A/N: Salutations, my wonderful readers. I welcome you back to the seventh chapter of Mismatched Fragments Redux! I hoped you liked those interactions between Kakashi and Sayuri in the last chapter, and that you are also wary of what Danzo might be planning for her. Also, I'm sorry for taking this long to update. What little work I still do has been oddly draining. Anyways, please enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters. I own nothing.

Mismatched Fragments Redux

By Yangster

Chapter #7: A Promising Beginning

She could not believe that it was finally happening.

Somehow, her courage had lasted from her conversation with Kakashi all the way until it was the usual time for Naruto to call her; and when he did, she had nearly blasted into her phone telling, basically ordering, him to take her on a date. Except, that was not how it had gone at all. What had actually happened was that she had whispered her request in a voice so meek that she could not believe it had come out of her own mouth—plus she ended up having to repeat herself after all that.

It was embarrassing; so much so that she had wanted to die right then and there. But he had said yes.

And that was all that mattered.

They had decided to meet up on the coming Saturday; when he was off from work and her parents were out of town for the weekend. To think that she would be going on a date, her first date ever, with someone that she had chosen herself. While she had never put much thought into the kind of person her first date would be, she had always subconsciously believed that he would have been picked for her by her father. He had control over most aspects of her life; and she had not thought to question any of it.

Not until now.

All it had taken was a chance meeting with a charming blonde and a small push from her butler, and she was now making decisions all by herself. A small part of her was scared; if she screwed this up, it would be her fault—there was no one could she blame. However, the powerful rush from being independent for once was more than enough to keep her going despite her doubts.

Still, she was nervous about her date—with Naruto.

She owned multiple romance novels; while they gave her some insight as to what a quote-on-quote proper romantic relationship felt like, it had little in the way of what she needed to actually do to feel as such. Though then again, she felt as if she was already half-way there, her heart pitter-pattering in her chest whenever thoughts of a certain man came to mind.

There were also concerns about what she would be wearing on their date. When she had asked him, he had told her to wear whatever she liked. And while she enjoyed wearing her boring combination of a sweater and a pair of leggings, she felt that he had at least deserved seeing her in something a bit more special. Something like...

She hummed quietly as she pulled a garment out from her closet, her eyes narrowing as she examined it before the corner of her lips curved upwards to form a smirk.

Yes, this would do, Sayuri thought. She could not wait to see him on Saturday, which was tomorrow—and for him to see her.

Knowing that she should get in bed or else she would not be able to get to sleep in time, she did just that, turning off the lights before she crawled under her sheets and closed her eyes. As she suspected, she tossed and turned, her excitement preventing her from keeping still, but eventually... Eventually, as thoughts of him turned into a dream, she began to doze off, a small smile on her lips as she finally fell asleep.

Across the city in his studio apartment, Naruto was still awake. Very much so, in fact, as he shared a drink with his best friend and co-worker, Gaara. Unlike most Friday nights though, there was a heaviness in the air as they sat on the couch, drinking their beers whilst watching the television. This was only apparent to one of them, and it was definitely not the blonde.

However, Gaara, being Gaara, said nothing about it. He knew Naruto would tell him if something was wrong when he was ready. And judging by his friend's expression, that would be any second now.

Any second now...

"Gaara, something's been on my mind lately," said Naruto, oblivious to the slight smirk that had just appeared on his friend's face.

"Oh?" He lifted a brow. "And what would that be?"

"It's about Sakura."

Gaara held back the urge to say anything, and instead decided to let Naruto continue talking.

"And... Well... Sayuri Uchiha."

"Oh?" Gaara lifted a brow as he turned his head to look at him. "What about them?"

"You know how you pulled me aside a few weeks ago because I looked out of it?" Naruto frowned, continuing when he saw the redhead nod. "Well... You were right. It was about Sakura. She... She and I... We're no longer together."

"I see..."

Naruto took a small pull from his bottle. "It had been the perfect day, you know... When I proposed to her. Everything was going so well, but..."

He then let out a sad sigh.

"She said no."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto." Gaara awkwardly raised an arm which Naruto gladly wrapped around his own shoulder. "Do you know why she said no?"

"No." He slowly shook his head. "And I still don't..."

"Women..." Gaara paused. "Women are confusing."

Naruto let out a soft snort. "Yep."

"So, what about Sayuri Uchiha?" he asked, taking a drink as he waited for him to respond.

"Well... You know how she's been coming to the restaurant a lot?"

Gaara nodded.

"Like, she's been coming a bit less now, but a few weeks ago, she was there almost every day for lunch?"

He nodded again.

"And how Kankuro gave me permission to share a drink with her whenever she asked me to?"

A third nod.

"I haven't told anyone about it yet, but we've gotten a bit close," confessed Naruto, his face taking on a guilty look as he continued speaking. "She gave me her phone number, and asked me to call her. So, I did after I got off work. And now, it's become a thing between us..."

He then looked over at him.

"She asked me on a date, Gaara. And... I said yes."

Gaara did not immediately respond; instead, he took a sip of beer, and turned to watch the television. Naruto did not dare say anything else, too afraid that his friend was disappointed in him. When his friendly finally looked back at him, he nearly flinched in anticipation of whatever harsh words that he may have had for him.

"I don't see why that is a big deal."

"W-What?" Naruto's eyes widened. "But aren't I moving too fast?!"

"Naruto, I don't think that matters," he began, biting down on his bottom lip as he put some thought into some response. "I have known you for quite a while now, and I have seen how well you treated Sakura when you two were still in a relationship. You're not the kind of person to love half-heartedly nor the type to love someone less over time, so if you think you have feelings for Sayuri, then go for it."

Naruto blinked at him. Once. Twice. Then, he glomped him.

"N-Naruto! You're going to spill my beer!"

Upon hearing that, he quickly pulled back. "Ah. Sorry. I was just really surprised and happy to hear that from you."

"Jeeze..." Gaara gave him a look. "It would have been your couch that got ruined. Not mine."

"Meh." Naruto chuckled. "I need to replace this thing anyways."

"Why?"

The blonde just winked at him.

Immediately, he stood up. "I'm going back to the table."

"That won't make much of a difference!" he heard Naruto shout at him.

"Gross."

"Hey! I made sure to clean afterwards!"

Gaara gave his head a shake before downing the rest of his bottle.

"I'm getting another beer."

Naruto laughed.

"Make sure to get me one, too!"

The mood had quickly lifted after that, and the rest of the night was spent talking and drinking. By the end of it all, more than a dozen empty bottles rested on the table, Naruto had fallen asleep on his couch, and Gaara had to get hoisted away by his siblings and thrown into their car. Though they had both drank around the same amount, only one of them would wake up the next morning hungover—and once again, it was definitely not the blonde.

Perhaps it was because he was excited for his date, but Naruto managed to wake himself up the next morning—before his alarm did it for him. Springing onto his feet, he walked over his bed, specifically his nightstand, and pulled out one of the drawers. It was a spur of the moment decision for sure, but... Maybe it was because of who she was or something that happened in his dream... Oh well. Rummaging through it, it did not take him long to find what he wanted.

A pair of glasses. Checking the frame, he let out an amused snort when he saw the Uchiha brand logo on them.

While his eyes were not so bad that they warranted needing to use them, they were still bad enough that his grandparents had forced him to get a prescription. And while he appreciated them getting a pair for him, he stopped wearing them after he moved out, but... Well... Maybe it was cheesy, but he thought it would be cute of him if he also showed up wearing glasses.

Walking into his bathroom, he put them on, and checked himself out in the mirror. God, he looked like such a dork, he thought, laughing at himself, oblivious to his own smile as he got ready for the day. It was only when he caught himself humming in the shower that he noticed how he was acting, how... Exuberant he was being. He almost felt as if it were five years ago, when he had his first date with a certain someone...

No. That was in the past. It would be wrong to think of her when this day belonged to someone else.

Someone that he had to meet in about an hour.

Squeaky clean and freshly shaven, he stepped out, and walked over to his dresser. Though he had put some thought into what he would be wearing, he decided that this time, he would just go with the flow. He did suddenly decide to start wearing his glasses again after-all. So, throwing caution to the wind, he started putting together an outfit.

And when he was finally fully dressed...

"Huh." He hummed pleasedly as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Not bad!"

An orange shirt, a hooded leather jacket, and a pair of dark-blue jeans. They went well with his glasses, he thought. Hopefully, she would think the same.

Grabbing a convenience store onigiri from the fridge to eat on the way there along with his keys, Naruto then walked out the door, and headed down to the underground parking lot. He tapped his foot as he stood in the elevator, impatience getting to him even though he still had plenty of time left until when they had decided to meet each other. While he knew that, he also knew that with how the city was, there was always a possibility of something holding him up—causing him to be late.

And that simply would not do! As someone had once told him: "If you're five minutes early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late."

Granted, the person who had told him that was former military. Still, it was a good standard to follow! At least, that was what he thought. Man... It really has been a long time since he has spoken to Kakashi. He should really give the man a call one of these days...

Maybe after the date, he would.

As it was just a first date, they had both decided on something casual. It was her that had suggested that they go to the mall; after that, she would leave the rest of it all up to him. It was tough coming up with something to woo the Uchiha heiress when she had access to many more things than he did, but he was sure that what he had planned was going to do just that. And if not, well, at least he could say he tried earnestly.

He rolled into the parking lot of the mall just as he finished his onigiri. And unlike most days, he managed to do so without getting grains of rice on his clothes. It was a promising beginning, he thought, smiling as he got out of his car and made his way in.

They had decided to meet in a boba shop near the entrance. As he had been there a few times already, he knew that it was a quaint place; minimalist in design like the restaurant with couches as well as chairs to give it a cozy, laid back vibe. The bubble tea they served was also really good—some of the best he has ever had.

Then again, there was definitely better. With Sayuri's wealth, she could have the best bubble tea in the country or the world whenever she so pleased. God, he was so nervous. Even though she had reassured him that how expensive their date would not be a factor, he had still splurged a bit. Hopefully...

Hopefully, this would go well.

Leaning up against a wall by the entrance, Naruto then pulled out his phone, and began browsing through the internet while he waited. With how he had timed things, it would be quite a while until she arrived, but he did not mind; it gave him time to calm his slightly jittery nerves. It was not every day that one got to take out a woman as beautiful as Sayuri Uchiha after all.

He had just finished reading a blog post from his favourite ramen stand when he heard a set of footsteps approach him. Looking up from his phone, he nearly dropped the thing when he saw...

"Sayuri." His eyes widened.

"Hey... Naruto," she said softly, offering him a shy wave, the flush on her cheeks contrasting sweetly with her pale skin. "How... How do I look?"

God, he did not even know where to begin—she was gorgeous!

Naruto knew he was staring, but he did not care; he just needed this one moment to take in her appearance completely, and then he would be satisfied. Sayuri had her hands clasped shyly behind her back and was wearing a navy-blue sundress with silver frills along with a pair of matching flats, as well as her usual set of glasses. The dress stopped just at her knees, giving him a hint of her long, smooth, and slender legs.

He only spared them a glance though, too enthralled with her face to look anywhere else. She had just a touch of makeup on—the perfect amount to accentuate her already beautiful features.

"You look..." He tried to find the words to describe her. "Amazing? Fantastic? Wonderful? I think they need to invent a new word to describe how good you look, Sayuri."

Her blush deepened. "Flattery will get you nowhere with me..."

"And your hair. I love what you've done with it," he continued.

She gave him a look. "It's just a ponytail..."

"Just stating facts," he said, offering her a smile. "You look beautiful—and that's the truth."

She bit her bottom lip and waited for her cheeks to calm down. When it felt as her face was no longer on fire, she quietly cleared her throat before parting her lips to speak.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she remarked. "I didn't know you wore glasses."

Damn, he looked oddly hot in them. She almost licked her lips.

"I usually don't." He grinned at her. "But I thought it'd be cute if we matched."

"It... Suits you," she admitted. "I think you should wear them more often."

Naruto smiled once more. "Maybe I will."

He then tucked his phone into his pocket and leaned in closer to get a better look at her, but paused when he saw something odd.

"Huh. Are you wearing brown contacts?"

"Everyone would know I was an Uchiha otherwise," she pointed out.

He paused. "Makes sense, I suppose. I have a feeling you'll still draw looks from a lot of people anyways though."

"One of the many consequences of being beautiful, I guess." She smirked at him.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, if you're willing to bear them, I'm not going to complain."

"You'd better not." Sayuri narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't you worry," he said reassuringly. "I've got absolutely nothing to complain about."

She took that as a compliment and blushed. "Right..."

"So, anyways..." He gestured to the door. "Shall we get some bubble tea?"

Sayuri looked into the shop and shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure."

"Not a fan?" he asked as he opened the door for her.

She shrugged once more. "I've never had bubble tea."

"Really?" Naruto widened his eyes at her. "And I thought bubble tea was more of a girl thing than a guy thing. I'm really surprised you haven't had it before."

"Well..." Sayuri trailed off before looking at him and smiling. "I guess you can introduce it to me then."

"Just like how I introduced you to casual drinking?"

She smacked him on the arm. "Shhh! And... Yes."

Naruto laughed, but did manage to stop himself when he saw her pout. Though he wanted to tease her a bit more, he held back, knowing that there would be plenty of opportunities to do so later. So, walking in after her, he then guided the Uchiha heiress over to the counter. The girl working there quickly greeted them with a smile, and asked for what they wanted.

"What can I get for you two?"

Sayuri took one look at the menu and made a face. "There are so many options..."

He glanced at her as she stared at the thing, the corner of his lips curving upwards into a smile at the adorably pensive look she had; just the way that she was biting down on her plump, bottom lip, and how intense her gaze was...

"It's usually like that at these sorts of places," said Naruto eventually.

"Hm..." She narrowed her eyes a bit. "I guess I'll have the lychee green tea?"

"Any add-ons, miss?"

"Add-ons..." Sayuri pressed her lips together before turning to Naruto. "What should I get?"

"No matter what I get, I always add on pearls and coconut jelly," he answered.

She nodded her head before looking at the girl working the counter. "I'll have that then please."

"Alrighty! And what it will be for you, sir?"

"Passion fruit green tea with pearls and coconut jelly." Naruto offered the girl a polite smile.

"I'll have it out for you two in a minute."

As girl got to work making their drinks, Sayuri glanced over at one of the couches. "So, do we sit down now, and she'll bring it over to us?"

"Usually we wait for the drinks, and then we sit down," he explained.

"Ah." She looked around the shop and let out a sigh. "It seems like my inexperience is already starting to show."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto smiled reassuringly at her. "You sit down. I'll get the drinks when they're ready."

"No," she said, slightly quicker than she would have liked. "I'll wait with you."

"That's sweet." His smile widened.

Sayuri blushed. "Right..."

God, she looked so cute whenever she was embarrassed. What he would do to just give those cheeks of hers a pi—

"Your order." The girl slid them across the counter at them.

"Thanks!" Naruto gave the girl another quick smile before picking up both drinks and gesturing over to the straws. "What's your favourite colour, Sayuri?"

"Blue."

He promptly took out a blue straw and handed it to her before getting his own. "And orange for me!"

"I was hoping that you'd say red," she said softly, her mild disappointment apparent in her tone.

"Why?" Naruto lifted a brow.

She responded to him by blinking; and when that did not work, she began staring. All he did was stare back. Eventually, she let out an annoyed groan and pointed to her eyes.

"Ooooooh."

"Took you long enough." She snorted.

"But your eyes are so pretty, Sayuri," he retorted. "I'd love them no matter what colour they were!"

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed; her whole demeanor changed as she took on a shyer posture. "Why don't we just sit down already, huh?"

"Sure." He smiled.

They walked over to the nearest couch and sat down beside each other. Looking over at her, he saw that that the rosy red was just starting to fade from her face as she slowly regained her composure. For a moment, he considered saying something to rekindle that adorable blush of hers, but he resisted; he did not want to embarrass her any further—at least not until later.

Keeping an eye on her, he watched as she took out the straw and promptly pierced the lid of her cup with it. Doing the same with his own, he then looked back at her, and waited for her to take her first sip. Perhaps he may have paid a bit too much attention to the way she wrapped those soft, pink lips of hers around her straw as she drank because he quickly found his face heating up, forcing him turn his gaze elsewhere lest another part of his body react as well.

"Blegh..." Sayuri made a face as she groaned, prompting him to look back at her. "This is ungodly sweet."

Despite her words, she took another sip before turning to face him.

"Is this what you people do?" she asked. "You cover cheap tea with copious amounts of sugar?"

Naruto laughed. "I don't see you stopping!"

"I never said that it was a bad thing." She pouted around her straw. "I'm not usually into sweet things..."

"I'm surprised."

"Why is that?" She lifted a brow at him.

He grinned at her. "Because you're one of the sweetest girls I know."

"N-Naruto..." Her face went red. "I seriously doubt that—not with my attitude."

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

Sayuri paused; it was as if she did not know the answer either. "We can talk about it later, Naruto. Right now... I want to... Hmm..."

"You want to...?"

She looked over at his cup. "I want to try yours."

"Oh?" He leaned in. "Already trying to get an indirect kiss in on the first date? How bold of you, Sayuri."

She let out a snort. "I'm nineteen, not nine, Naruto. I can share a straw maturely."

"Go ahead then," he said as he offered her his passion fruit green tea.

Sayuri placed her cup down onto her lap before taking his into her hands. Though she had no qualms with using the same straw as him, his comment suddenly had her thinking. Well... Overthinking. As she placed his straw into her mouth, she could not stop herself from thinking about what he had said; this was an indirect kiss, but... She did not mind—but only because it was him that she was indirectly kissing.

Taking a tentative sip, she hummed pleasedly before looking up at him.

"How is it?" he asked.

"Would you mind..." She trailed off, her brow furrowing when she found her resolve again. "Would you mind trading?"

Naruto let out an amused snort before giving her a smile. "Not at all. Go ahead."

They swapped drinks. Though he was definitely more of a fan of passion fruit than he was lychee, seeing Sayuri happily sip away at the rest of his, now hers, passion fruit green tea. While she drank much more enthusiastically than he did, he still managed to finish the lychee green tea before her. By the time they had finished up at the bubble tea shop, it was already the afternoon.

Only one thing needed to be said when they got out and Naruto's stomach rumbled. At first, Sayuri laughed, but then her stomach did the same.

"Lunch?"

"Lunch." She nodded.

"Great. I know just the place. Follow me!"

A/N: I cut their date in half because I really don't want to write an 8,000 word chapter. So, I'm cutting it off at 4,000. I hope you enjoyed this mishmash of Sayuri, Naruto and Gaara, and Naruto and Sayuri! Please tell me what you think of the story so far, and don't forget to favourite or follow if you want to keep track of my updates! Toodles!