Unknown Emotion
By: Lija-chan

A/n: Please READ…and please don't forget to review! This is my first one shot finished Naruto fic. Please enjoy…or at least try to enjoy it(?) LOL. xD
Warning: There's going to be a spoiler, the confrontation with Sasuke in Chapter 308. Also…you might think that Sai's in an OOC moment.
Summary: Sakura starts to recall the moment Team Kakashi reunites with their old teammate. She cries about being weak and Sai starts to comfort her, in the end he gives her a different kind of smile.

Disclaimer: Characters in this fan fiction are not mine. I'm just burrowing(?) them from Masashi Kishi-sama. X3 Kk?

She stood on the bridge and placed her elbows on the pillar across of it. She stared at her reflection on the river below.

She reminisced of that time…

"Sasuke-kun…I'm going to stop you with my own power!" she screamed as she was running towards her former teammate.

He stared at her…with his right hand; he raised the sword to strike her. Yamato interrupted her attack at him, leaving him wounded than her being the one pierced with the sharp sword.

"Your choice of defense…quite the mistake." The dangerous man spoke; he left the sword pierced on the sitting man on the floor.

"Yamato-taichou!" she managed to scream out as the sound suddenly faded.

She closed her eyes. I never was of help again…I'm still as useless as ever. She thought as tears threatened to flow down from her eyes through her delicate face. I just screamed for his name…and Yamato-taichou's… her thoughts paused. Why can't I move to stop him from running away? She continued her train of thoughts…and finally her tears gushed from her eyes and fell to the river below her.

"I'm useless…even now…even after two and a half years of training. I'm still too weak to stop him." She paused and her tears continued flowing. "Sasuke-kun…" she murmured with her cracked voice. Her tears continued flowing through her face to the water below.

"Weren't you the one who told Naruto, that crying isn't going to bring him back?" a voice interrupted behind her.

Sakura abruptly faced the intruder behind her. Her tearful face was greeted with beaming ones. Sai? Sakura thought looking at her intruder with big round eyes.

He opened his eyes. "Is there something wrong?" he asked. "You shouldn't stare at me as if you've seen a ghost…" He continued as he smiled once more. "…HAG." He said to finish his sentence.

Sakura only furrowed her eyebrows. Today wasn't the day for her to hit him…she wasn't in the mood to do so. Today, she thought she'd be alone to think of what happened the week before. She thought maybe today is the only day she can be in solitude. But, Sai isn't helping at all.

Her eyes turned normal. She faced the river once again, as if forgetting that Sai was even behind her. "I want to be alone." She muttered.

"Hm?" his squinted eyes opened once again…he stared at the pink haired kunoichi with worry. "Sakura..." he murmured worriedly. "I'm sure we'll find a way to get him back…" he spoke, trying to make her feel better. She just whimpered softly as she heard what he had told her.

He stood beside her, looking down at the river just like the girl standing next to him. He stared at his reflection and glanced at Sakura's. Why can't she just forget him? He thought.

Was that the only thing he's thinking of? About her forgetting him?

The raven haired young man never admitted it, but every time she's around…he seemed to blush often, or even out of words to say. Sometimes, he manages to talk normal with her…but, sometimes…he's just surprised to see her, and he just looses his will to talk and act right. He doesn't understand this feeling. After all, he once claimed that, he doesn't have any emotions. But, these emotions he'd been feeling ever since one week passed when all three of them started hanging out, he had not felt it before…not even once. So, to know what this emotion is…he have to find it out on his own and thought that maybe hanging out with one of the two strongest kunoichis in Konoha would help him in finding it out. After all, she's the whole reason why he started acting this way.

He stared once more at her reflection on the water. "Sakura, don't cry." He tried to comfort her. Without warning, his hand reach out to her back and patting her back gently, as if comforting her like what a friend would do.

Sakura turned her head to face him, eyes full of tears, lips trembling in a scowl and eyebrows furrowed sadly. "Sai!" she called out and threw her whole body at him. Sai was left dumb founded. He wasn't expecting this.

She cried and cried, until no tears can come out from her eyes. But, they never did stop, the salted liquid coming from her eyes just continued flowing out and down through her face. She held Sai's shirt with both her hands, continuing her wailing in pain, thinking of how weak she were, that she couldn't stop Sasuke…that she couldn't help her Yamato-taichou…that Sai and Naruto were also wounded, whilst she just stood far away from all of them. She cried and cried and held Sai's shirt tighter.

Sai just slowly put his arms around her. He closed his eyes and slowly patted the grieving young woman in his arms. "Sakura…" he started. "We will find a way…" he continued. "I promise." He vowed as he strokes her hair slowly. "That's a promise I'll keep for a life time." He said again.

Then, it hit her. Those were the same words Naruto had told her when he promised to her that he'll get Sasuke back for her. He promised that he'll do it for a life time. Just like what Sai had vowed in front of her…the same vow Naruto promised her long ago. She remembered them well. But, now…she doesn't know if she should believe Sai nor should she not.

"I promise you we'll get him back, even if it costs my life." He vowed once more.

The kunoichi had stopped her crying and looked at Sai in the eyes. Those eyes held devotion and whatever he was speaking of awhile ago…he meant them. The pink haired kunoichi couldn't help but cry in joy. She cried once more, with a smiling face as she held Sai's shirt once more.

Finally…I can see her smile. Even if she cries I can feel she's happy now. He wondered as he glanced at her.

"Eh?" he grunted. "Sakura!" he called as he stared at her, cuddling her crying face in front of his chest. He blushed to a light pink. "Stop!" he shouted. "I think you're doing this on purpose…" he teased, "You like me, huh?" he teased once more. "But, who would like you? Huh, ugly?" and he teased once more.

Sakura glared and smirked at him and planted a fist at his left cheek. "Ugly, eh?" she muttered.

"Ow! You're so violent." He spoke as he massaged his swelling cheek and smiled at her. Sakura smiled back and walked off, Sai following her from behind.

Maybe…this is what you call the emotion when you admire someone. He wondered. Maybe…just maybe…I like her? He thought questioningly. How strange for me to like her…she's such a violent girl. He continued in his thoughts as a smile crawled into his lips. He smiled openly as she glanced at him as they walk away. She's smart, nice and we get along…she might not be a perfect girl…but… he continued. Beggars can't be choosers now, can we? He thought as he walked beside her while giving her a different smile that he'd only show to her.

- OWARI! -

A/n: Wow! O..O imagine me finishing a fic! Yes! Good! You've imagined it! And it's here! I just hope you all liked it! This is—by the way—the first Naruto fanfic I've ever finished! I've been thinking of making a oneshot! And since, I'm a SaiSaku fan…why not, ne?

Anyways, please do review! I'm trying to improve my writing skills…since I was off for a long time because of Writer's Block…so, just one review from you guys will make my day so much happy! Please take care! Oh! This fanfic moment happened after their confrontation with Sasuke-teme, Orochimaru-kun and Kabuto-chan…well, after a week anyway.

I'm also glad I finished this in a day! X3 Maybe if I get a review…I can post my poem later…O…o another SaiSaku…kyu kyu! XD it's SaiSaku addiction! Chapter 311 in the manga! So cute! Sai blushes when he sees Sakura! Er…yes…I find that a SaiSaku moment…lol…hehehe…aren't I such a spoiler? X3 Please don't forget the review again…x3