AN: Today is my birthday so here's to another thirty minute oneshot dedicated to all my readers out there :)

Cupcakes for the Strawberry Shortcake

By: Xmarksthespot who is turning bleshmy years old today

Disclaimer: Another year older, wiser, smarter, obviously prettier but still not rich enough to get hold of the blondie and his friends.

Lucky number 13.

He promised their team that they would go shopping and he'd pay for the expenses– they did annoy him for over a week before he agreed though.

It was her birthday. She was finally thirteen years old.

She didn't mind him paying, but what she really wanted, was a gift just from him–not from the team.

"So what do you really want, Sakura if you don't want to go shopping?"

She thought for a moment, blushing at the sound of Sasuke's voice that suddenly spoke up while browsing in the boutique.

"Uhm...I want you...to bake me cupcakes!" A gift from the heart, individually made, one by one by the hands of Sasuke Uchiha. How romantic.

Number 14

"Happy Birthday Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out, watching the wind gracefully carry his female teammate towards the ramen stand where he sat, enjoying his lunch.

Sakura smiled, but inwardly frown. It was that day last year that

Sasuke had left.

So technically, it didn't matter how much fun she had on this day. Sasuke left on that day, the day that celebrated the moment she was born into this world,

with a stupid 'thank you' and a bench.

And so, when Ino suddenly popped out from behind the ramen stand with a cake in hand. And when everybody she was so familiar with came out from hiding, she wished on her candles

that Sasuke would come home.

Number 15

She was older and more mature. The day of her birthday, she was on a mission.

However, it was not an ordinary mission, it was a mission to retrieve information on Orochimaru. And hopefully, on Sasuke.

Sakura quickly jumped from branch to branch, noting every detail in her head and carefully scanned the perimeters. The rest of her team had taken another route–they knew she could handle it by herself.

Unfortunately, the mission had not gone so well in the end–with a few exceptions. They had accomplished the mission, but were discovered right after. Swiftly, Sakura had dodged many of the attacks and knocked most of them down, making sure that her teammates were not hurt as well since she was also the medic.

That was when he came. His moves were just as astonishing as they ever were and her team decided that since they had the information, it was time to flee.

Sakura stood there though, watching his every step. Her mind was blank, heart was beating irregularly.

Sasuke came closer and closer towards the girl and finally he stopped, just meters away from the pink headed kunoichi.

Sakura noticed how tall he had gotten–almost a head and a half taller– unlike his twelve year old self. She was very short compared to him, like a strawberry shortcake to a wedding cake– so tall yet beautiful in every detail.

"Sasuke..." she breathed out, zoning out the calls from her teammates.

He smirked at her and leaned in, his mouth just by her ear. "Happy Birthday, Sakura," he whispered, disappearing in a puff of smoke just afterwards.

Sakura's heartbeats were quick and erratic all day.

Sweet 16

Naruto was on a mission.

Ino was on a mission.

Tsunade was busy.

Kakashi was somewhere.

Suddenly, it felt like everybody was just too busy to spend the one day with her. Since she had no other plans, Sakura had decided to help organize the office for Tsunade who was sitting on the desk, sipping on the alcohol bottle in one hand and reading over a few notes in the other.

It was early morning and Sakura was already tired. She wondered if her hair was in as much of a haystack as her teacher's. Just went she placed the books on the shelves though, a voice came calling in.

"Uchiha is back! Uchiha is back!"

This time, she did not know what to do. It was today three years ago that he left. Today two years ago that he was gone. Last year, he showed up only to tell her the one thing that made her unsure whether she was over him or not. And now, he was back.

Why on this day though?

Sakura watched as the ninjas shoved him into the room, as he bled from shoulder to the tips of his fingers, as he glared at the Hokage, not even noticing that she was standing right there–or maybe he did, but just didn't want to look.

Tsunade looked up from her desk, papers still in hand.

"Sakura, heal him before he bleeds to death. Those damn guards need to know when to send a person to the hospital when needed. I'll handle him later."

She quickly nodded, stepping over– rather slowly for a medic, but still quick enough to come to his aid.

"Sit," she told him, pointing to the nearby chair. He did as he was told, watching her every move.

She took off his torn shirt and started the procedure, leaving everything quiet in the room.

Sakura knew he was watching her, but she wondered if he was amazed by her skills or still thought that it wasn't a big improvement from when she was younger.

Afterwards, Tsunade had sent Sakura out, not wanting her to hear what was going to happen to the Uchiha. Sakura, worried as heck, took this time to find out when Naruto was coming home and see if she could contact Kakashi and tell him to bring the blond back.

Unfortunately, Kakashi had just left for an urgent mission and Naruto wasn't going to be back for another few weeks.

The door suddenly opened and Tsunade came out.

Before letting her apprentice speak, Tsunade told her, "He's going to have to spend a few nights in the hospital first since he has some internal damages and then the elders and I will decide what will be the outcome of that boy."

Sakura slowly peeked into the door, eyes wandering around the room until it reached Sasuke, still standing on the same spot as when she had left the room.

"Sasuke?"

He didn't move.

"I'm going to take you to the hospital...okay?" Sakura didn't know why she was speaking so softly, so quietly to him. She was nervous, not about his punishment, but speaking to him.

Sasuke turned around, almost frightening Sakura. His eyes, those pretty black eyes, they were cold, icy, scary. They weren't the same eyes that Sakura had saw that day last year. They were hurt, sadden, maybe ashamed.

He nodded and followed her.

It was awkward between those two, they didn't speak as much. Just a few hospital routines– fun conversation, right?

Sakura was cheery though. It didn't matter whether Sasuke rarely spoke or that he was going to get the most vile punishment. The important thing was, he came back.

He came back.

He came

home.

16 and a few weeks

Sasuke wasn't allowed to do many things. Mainly, the only thing he was allowed to do was walk around the village, eat, sleep and talk.

Even though he didn't like the attention from the village, wasn't hungry, too busy with training to sleep and obviously didn't like talking.

Things were very abnormal for the people. After all, a traitor had suddenly entered their lives.

Abnormal to all but one.

To Sakura, things were almost normal again. As she stood by the training field–where they had the bell test– she remembered the good old days. And in just a few days, Naruto and Kakashi would be hurrying back, crowding around Sasuke and everything would then be normal.

Sakura closed her eyes. She could hear Naruto's continuous chatter, Kakashi's laughs and Sasuke's–

"Sakura."

– voice.

"Sakura."

She was startled. It was actually his voice she was hearing.

She turned around and her green eyes widened, filled with shock, but soon she smiled, smiled as bright as ever because...

There was Sasuke, standing there with a tray in his hands.

She walked up towards him, almost tearing up.

Sakura picked up one of the many cupcakes on the tray.

"Happy belated Birthday, Sakura."

A sweet sixteen indeed.

..