For the SasuSaku Community at LiveJournal.

Disclaimer- If I owned Naruto KageSakura would marry Neji...bwhahahah! ...Considering I'm not getting engaged any time soon...it's safe to assume i don't.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake

"Strawberry Shortcake! Cream on top! Tell me the name of your sweetheart is it…A..B…C….D..E!.."

"Come on Sakura join in!" a young version of Ino called out to the pink hair girl who was quietly watching and hiding behind her bangs.

Sakura looked up shocked, "No thank you", she said in a barely audible voice.

Ino looked annoyed, "Aw C'mon c'mon its not fair for us to play while you just stand their watching. "Come", she said handing Sakura her side of the jump rope "you can take my place, I'll jump."

Sakura took the rope but looked at it like it was a foreign object, "What do I do?", she said looking at Ino as if for help.
"Just twirl the rope and join in the song" she said a little annoyed at her shy friend.
So the game started again.

"Strawberry short cake! Cream on top tell me the name if your sweet heart is it…...A--"

CRASH! Ino hit the ground.

"SAKURA!"

"Sumimasen."

"Sumimasen nothing! You gotta learn to turn the rope right!" said the girl holding the other end of the
rope,"Or else don't play cuz you're ruining everything!"

"Sumimasen…." Said Sakura her voice a little above a whisper. "I'm very bad it it…." She let go of the end of the rope and started to walk away.

"Hey where are you going?" said Ino getting up from the floor.

"Home" said Sakura "I'm….sorry…to…interrupt…your game…" she bowed and started to leave again.

"No wait", said Ino running up to her. "Don't let those mean bratty girls get to you"

"EHHHH!" The girls were offended. Ino ignored them. "Come Sakura I'll turn the rope so you jump."

"Eh…ok.." Sakura came back and stood in the middle waiting for the song to start.

"Strawberry shortcake! Cream on top! Tell me name of your sweat heart1 Is it…A! B! C!..."

Sakura jumped and kept jumping not wanting to land on a too early letter, in fact she knew which letter she would have liked to land on…..but the chances of her making it that far were slim and she was getting tired.

"…O, P, Q, R, S!"

Sakura stopped, panting, but with a smile on her face nonetheless.

Ino looked shocked but smiled as well, "S….for Sasuke-kun nice job Sakura." She gave her friend a high five, my turn.

"Mm" Sakura smiled.

Ino jumped while the other two girls Hikaru and Makoto twirled the rope.

Surprisingly or not she landed on….Q! R! S! she missed the next jump, but it didn't matter.

"Ino got S too!" said Makoto incredulously, "Lucky! But then how do we settle this? I mean you can't both be destined for Sasuke-kun."
Ino smiled. "I really don't mind, I guess we will see in the future…" She said jokingly, ever since she found out Sakura liked Sasuke as well she had been jealous but what were the odds Sasuke would pick Sakura over her? But Sakura was her friend she told herself, she wasn't her rival.

Ino come on! Ino's thoughts left her mind as quickly as they came, as she ran after her friends.

OoOoOoOoOo

"It's so pretty out today..." Sakura sighed up at the sky, smiling.
On a beautiful sunny day such as this, Konoha was truly a bright cheerful place. The breeze wafted past the bustling shops catching in the hair of young and old ninjas as they walked the streets without a care in their mind. The song of birds and the distant rumbling of the waterfall, the perfect weather; it was a day that every one was happy to be alive. Sakura smiled even wider as she heard the familiar melody of the Konoha children down the street.

"Strawberry Shortcake! Cream on top! Tell me the name of your sweet heart! Is it...A!B!C!..."

Sakura smiled, how long ago was it since she had last sang along to those very words on that very corner? It had been awhile since she remembered her carefree days of jumping and running and eating ice cream and dango with her friends on those hot summer days. '10 years' she thought briefly. She sighed fighting her feeling of nostalgia at 16 she was too young to be feeling old...

"What are you doing there?" Sakura smiled as the owner of the voice sat down beside her on the bech she was sitting on.

"Just enjoying the wonderful sunny day. It's so nice out today... Ne, Sasuke kun?"

"Aah" The Uchiha at 16 was still the same Sasuke as always. Cool emotionless and full of angst.

Sakura smiled again at her boyfriends enthusiasm (heh). He had always been this way, since thier genin days, actually. Sometimes she wondered why he couldn't fully let himself express emotion. However that didn't make her love him any less.

"Sakura" Her name on his lips made her shiver a little, she loved the sound.

"Yes Sasuke kun?" He took her by the hand and helped her stand from the bench.

"If it's so nice then why not take a walk?" She nodded happily and followed suit her hand it is, happy that he wasn't letting go this time.

"SAKURA!" Sakura and Sasuke halted, and Sakura turned to greet the owner of the voice. That could only be one person. "Ino she cried happily greeting her friend who was coming up the block with her very disgruntled guy friend behind her.

Ino caught up to them. "Sakura" she said again.

"Ino" Sakura hugged her friend.

"Sasuke." Ino smiled, Sasuke nodded. It had taken awhile but she had grown accustomed to the fact that Sakura and Sasuke were together. Besides she felt happy for her friend and felt happier herself now ever since---

"Oi what are we doing just standing here? Ke, Mendokuse!" Ino turned to her boyfriend.

"What does it look like? I'm talking with Sakura. She turned to her girlfriend. "So what are you guys up to? Shika and I were bored and looking for somewhere to go. Wanna double date?"

Sakura smiled. "That'd be fun!" She looked at her boyfriend, who said nothing. Neither did Shikamaru.
"Good, no objections." said the blond kunoichi. "Then let's go!"

The foursome made thier way hand in hand (Sakura Sasuke, Ino Shikamaru). To the nearest restuarant or hangout they could find, not really caring where they ended up just happy to enjoy life.

They rounded the corner and the young girls "Strawberry Shortcake" chant could be heard through the street.
"Ke Mendokuse, Girls and thier wierd games."

Ino and Sakura both smiled, silently reminicing in thier young summer days, tugging thier guys forward as the sunset colors filled the sky. Gone were those perfect Strawberry Shortcake days but today, (Ino and Sakura both smiled) could not have been more perfect.

Owarimashita...
KageSakura

Review Please! And anyone know how to keep symbols like the star symbol and number symbol in the format? It's seriously annoying how my symbols and line break symbols keep getting erased...