*Note: This first part is more of an introduction to their current relationship I've set in this particular time period. It's set after what I like to call "The Pein Era". So be forewarned that I've taken liberties with how I see those events ending. I intend to make the following chapters bits and pieces of Sakura and Sai's time together doing and sharing odd moments, whose strung together events build to something in the end. So things won't be my usual eye-blurring length. I've also taken Sai and given him my own depth, because I think there's more to him than meets the eye. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now and let you read. Please enjoy.

Pseudo Date

"Sakura, why is the heroine not speaking to her-"

"Sh."

"But I do not understand the-"

"Sh."

"But the other character did not-"

"Sh."

"But I cannot follow the-"

"Sai, I swear to Go-!"

However, the "Sh!" that was sent Sakura's way from the many people situated: next to, in front of, and behind them, in the darkened theatre, made the roar on Sakura's lips freeze in midsentence, her anger being quickly replaced with another emotion.

Body rolling down her seat like strawberry flavored goo, the kunoichi pouted.

Stupid Sai.

The embarrassed twenty year old female turned reproachful eyes upon the man sitting next to her –that hadn't taken the hint that she would have preferred at least five rows between- while pursing her lips with her mouth gravitating toward the side of her face perturbed.

It had been how many years now and he was still asking questions that, at his age, he should already know? Sakura knew for a fact that he wasn't as stupid as everyone thought he was on the subject of emotions, contrary to what she was always yelling in his face. She also knew, more times than not, that he would now make his snide comments or ask his naïve questions just to get a rise out of her or, in front of others, to play innocent in the face of trouble.

You've had five years now to figure out human emotions, you jerk!

Sakura's forthright anger slowly dissipated as she sat back in her seat to watch the show with a rumbling feeling of resignation rolling around in her tummy.

What could she say? It wasn't really his fault. Although he may be a genius in battle strategy and jutsu, he still wasn't up to par in the romance department. With a movie about teenage angst, of course he still didn't know what things like love and affection were. The inept fool still, as of yet, hadn't taken to looking at anyone of the opposite sex in a more than friends type of way.

Regardless of what Ino seemed to think.

She was just silently thanking whatever higher being was listening that he hadn't taken a shine to individuals with his favorite word dangling between their legs.

No matter what she liked to fantasize about, having the stars of her wet dreams actually taking it up the rear wasn't exactly what she had in mind in reality –unless it was a jutsu using well placed kagebushin of course. I mean, come on. She really didn't want to see someone like Kakashi-sensei bending over for… anyone.

Or did she?

Hm…

Crossing her arms and sighing at her own perversion, Sakura inwardly shook her head as the teen on screen forked over a hand drawn picture to her male childhood friend –the stick figures holding hands being a sad form of love letter in her case.

Watching the poor girl's love interest turn her down and then turn tail and run away down their school's busy halls, Sakura's inner thoughts turned to the person Sai's ticket was supposed to have been used by in the first place.

Why the hell did Ino-pig have to give this sorry bastard her ticket? And why the hell didn't he say no to seeing a chickflick in the first place?

The scornful look on the flower shop owner's face as she had handed over her ticket to the individual -that just so happened to be there at the time, after Chouji had come and told Ino that the members of their old team were being hailed by the Hokage, hadn't been necessary. Contrary to what the airheaded blonde –with more chest on her person than brains in her head- thought, her emotionally stunted teammate wasn't a prize worth fighting over in Sakura's highly biased book.

Emerald eyes narrowed on Sai's profile as he continued to noisily munch on the popcorn her hard-earned money had bought, her inner self's tongue flapping in his oblivious direction with thumbs stuck in her ears, fingers wiggling.

Ha-ha-ha! You're no Sasuke, you pasty bastard! …even if your belly shirt, that you're thankfully not wearing, is as gay as that purple rope he uses to hold up his-

"Sakura?" Sai so rudely interrupted, completely oblivious to her inner rant as he went about prodding an answer out of her again about the bizarre ritual that was falling in love.

"What, you bastard?" Sakura irritably asked, eyes still on the film before them and not on the one thankfully wearing his all black –and all covering- casual clothes.

Sai, sans headband with buttoned up clothes closely resembling the male uniform on screen, smiled at the pet name she and Naruto had kindly dubbed him with, "I do not understand-"

"Quietly," Sakura interrupted, eyes glaring at the people around them, who were glaring back.

Sai tried again, his voice a few octaves lower, confused gaze still on the projection picture before them, "I cannot seem to grasp the plot of this movie. Could you enlighten me on what exactly I'm supposed to be following?"

Sakura snorted unladylike next to him, having had half a mind that those particular words were going to slip from his irritably flapping lips.

At least it was a more suitable question then the one he had asked during the previews, "Cannot a butcher knife be easily countered by even the basic of jutsu?"

Her dry reply of, "It's a horror movie Sai and they're not ninja," had fallen on deaf ears, however.

Leaning over, she took pity on him in that moment, explaining what she had gathered from the film so far, "Kyoko-chan is in love with her childhood friend Kitsuragi-senpai, who's in love with that other girl. Its what's called a love triangle."

She watched Sai's gaze float down to the top of the person's head in front of him as he pondered with just the slightest bit of quirked brow on his bland features, his words spoken slowly –like the wheels she could almost hear turning in his head, "Love triangle?"

Sakura snatched a handful of the buttery goodness, whose bag was finally leaning her way in the man's gloved hands, during his pause. Stuffing it into her mouth with a few pieces littering the front of her shirt, Sakura nodded, speaking with her cheeks inflated, not unlike a squirrel hording its nuts.

With Sakura's, "Yeah," sounding more like a "Rwar," in his ears, Sai looked back up to the screen just as Kyoko-chan began to drink herself into a stupor all by her lonesome in her room.

While staring at the bottle of Jack the woman was now chugging from, Sai gave a curt nod, his attention having moved on to different venues apparently, "Alcohol is the number one shinobi downfall."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the remark, before sneaking some more of her own popcorn that the idiot had commandeered at the beginning of the show –after having remarked about weight gain and how Sakura should avoid it, "Says you."

"Actually, it is stated quite clearly in the A.N.A handbook," Sai replied with that fake smile she hated with a passion.

Lips pursing and gravitating to the side of her face again, Sakura found herself asking against her better judgment, "A.N.A?"

Eyes back on the screen to the heroine having narrowly escaped tossing her cookies onto her bedroom floor –now doing so on her bathroom floor, Sai rolled off disapprovingly as if she should have known this tidbit already, "Alcoholic Ninjas Anonymous."

A pink brow rose as she dusted her food-stained front off with a hand, "Why were you reading-" Then she shook her head, deciding it was better not poke around the black hole that was Sai's brain, "You know what? Forget it."

However, Sai took it upon himself to answer anyway, "Seeing as how Hokage-sama is already hooked on the drink as they say, it clearly alludes to the possibility of her young apprentice one day acquiring the same dysfunction. A shinobi should always be prepared and as I've read, one should help out their friends in times of nee-"

"Look, you jerk," Sakura interrupted while leaning closer, letting the heat of her glare scorch the side of his pale profile that looked like the milky skinned shinobi hissed at even the mere thought of the sun, "Just because I enjoy the occasional cup of sake now and again doesn't mean I'll turn to abusing it."

Sai merely shrugged, giving an unimpressed "If you say so," as he turned his attention back to the screen.

His words and actions only served to make Sakura angrier as she crossed her arms with a, "Tch," before forcing her own eyes back on the playing movie.

So what if she liked to drink? Who didn't? Besides, she sure as hell never allowed herself to get as trashed as the woman currently crawling on her hands and knees to answer her front door on screen –apparently her parents were gone for the evening. Ok. Maybe once or twice Sakura had allowed herself to go past mere tingling lips to mind numbing ripped, but come on! At least she had friends to dump her unconscious body on her bed, unlike the poor sap on film.

Of course Sai had been her shoulder to lean on during those times on more than one occasion, because she simply did not trust Naruto -even if he had turned his failed attentions to a certain Hyuuga. Besides, both Kakashi-sensei and Yamato Taichou always came up with excuses to leave before she had gotten three-sheets to the wind, that is, if they even showed up at all.

The disgruntled kunoichi looked to the side, her features that of a pout. She wasn't as bad as Tsunade-sama. Not yet anyway…

Sai's next question had her sighing with her neck doing that jelly head roll thing against the back of her seat as the woman on screen started drunkenly pounding on her suddenly appearing Senpai on her doorstep, the idiot having had a change of heart –only after having found his girlfriend in bed with his best friend, "If the plot is as you say, then why does the lead choose to abuse the man she happens to have what is called feelings for if he has decided to accept her as his own? Would it not be better to," He frowned as he paused, trying to grasp the right words. Then after a nod, he tried again with a smile, "Would it not be better to act less Hag-like?"

Unfortunately for Sai, a fist decided to say hello to the side of his face in reply, the woman that smoking appendage belonged to just knowing his words had been meant as a dig toward her own mannerisms.

It was his favored nickname for her after all, one that he tended to use to seriously piss her off.

Sai instantly fell over into a sideways U-shape just as, eyes blazing, Sakura flipped the bird to the collective hiss sent her way from the peanut gallery around them.

Bastards lucky I didn't punch him through the wall!

The ink-user, picking himself back up with a few audible pops of his spine, rubbed his bruised cheek, fingers timidly touching its tenderness as he opened and closed his mouth, clearing testing the mobility of his jaw.

"It seems you and Kyoko-chan have much in common as I thought," Sai quipped, his features managing a smile even while the side of his face swelled like a balloon.

"Shut up!" Fuming, Sakura's hiss was much like a cat's as she reprimanded the naïve fool, "Sometimes women have to manhandle men, because bastards like you make us!"

Trying to still her beating heart and frazzled nerves, Sakura tried to sit quietly in her seat. However, her body became restless, repositioning her legs with the cheeks of her rear not feeling settled where they were.

Well, especially as the action on screen began to display things one could find in their team leader's dog-eared paperbacks.

A wide brow began to sweat as the actions after that impromptu kiss onscreen suddenly dipped to soft-core and then to hard, effectively turning the kunoichi's cheeks a flaming red while Sai merely looked on.

Sakura found the experience much like watching TV with her parents when suddenly the digital people in that stupid box started to make out. …Except these people had blown past mere sucking face to things too graphic for Sakura to keep her –not so- innocent eyes on.

And Sai tilting his head, in what she just knew was his way of determining how to put such a scene into his commissioned work, did nothing to help matters.

Although Sai still had no idea about the emotions that went along with the act, Sakura was all too aware that the prick knew what sex was alright. The bastard was drawing it for a living! The Icha Icha series had been continued on, much to its silver haired number one fan's greatest joy, by one Uzumaki Naruto with the man, beside her, being its illustrator.

Although their old sensei thoroughly enjoyed the new development, being able to add his own comments to help shape and mold what he loved, Sakura did not.

For one, Sai's informational books that he always carried around with him were now intermixed with adult magazines, things that he said were essential to his work –that he had no problem perusing in front of the entire world…with her around!

He was much, much worse than Kakashi-sensei in her book.

Gripping the only armrest that Sai hadn't taken over, the poor kunoichi couldn't wait for the next scene to start as she tried to keep her composure, while watching the movie that she had no idea would have such erotica in it in the first place.

Regrettably, Sakura was left wanting to crawl into a hole as Sai's normal carrying voice filtered to the ears of those around them in the silence as he offhandedly commented with a sigh and a shake of his head, "He lacks penis."

Pushing through the double doors into the night air, Sakura, huffed out a "You're impossible," remembering quite clearly how the many people around them had snickered at his colorful comment –and later snickered again as the lights had come on at the end in their faces.

"I was merely making an objectionable observation. I obviously cannot use that man's penis as a-"

"Shut the hell up will you!" Sakura immediately cut him off as she clamped a hand over his mouth from behind, dying of embarrassment as the nearest people milling out of the theater's doors around them began to laugh.

Finally letting him go, after turning his face blue -her hand having covered his nose as well in the process- Sakura fumed some more, "Why can't you act like a normal human being for once?" Trudging off, she grumbled, "I knew this whole thing was a bad idea."

However, Sai's next words as he caught up with her had her ire dissipating, "Thank you for taking me along. It was informative, even though I did not find much in the way of material."

Sakura cut him a look, trying to decide if his words were more of a mask like his smile. Was the fool trying to butter her up like that popcorn she had wished she had gotten a little more of?

Sighing in resignation, she decided to give him a safe, "Shut up," in return.

"Come on," She prodded with a smirk. With a grin forming her words got louder with each syllable uttered, "Since you owe me after that fiasco, its ice-cream time!" Snorting like a bull she added, "On you."

"What exactly is a love triangle," Sai asked, sitting on the other side of the park bench, after licking the side of a vanilla flavored cone.

"Mrm?" Sakura tried to articulate around the large portion of banana split she had just fed her face.

Sai licked the dripping side near the napkin wrapped around the items base in his hand before speaking, "A love triangle, what is it?"

Sakura thought while she chewed on her food. Then after forcing the large bit of banana down her throat, the woman chose her words carefully, able to speak freely of that particular subject now, "Well, I guess you could use Naruto, Sasuke, and I as an example."

Sakura spooned more of her treat between her greedy lips as Sai looked at her with that perplexed expression. Actually, it was more of a slight twitch of the brow and just the hint of thinned lips on that blank face, but Sakura knew the many faces of Sai now –even if nobody else could see it.

After unintentionally being around each other so much: finding each other reading in the library more times than not, watching Naruto train from a distance, training together and going on missions and such, Sakura had gotten to know a lot about the ex-ROOT member.

They were things like: he sometimes wore glasses while reading, liked to do still-life paintings instead of abstract now, hated being called Inky –by Naruto- and, for reasons beyond her, didn't mind hanging around her even though he always stuck his foot in his mouth which later prompted her to stick her foot in his ass.

However, she also knew the look he was currently giving her meant that he wasn't going to let the question drop either.

Sighing, she further explained, "A love triangle is when one person likes the other, but that person who is liked actually likes someone else." Spooning the last bit of fruit sauce into her mouth, she added while looking down at the grass of the small park they were sitting in, "Like Naruto, Sasuke and I."

After another lick, Sai intoned looking down at the grass himself, "You mean in a situation where no one ends up with the other?" Turning to her, he asked with that air of detachment around him, "I do not see the point of," He paused before finding the right words, "having feelings for someone who will not return your own."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she tossed her trash in the rubbish bin beside her, "A person can't help who they fall in love with, Sai. It just happens whether that person likes it or not. Besides, like you saw in the movie, things don't always work out the way they did for us."

Thinking of the wandering Uchiha, no longer rogue, she had said no to sharing a self discovering journey with after the war, Sakura jut her chin at the man's melting treat in his hands, "Now hurry up and eat. It's starting to get cold out."

A comfortable silence surrounded them as she let Sai finish up beside her, while she took that time to stare up at the stars overhead, a feeling of peace overcoming her.

Sakura was thankful that, unlike Naruto, Sai wasn't constantly babbling, even though he did make her wanted to rip his false smiling lips off at times and feed them to one of Kakashi's nin-hounds.

But like Naruto, Sai had wormed his way under her skin and close to her heart as well. They were close friends and even he had come to understand the meaning of that particular bond. He had showed it when he had turned against his old mentor in favor of staying by their side and opposing his plans to usurp her own mentor.

Besides, she knew that Sai only chose to ask his questions about life and love to her and Naruto, keeping mum with that twitch of upturned lips to others. Even though it was hair pulling at times, Sakura found that knowledge kind of flattering in a way.

Looking up to the half-moon hanging in the sky, Sakura smiled tenderly.

Bastard's not so bad, I suppose.

But then the words, "Are you ready to go, Hag?" had her scowling.

It looked like she was back to being his usual target for ridicule, however playful the jerk had meant it.

Punching his arm, making sure it hurt, she got up with a growl, "Come on, you bastard. We got training in the morning."