalligned joints. There was quite nothing like a hot shower right after getting out of bed. If what they said about having a hot shower before bed was true, then the opposite must have also been true, he figured. Hot showers in the morning were just great for waking up. Not as great as a cup of coffee, but great enough.

That reminded him. He needed to get more coffee and to start eating breakfast again. Perhaps if the meeting with Sakura goes by quickly, he could stop on the bakery on the way to work and buy himself a red-bean bun.

Applying some shampoo into his hand, Naruto quickly got to work washing his hair. He loved his hair. It was one of the things about him that he actively took pride in and took care of. Not only was his blonde hair smooth and silky, but it also had great volume. Whilst his mother would have loved to have boasted about being the one who gave him that hair, his father was the one who got all the credit.

As he savoured the hot water, his mind wandered around all the things that had happened in the three weeks. Whilst he knew it was unhealthy to linger too long on the past, he thought that it was right to at least spend some time doing a little self-reflection.

A lot of things had happened, that was for sure.

While, sure, his proposal was declined, he still had some good things happen to him. He got to actually serve the famous, Uchiha family, and actually share a drink with one of them, which was pretty cool. They were as intimidating in real life as they were from their pictures on news, with their bold red eyes and pale skin. Perhaps not Sayuri, however, as she had a much more delicate version of the trademark Uchiha glare compared to her parents.

He slowly stopped moving and allowed himself a few moments to just stand under the water as his mind wandered on to Sayuri. She had been coming to the restaurant on a regular basis, without fail, for about three weeks ago. The first time she had came was with her family, just a few days after Sakura had declined his proposal. He wondered why she came so often. Not even the regulars came that often.

Was it because of the food? Surely, not, right? He was pretty sure the food they served at that fancy Uchiha manor of their's was a heck of a lot more expensive and delicious than whatever Gaara was making.

No offense to Gaara, of course.

Perhaps it had to do something with when they had first come to the restaurant. He had noticed it easily, with all three of them wearing mourning clothes. Since Itachi, the heir, was not there, he had just connected the dots. It was a good thing and a bad thing that he was right. It was good because he did not assume wrong and it was bad, because someone had obviously died.

They must have been going through a hard time, especially Sayuri.

He swallowed quietly as he slowly turned off the water. Naruto knew that he was a sympathetic person, maybe to the point where it was a fault. He just hated when bad things happened to people. If Sayuri continued to come to the restaurant, he would do his very best to ensure that she had a good time. He may not be able to provide help directly, but he would make sure that she was at least content under his care.

Nodding his head in affirmation, he then opened the shower door and grabbed a towel. Running the towel through his hair, he dried his feet on the mat he had set down beside the shower before he walked over and flicked the switch to the ceiling fan.

Tossing his towel into the bin, he then walked over to the mirror and brought out his shaving kit. It consisted of a straight-edge shaving knife and a bunch of half-finished cans of shaving cream. Even he found it a bit strange that he clung to the old way of shaving, but it was his grandpa that taught him how to do it. Why fix something that is not broken, right?

He still remembered when he was still learning. He must have cut himself at least a dozen times within the first month.

That had not been fun.

Rubbing some shaving cream on to his face, he got to work and began shaving off the stubble along his jaw. Maybe he was weird, but he found some satisfaction in the light scraping sound that was made whenever the blade ran against his stubble.

Rinsing off, he rubbed a towel over his face before taking a moment to check himself in the mirror.

He looked good. He felt decent. He would show her that he could still live his life now that she had left.

Dropping his face towel into the same bin he used for everything else, he quickly got out of the bathroom to hunt for some clothes to wear. Walking over to his dresser. he opened a drawer and took out what would be his underwear for the day. A pair of blue boxer-briefs.

Next came his work uniform, a sort of modernized, shortened kimono that mimicked a western style suit. It even came with a tie. Putting that on neatly, he then proceeded to pick out the outfit he would be wearing after he had finished work. He was a simple person, so a pair of jeans, a light shirt and a coat with a fur hood would do just fine.

Just as he had closed the drawer, he heard a knock on the door.

He sighed quietly. "That must be her..."

Walking over to the door. He took a deep breath to prepare himself before opening it.

"Good morning, Sakura."

He greeted her in as nonchalant of a voice that he could muster.

She nodded her head. "Morning, Naruto."

Despite them having done nothing else but exchange greetings, the awkwardness that had infiltrated his apartment building was immediately palpable. It was strange. He had known Sakura all the way back since the beginning of highschool. So many years had passed and yet, despite knowing almost everything about her, she felt like a stranger appearing at her door.

"I've already packed up your stuff," replied Naruto, shrugging his shoulders a bit before gesturing over to his living room. "So it should be easy for you."

"Thanks," she said in response.

Getting out of her way, Naruto kept the door open in till she had stepped past him. He kept standing there as he heard Sakura shuffling around with the bags he had packed. Mustering up some courage, he turned his head to look at Sakura as she checked over her stuff.

"I think that is everything," stated Sakura as she zipped up the bag.

He nodded his head. "Good. I'd hate it if I missed something of yours."

"Was that sarcasm?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

"No," replied Naruto as he shook his head. "Not at all."

She let out a quiet sigh as she walked towards him with her bags. "Sorry, Naruto, but this is goodbye."

Sakura then leaned in for what he assumed to be a kiss on the cheek, but was stopped as he placed an imposing hand on her shoulder, prompting her to lean back and quirk a brow at him. Her confused expression angered him for some reason - it was as if she was oblivious to the hurt that she has caused him. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to just push her out of his apartment and close the door on her and on all the memories that he had with her.

"Huh?" she let out, her lips pressing together to form a pout.

He had never predicted a day where he would reject those sweet lips of hers.

"No," replied Naruto plainly.

"No?" asked Sakura, as her grip on the bag handles tightened. "What do you mean?"

He let out a long, weary sigh and closed his eyes for a second before opening them. "Look... Sakura. Right now, I'm at odds with you. I have no idea how to feel about you, about what happened to us and what is going to happen next. Someday, perhaps, we may become friends again, but..."

Naruto paused for a second to take a breath.

"I don't think I will ever be able to forgive you."

He watched as she pursed her lips and looked away.

"Is that how it is then?" she asked, her expression turning sullen. "You're just going to brush away all the years that we have known each other?"

Naruto felt his jaw tighten up. "No, Sakura. That would be you."

"Hmph," she grunted in response, her brow furrowing at his words. "I had my reasons."

"I'm sure you did," replied Naruto with a sigh. "I respect your reasons so please respect mine. I don't want you touching me."

She frowned at him. "Oh. Alright then.."

"This is goodbye, Sakura," he stated firmly as he stepped aside so that she could walk out.

She took one last look at him before she let out a ressigned sign and walked past him and out his apartment. He watched her leave for a few seconds before finally closing the door. Standing there for a few more seconds, he took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. It was weird. He felt a bit lighter, as if the grip around his heart had loosened a bit. He did not know what to make of it.

Walking into his living room, he glanced up at the clock and groaned.

"Great. No breakfast again," he remarked as he grabbed the bag containing his clothes and walked out.

Rushing down to the underground parking, he quickly got into his car before driving off. He did not know what to feel at the moment. Perhaps a mixture of relief and disappointment; relief that he could begin anew and disappointment in the way that Sakura had acted and the fact that he would be once again skipping breakfast.

Oh well. He would get back to it. It was a small promise to himself.

Driving down his usual path, Naruto tried his best to clear his mind. It was never a good idea to go into deep thought whilst driving a car. He would hate himself if he ever ended up hurting anyone. Though he wondered, as he drove towards the restaurant, passing by pedestrians, other cars and buildings, who to hate if the person being hurt was himself.

He was never a hateful person. He was not hateful back in school where he was bullied for being mixed race. He was not hateful when he was fired from his first job because the other employees disliked him, and he would not be hateful now, now that his time with Sakura was over. His friends had once made the comparison that he was an anchor, that when everything else changed, he remained his enthusiastic self.

Naruto smiled. That was a good thought to have. It was something he needed at the moment.

Driving into the employee parking of the restaurant, he parked at his usual spot before taking a good moment to take a breather. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked at himself at his rearview mirror and gave himself a smile.

"Another day," he announced inwardly.

Stepping out of his car, he made his way into the restaurant.

"Morning, Temari!" he greeted as he waved at her.

"Heya, Naruto!" replied Temari, returning the wave, along with giving him a smile as he walked in.

He smiled back. "How's it going?"

"Oh, you know," she answered vaguely as she tilted her head a bit side to side coyly, her smile widening as she did so. "Same old, same old."

Naruto quirked a brow. "Oh? You seem excited about something."

"Well, maybe just a little," admitted Temari, her cheeks turning a light pink. "You know Shikamaru, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, nodding his head. "What about him?"

She let out a pleasant hum, akin to a squeal. "He finally grew a pair and proposed to me!"

"Woah, that's great!" exclaimed Naruto, his eyes widening in surprise at the good news. "Wait, wait, wait."

He paused and dropped his voice down into a loud whisper. "What about Gaara? Does he approve?"

"Pshshshsh. I wouldn't care if he hated Shikamaru's guts," replied Temari, the corner of her lips curving upward into a smirk as she continued speaking. "I've been waiting for this for too damn long and I ain't letting anyone stop us!"

Naruto chuckled. "Well, I wish you happiness then."

"Thanks, Naruto," said Temari in response before glancing up at the clock. "Gaara is gonna be so pissed that I held you up."

"Oh well. I'm sure I can find some sort of excuse," replied Naruto, as he walked past the front desk. "Take care, Temari and congratulations."

She smiled.

"Have a good day, Naruto!"

Nodding his head, he made his way over to the employees' locker room. His locker was, unlike the others, was highly decorated with a bunch of small photos and fun, little gifts. Opening it up, he let out a sigh. He would be needing to store away the photos of him and Sakura soon. Perhaps tomorrow or the day after.

Placing his bag in, he closed the locker before heading towards his station. Doing some last moment checks on the table to make sure that they were polished and as clean as ever, Naruto then got to work setting up all the utensils, along with the cups.

There was something calming about repetition. He was sure that if he wanted to, he could easily keep doing the same thing for the rest of his life. Just him, his work, and his thoughts.

Sitting down for a bit in one of the seats, he stretched his arms a bit as he waited for the first wave of guests to arrive.

He wondered if Sayuri would be coming by again.

She was an interesting person to interact with for sure. Underneath that pale and beautiful appearance of hers was someone that he had not expected at all to have come from the Uchiha family. He had always expected them to be a solemn bunch, but Sayuri was fun, perhaps a little sarcastic, but overall, she was pretty fun to talk to.

Sure, she had some quips here and there, and she loved to tease him, but there was some charm to that subtle smirk of hers.

Suddenly, he heard the door open and closed, followed up by Temari greeting whoever had just came in. Leaning his head towards where the front desk was, he decided to listen to their conversation.

"Back again, Sayuri?" asked Temari, her voice as enthusiastic as ever. "Back for the food or are you back because of Naruto?"

Well then. That was ironic, he thought. It was quite the coincidencethat she would just show up right after he had asked himself whether or not she would show up. He felt the corners of his lips curve upward into a small smile as he anticipated another fun hour and a half sharing small talk and chatting with the young and beautiful heiress.

Standing up from the seat that had been sitting in, he brushed his uniform smooth and awaited Sayuri's presence at his station.

"Just send me to my table," was Sayuri's reply, her voice just loud enough for Naruto to pick up.

Naruto snorted and almost chuckled.

"Alright, alright," said Temari teasingly in response. "Come this way and I shall bring you to your awaiting prince."

He let out a wheeze into his hand as he had to muster all the willpower in his body not to break into a laugh. If that had been any other diner, then Temari would have been immediately dragged out of the front desk by the ear by Kankuro before being scolded and forced to give a public apology. Luckily for Temari, Kankuro was nowhere near at the moment.

Straightening up his posture, he stood patiently in till he saw Sayuri and Temari come into view. He had already seen Temari a bit earlier, so he directed his attention more towards Sayuri. She had her hair up in the same style of ponytail that he had seen her with the week before, but it seems that she had brought a different outfit this time. She was wearing a dark-grey coat on top of a navy-blue shirt this time around, along with what appeared to be a black pair of jeans.

She seemed to really like dark and plain colours.

As the two came closer, he offered a polite bow.

"Welcome back again, Sayuri," he greeted with a smile. "I'll take care of things from here Temari."

Temari nodded her head before tossing him the menu and walking back to the front desk.

"Hey, Naruto," replied Sayuri as she gave him a curt wave.

"I'm surprised that you've come back so soon," remarked Naruto as he gestured for her to follow him. "I thought it'd be at least another week."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I got bored staying at home."

"How can living in a giant mansion be boring?" he asked teasingly, as he guided her to a table by the window.

"All I have in my room is my piano and a bunch of books," answered Sayuri, offering Naruto a small smile as she sat down. "As much as I love playing the piano and reading, there are other things I also enjoy doing."

"Like eating here?"

She nodded her head. "Mhm."

"You really like that poached salmon, huh?" he asked, as he placed the menu down in front of her.

The corner of her lips tugged slightly upward into a subtle smirk. "Among other things."

"Oh?" he let out, quirking a brow. "What would those other things be?"

"It's nothing," replied Sayuri, shrugging once more, as she turned her gaze away from him for a few seconds to look down at the menu.

"Alright, alright. I won't pry," said Naruto reassuringly. "Shall I bring you some hot sake like last time?"

She quirked a brow. "Isn't it way too early to be drinking?"

"It also happens to be quite the cloudy and cold day today," replied Naruto enthusiastically, offering Sayuri a smile as he gestured towards the weather outside. "And the best thing for such a day would have to be some hot sake along with a warm and soothing meal."

"If you weren't a waiter, I'm sure you would be a salesperson," remarked Sayuri as she placed her elbows on the table.

He chuckled. "I bet I would. I'd be pretty good at it too!"

"Sure," she replied before tapping her fingers against the table. "I'll have some sake, but only if you'll share a drink with me like you did last time."

Naruto smiled. "Sure, Sayuri. I'd love to share a drink with you."

"You don't have to ask your boss this time?" asked Sayuri, glancing away from him for a short few seconds as she hid the subtle blush that had formed on her cheeks with her hair.

"I think you've grown a bit on this restaurant," he answered with a shrug. "Not many people come so often, especially not as often as three times in the same month as they first came here. Though then again, it could do with the fact that you're the daughter of one of the richest families in all of Japan."

She snorted. "When you say that, you're complimenting my parents, not me."

"My apologies," replied Naruto, offering her a smile and a tilt of his head. "Let me come up with a compliment that fits you."

"Go for it."

"Alright," acknowledged Naruto before he let out a quiet, contemplative hum. "Hmm... Well, I can't compliment how beautiful you are, because I'm sure your parents contributed to that, so I will try to stray away from the shallow compliments."

As he continued to ramble on about a bunch of other possible compliments for her, he completely missed the faint, red glow in her cheeks, slowly spreading to her ears.

"Just say something," she said in a beckoning voice, as she covered her flushed cheeks with her hands.

He gave her an apologetic smile.

"Alright, alright, Sayuri. I'm only takin' this long because I'd feel bad if I gave you the wrong compliment."

She quirked a brow. "How can there be a wrong compliment? A compliment is a compliment."

"Yeah, but I'm trying to find a compliment good enough for you."

"You're.. You're teasing me, right?" she asked with a slight stammer, much to her embarrassment. "Are you like this with everyone or just me?"

Naruto chuckled and his eyes lit up with amusement. "Just you, Sayuri."

He counted it as a small victory at using Sayuri's own words from the last time they had talked against her to make her blush.

"Hmph," she grunted quietly, biting her tongue a bit as she tried to hide any strong reaction to his words. "Just go get my sake."

He nodded his head and smiled. "I'll be as quick as I can."

With that said, he bowed politely before leaving to fetch Sayuri a flask of hot sake. He liked this little set up that they had starting to go on. He would get her some sake and she would ask him to share a drink with her. Then he would get to drink some delicious sake while also getting to enjoy her company. It was starting to become the highlight of his days.

Walking into the room where they stored the sake, he opened one of the cabinets up before picking out a good bottle. Pulling the cork out, he poured a flask's worth into a narrow decanter before making his way to where they kept the bath of water to that they used to heat up sake.

He sort of loss count, but he was sure it only took a minute or two.

Grabbing two saucers, he walked back to Sayuri's table.

"I made sure to bring two this time so I don't have to make a return trip," he stated with a smile, holding up the two saucers before setting the decanter and the two saucers on to the table.

"You learn well," she remarked teasingly, returning the smile, albeit hers being much more subtle than his.

Naruto let out a soft chuckle. "That's how I keep this job."

"Heh," snorted Sayuri in response before she gestured to the seat opposite to her. "Sit down already."

She said that a bit more hastily than she had wanted to.

"Alright, alright, I'm not going anywhere... Not in till more guests arrive anyways," he replied, smoothly sliding the two saucers and the decanter on to the table before sitting down in front of her.

He then proceeded to pour her some sake. "Here you go, Sayuri."

"Thanks," she said quietly in response as she pulled her saucer towards herself. "Should I get yours like last time?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, you are my guest, I can pour for myself."

She shook her head. "Yes, but isn't it customary to let the other person pour for you when offered?"

"Yes, but this is a special occasion," argued Naruto softly as he reached for the decanter once more to pour for himself.

Sayuri did the same, her brow furrowing a bit as she eagerly reached forward in an effort to get to the decanter before Naruto did. She succeeded, albeit awkwardly, as she was just quick enough to wrap her slender fingers around the decanter before Naruto's fingers wrapped around hers. Her eyes widened at the sudden heat that seemed to engulf her hand before slowly turning her attention from the decanter towards Naruto. It seemed that he was almost as surprised as she was.

She felt her cheeks heat up. "Naruto."

"Sayuri," he responded quietly.

There was a long pause before he suddenly pulled his hand back. Forcing a smile in hopes of defusing the awkwardness, Naruto raised his arm before coughing quietly into his sleeve. Hopefully Sayuri was not able to see the blush the had on his cheeks that he was now desperately trying to hide behind his arm.

"Sorry for that. I didn't mean to."

"N-No, it's fine..." replied Sayuri, her voice just slightly above a whisper as she slowly pulled the decanter towards her. "There's no need to apologize."

She cleared her throat. "Raise your glass."

"S-Sure," he stammered in response as he complied with Sayuri's order and raised his saucer.

Sayuri swallowed quietly as she raised the decanter and poured Naruto some sake. While she was seemingly calm on the outside, she was cursing herself inwardly. She had just been spoon-fed something right out of a cliche romance novel and she had completely screwed it up. Why on Earth did she just have to freeze up like that? Where was that Uchiha gall that her family was known for?!

God, she was pissed. She just wanted to smack herself.

On Naruto's side, things were not going much better for him. While he looked cool, or at least he thought he looked cool, he felt himself panick just a bit on the inside. Not only had he just touched the heiress to Japan's most powerful country without her permission, but he had actually gotten away with it! He knew something was up. He was not that empty-headed. There was obviously something to do with him and the way that Sayuri treated him. He just did not want to jump into assumptions.

It was there again, that awkwardness. While not nearly as bad as it was when Sakura had come to pick up her stuff, it was still blaringly obvious.

"So. Uh, Sayuri-..."

"Drink," she stated sternly as she placed the decanter on the table.

Naruto quirked a brow at Sayuri's sudden change in tone. "Sure..?"

Raising his saucer, he tilted it back and drank. Thankfully, the sake was still hot. Hopefully this little pause in conversation would allow for the awkwardness he felt between them to reset. As he placed his saucer back on to the table, he widened his eyes in surprise as he saw that Sayuri was already pouring herself another round.

"Sayuri?"

"You know what, Naruto?" she began, swirling the saucer of sake in her hand, causing the clear liquid to swish around the shallow cup. "There's just something about you."

He blinked. "Something about me?"

"Yes," answered Sayuri, nodding her head before she brought the saucer closer to her lips. "Whenever I'm here at the restaurant with you, you always just seem to just give me this weird feeling."

"Is it a good feeling or a bad feeling..?" asked Naruto, swallowing quietly.

She took a sip from her glass and savoured what little sake that she had taken in. Her gaze turned down at the saucer in her hand before slowly turning back up to look at Naruto. That movement felt calculated, almost as if she did it to cause him to feel even more anticipation than he already did.

"I'm going to say anything about that yet," replied Sayuri with a shrug as she placed the saucer on to the table before she slowly ran her finger around the rim of it. "I hardly know you well enough to be certain of any of my feelings."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Sayuri snorted softly. "Hm. Perhaps I am, but even I don't know what I'm saying. I'm just little my mouth run off. It's that stupidly enthusiastic attitude of yours affecting me, Naruto."

She let out a quiet sigh, before taking a deep breath. Her breath was cut short as the door opened and the sound of Temari greeting the next group of diners brushed by both of their ears. For a second, she seemed to panick, but managed to recover quickly, in only the span of two, maybe three, seconds.

"Give me your phone," she ordered, her tone commanding and quick.

"S-Sure," replied Naruto, suttering a bit before he scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket before turning it on and sliding it towards Sayuri.

Sayuri quickly picked up the phone and began typing something. Her slender fingers made it easy for her to use the tiny keys on the phone's keyboard. As she did so, Naruto could not help but admire how much better she seemed to be with technology than he was.

"Here," she said plainly as she slid the phone back towards him.

He quirked a brow as he glanced down at his phone and then at her. "What is this?"

The corner of her lips curved upward into a smirk.

"It's my phone number. Please do make sure to call me."

His eyes widened slowly in surprise and in complete doubt of himself. Was she actually considering him, out of every other man that she could possibly have access to? No way, he was no where near good enough for someone like her. Heck, he had not even been good enough for Sakura. He opened his mouth to say something, or to decline, but there was something about that slight glint in Sayuri's eyes.

Despite that confident smirk on her face, there was something to her whole expression that just screamed frayed nerves and barely suppressed embarrassment.

Naruto nodded his head slowly. "Will do."

He managed a smile.

"Good," she replied, leaning back into her seat before she tapped her fingers against the table.

"I'm thinking that maybe I'll have the mackeral this time."

Standing up, Naruto let out a quiet snort.

"Sure."

A/N: You know what, I realized that the title for the previous chapter worked so much better for this chapter. So I made a new chapter title for the previous chapter and I used the previous chapter title for this chapter! If that was not confusing, then I do not know what is. Awkwardness makes for some rather cute moments, don't you agree? Please favourite, follow and review! I love feedback!