I haven't updated in so long that even I forgot what was happening...oops! Anyway, thought I'd do a recap: -everyone is on the four day senior retreat to Kusagakure (Village Hidden in Grass) -everyone knows about Hinata's crush on Naruto (except Naruto, naturally) and everyone ships them. The gang tries to get them together at every opportunity (except Sasuke because he couldn't care less) -Ino and Kiba are dating but they're not boyfriend-girlfriend -Ino thinks Sakura's too uptight and is trying to get her to loosen up -Sasuke and Sakura have a good friendship forming (it's platonic atm) but because he's anti-social and doesn't talk to other girls, his fanbase will start to get irritated with Sakura

And those are the main points. Without further ado, here's the seventh chapter!

Days flew by and soon enough the seniors were set to leave on their retreat. The class was going to Kusa with a coach bus. Originally, Ino was supposed to sit with Kiba while Hinata sat with Sakura, and Sasuke with Naruto. After creating some barely passable excuse about how Sakura contracted a symptom-less yet very contagious disease that Hinata's poor immune system couldn't fend off, Naruto and Sakura switched seats. Naturally, no one else but Naruto bought the lie.

"A symptom-less yet very contagious disease?" Sasuke said with a raised eyebrow as Sakura stowed her small bag in the overhead compartment above his seat.
"What?" she asked.

"This is coming from the future doctor," he said. She sat down beside him in the aisle seat.

"Simple is good. We're dealing with Naruto, remember?" Sakura glanced at Naruto and Hinata, who were sitting one row ahead of them. "Besides, they don't seem to be complaining."

Sasuke scoffed. "Too bad I have to pay."

Sakura frowned. "What does that mean?"

"If you really had a disease then I'd be the one that got sick," he explained.

"Yeah, but we would care about Hinata more. See? Everything works out."

Sakura settled herself in her seat and Sasuke rolled his eyes. She took out a book and began to read.

The engine started up and the bus began to move. Pairs were talking among themselves and all the chatter became indistinct noise to Sasuke's ears. He closed his eyes, leaned his head back and placed each hand on an armrest. Now that Naruto wasn't going to sit with him he would be able to sleep.

He dozed off within minutes. He wasn't sure exactly what he dreamed of, but after a long time he vaguely registered a weight on his shoulder that his subconscious didn't seem averse to. Sasuke wasn't sure if that was a dream or not, seeing as he was roused to half-slumber so the line between reality and dreaming was hazy. He remembered shifting a bit to accommodate for the weight but everything after that was lost on him.

A couple of hours later, he woke up. The bus had come to a complete stop and being a moderately light sleeper, Sasuke woke up. The first thing he registered was the rich forestry and the endless rolling hills to his right. They seemed to have arrived in Kusa. Sasuke was about to roll his shoulders to stretch after waking up but in his not fully alert state he realized that something was preventing the movement. When he looked to his left he saw that Sakura's head was resting comfortably on the crook of his neck. Her body was angled in his direction and the sides of their arms were pressed against each other. The warmth of her breath tickled his shoulder.

Were they like this for the entire bus ride? Sasuke mentally groaned. If Naruto saw them, he'd never let him hear the end of it.

Deciding that he shouldn't let the scene continue on any longer, he gently shook Sakura's shoulder to wake her up. Her eyes blinked open and she gradually sat upright.

"Did I fall asleep on you?" she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes to adjust to the afternoon light.

"Hn."

"Sorry about that," she mumbled.

"It's fine," Sasuke mumbled, though he realized that he didn't mind.

"Alright kids," Kakashi said from the front of the bus. "Wakey wakey! We're here."

A couple of half awake groans came from different directions and people started to grab their things to leave.

"I'll get our bags," Sakura said, getting up from her seat. "What's yours look like?"

"Blue. Should be behind yours."

Most people were standing up now. Ahead of them, Kiba was scrounging for his bag but Ino was waiting patiently. Sakura saw her standing by herself and approached her.

The blond greeted her friend with a smirk and glint in her eyes. Sakura raised a brow.

"I saw you, you know. I was looking back to see Hinata and Naruto, but instead I see you and the Uchiha cozying it up," Ino said, nudging Sakura. "And here we thought you were taking one for the team."

"Ino!" Sakura said fiercely. Her cheeks were beginning to flush. "No–it was an accident. And stop," her voice was reduced to a small whisper. "He can hear you."

Ino looked in Sasuke's direction. He looked as reserved and detached from his environment as ever.

"Doesn't look like it," she said.

Before Sakura could respond, Kiba returned to Ino's side.

"Hey Sakura," he greeted amiably. "What are you guys talking about?"

Ino laughed and Sakura's face reddened further.

"Nothing," Ino said, smiling at her friend. "Now that everyone's ready, are we all good to to go up to the resort?"Sakura nodded mutely. Ino was talking animatedly with Kiba but Sakura didn't register what they were saying. She looked over her shoulder to find two girls looking at her, whispering. The second she met their gaze they averted their eyes.

It was easy to guess what they were talking about. She wanted to groan. She and Sasuke were asleep for hours so everyone on the bus must have seen them. It was becoming more obvious lately–the stares and hushed whispers from other girls. A pattern was forming. It would only occur after she was around Sasuke for some reason or another.

As much as Sakura told herself that being talked about didn't bother her, the truth was it did. Sakura didn't like not knowing what people were saying about her. Under the confidence she fortified through the years with Ino's help, she was still concerned with what people thought of her. She worked to be well liked and didn't want her hard work to go to waste. Besides, those girls really didn't have anything to hate her for. It was Sasuke's fault for not waking up! It was Sasuke's fault that people were gossiping about her! With a furrow in her brow, she grabbed both their bags. He casually began a conversation when she returned his but she gave a noncommittal response and blatantly dismissed him. She quickly walked away and didn't catch his mildly confused expression.

.

.

The first thing everyone did when they alighted was find their rooms and unpack their bags. The girls and boys were on different floors. They were given half an hour to unpack and after that they were supposed to meet in the lobby. Kusa was a popular tourist site and the resort they were staying in was in the entertainment district. The chaperones allowed everyone to explore town independently. It went without saying that Ino, Hinata, Sakura, Naruto, Kiba and Sasuke were going to travel together.

"What do you guys want to hit up first?" Naruto asked when they left the lobby.

"Food. I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten since before the bus ride," Kiba said.

"Oh, I wonder if there's a good ramen place around," Naruto enthusiastically said.

"No, there's enough ramen in Konoha. Let's try some local food," Ino suggested.

There were food stands lining the road they were traveling on. Kiba was leading Ino by the waist and Hinata and Naruto weren't touching, but they were walking closely. Behind them, Sakura and Sasuke were walking together. There was enough space between them that another person could fit in and neither was making an attempt at conversation. This was characteristic for Sasuke but he found it weird how Sakura wasn't saying anything. She usually liked to talk for the sake of talking and even her body language toward him was closed off. It was uncanny. Just an hour before they were talking normally and now it was obvious she was trying to ignore him. He tried to think of something he unknowingly did to piss off or upset her but gave up about three seconds in when he was struck with the perfect explanation: Girls.

"This looks good," Ino said, after passing a stall that looked moderately busy. It sold every type of food on a skewer, from candy to meat to vegetables. There was no formal seating, just a couple of wooden park tables. "Sakura, Sasuke, can you two grab a table so no one takes it?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. They claimed a table and Sakura still didn't say anything.

"What's with you?" he asked at last.

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting weird."

She nervously averted her gaze and started picking imaginary dust off of her jeans. "No I'm not."

Sasuke just stared at her, unimpressed. Sakura thought he'd stop sometime but he just kept staring. She started to feel herself crack under the pressure.

"It's just some things these girls said about me, okay?" she blurted.

Sasuke looked confused. Sakura didn't strike him as the type to worry about such things. "You're upset because of gossip?"

"No I'm not! It's just–you wouldn't understand."

Now he looked even more confused.

"Forget it, Sasuke!" she snapped. "It's not about you, you know. Not everything's about you."

Sasuke put his hands up in surrender. "Okay. Not like I brought myself up or anything."

"You're impossible!" Sakura said, angrily stomping toward the food line. At the same time, Ino and Kiba returned with some grilled beef and peppers on a skewer. Kiba's head turned as he watched Sakura angrily walk toward the food stand.

"What's with her?" he asked, flicking a thumb toward Sakura's direction.

Sasuke didn't say anything and just shook his head in confusion.

Ino snorted. "Don't worry about it. Sakura always gets like this. She'll be better once she eats."

It turned out that Ino's claim was only half true. Sakura did seem to be in a better mood since she wasn't snapping at Sasuke out of nowhere anymore. She still, however, wasn't talking to him. Sasuke just sighed inwardly and hoped she was just going through one of those...feminine things...and that it would pass.

"What do you guys want to see?" Naruto asked as he munched on three skewers at the same time. "There's some popular tourist sites near us, I think."

He was the only one eating. Naturally he would be the one to order the most food, so the group had to wait for him to finish before they left.

"We can just walk around. We're bound to see stuff," Kiba suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Ino said. She pointed eastward to a mountain range. "Let's go that way. The scenery is prettier."

Kusa was a very scenic place. It was rich in forestry and had many deep ravines running through the town. The roads were made of cobblestone and paths were lined with bamboo. When Naruto was finally done eating, the group began following a path, 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing' the pretty landscape around them and not really focusing on where they were headed. They only stopped walking when their attention was collectively caught by a temple made entirely of bamboo and surrounded by ponds filled with lotus flowers and koi. Many people were kneeling at the facade of the building, bringing their hands together in prayer.

"What's this?" Hinata asked quietly.

The air was rich with the smell of burning incense. A middle-aged man had finished his prayers, set fire to a piece of paper in his hand, then walked away from the temple and into the direction of the teenagers.

"Um, excuse me," Sakura said, catching him as he left. "Hi, we were just wondering what this temple is for? We're not from around here," she explained.

"Oh, hello," he said. "This is the Temple of Wishes. You just ask the monks for a paper doused with juniper oil, write your wishes for the year and say a prayer. Once you're finished you burn it, and that signifies that your wish is not in your control, but in the gods'," he explained kindly.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied. "After all, it's never a problem to help out a lovely young woman like yourself." He walked away casually, leaving Sakura blushing.

"Aw, he called you 'lovely', how nice!" Ino said laughingly once he was out of earshot.

"More like creepy," Sasuke mumbled quietly.

"Why don't we try wishing on the temple?" Hinata suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "I know exactly what I'm going to wish for."

Naruto was already headed toward one of the monks that everyone else had no choice but to follow. Sakura walked at a leisurely pace, her previous blush diminishing. Everyone split up, looking for a monk to give them the special juniper paper.

Sakura eventually spotted one by his shaved head and robes. She asked him for a piece of paper and headed toward the temple where candles were burning on a pedestal. The flame from the candles was used to set the wish on fire. Sakura said a quick prayer then grabbed a calligraphy pen from the pedestal. She thought for a bit then began to write her wishes for the year. 'Peace of mind. Eternal friendships.'

Sakura was ready to burn the wish but she felt something was missing. She felt uneasy asking for more, but at the same time, she wasn't satisfied with what she wrote down. After a minute of contemplation, she set her pen on the paper wrote once more.

'Love.'

.

.

Being at the temple seemed to clear Sakura's mind a little. It was easy for her to get wrapped up in trivial things and she didn't realize how small some of her worries were until she put it into perspective. Like the whole gossiping thing. It wasn't as if she'd never been gossiped about before. As a child, her forehead took care of that.

Biting her lip uncertainly, she thought about the events that transpired throughout the day. Sure, some girls were probably (most likely) saying not nice things about her, but that wasn't a justification for being snappy toward all of her friends. And a huge fat Bitchy McBitch to Sasuke. Speaking of Sasuke...

Sasuke was standing all by himself at the entrance to the temple. He was probably done and was waiting for everyone else to finish up.

Sakura cautiously approached him, unsure if he'd be cold to her just because she had been cold to him. Her worries were squashed when he looked her way and nodded in greeting.

"Hey," she said.

"You finished?"

"Yup. Burned all my wishes."

He nodded again and stuffed his hands inside his pockets.

There was a brief silence. "Hey...look. I'm sorry for being all snappy before," Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Sasuke blinked. He wasn't expecting that. "Uh...apology accepted."

Sakura smiled weakly. At the same moment, Kiba, Ino, Hinata and Naruto walked toward them.

"I'm telling you, I'll be the leader of Konoha one day! It's gotta happen, 'cause I wished it!" Naruto bellowed.

"Idiot, now it won't. You're not supposed to tell people your wishes," Ino said, smacking Naruto upside the head.

"Ow, Ino! That hurt!"

Hinata was working on soothingly rubbing the spot where Ino hit Naruto. "It's alright, Naruto-kun. You don't need to wish for it to happen. Your determination is enough," she admitted shyly.

Naruto beamed. "You think so, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed.

"Guys? Hello?" Sakura said. They didn't seem to notice her or Sasuke standing about two meters away.

"Oh, 'sup Sakura," Kiba greeted. "Feeling better? Done your period?"

Sakura's left eye began to twitch dangerously.

"Uh, Kiba?" Ino said. "I take it back. Naruto's not the idiot here. Wow, that's such a nice mountain. Let's look at it together, Sakura." She dragged Sakura away by the hand and ignored the protruding vein in her friend's forehead.

Huh? What'd I do?" Kiba asked.

"Dumbass," Sasuke mumbled.

.

.

Individual exploring time was over and everyone had to head back to the resort for roll call. Next on the itinerary was the onsen and afterward, a spa treatment for girls and massage for guys. Later they would have dinner at the resort.

"This is so nice," Hinata sighed as she daintily stepped into the onsen. "I can't believe you and Naruto-kun planned this."

Sakura exhaled deeply, feeling relaxed. Her face was flushed from the heat of the water and the steam and she was submerged to her shoulders. Ino was there too, wearing her skimpy bathing suit. Sakura simply opted for a bandeau and swimming shorts while Hinata was the most modest, donning a towel.

"Ne Hinata, aren't you hot?" Ino asked, waddling in her own area. She let her long hair down from its perpetual ponytail and it pooled all around her.

The onsen they were in was separated from the male area with a bamboo wall. The steaming water was bordered by rocks and the walls of the onsen were entirely wooden to insulate the heat. Sakura found the nearly scalding water very therapeutic, though Hinata looked uncomfortable in the heat.

"You should probably take the towel off," Sakura suggested while lightly paddling the water around her. "You'll feel better that way."

"Ah...um, I'll keep the towel on," Hinata said, turning red. Sakura wasn't sure if it was because of the heat or because blushing was just a Hinata thing.

"Why? You're getting all sweaty." Ino pointed out bluntly.

Hinata reddened further. "It's just...I-I'm not wearing anything under..."

"HINATA'S NAKED?" Ino yelled. Her voice was loud enough that it filled the entire onsen. It was silent for a good moment when all the female occupants turned around to stare at Ino and Hinata, the latter of which was blushing down to her shoulders and looked like she was ready to be drowned at any ramoment.

Suddenly a splash and some muffled swearing was heard from the other side.

Sakura turned her head toward the direction of the sound. "Did you guys hear that?"

Ino furrowed her brows in contemplation. Hinata still looked too mortified to say anything.

"Sounded like it came from the guy's side. Probably two morons trying to drown each other," Ino reasoned.

Sakura didn't look too convinced but nodded anyway. "Yeah...I guess."

On the other side of the bamboo wall, Kiba was dunking Naruto's head into the water.

"Kiba–" Naruto wheezed as he resurfaced. Kiba grabbed his hair and shoved him into the water again. Some bubbles came out of the water since Naruto was trying to say something. Eventually he broke from Kiba's hold and started gasping for air and coughing out the water in his lungs.

"You–jerk!" Naruto wheezed.

"You deserved it, perv." Kiba said unapologetically.

Naruto was trying to look at the girls' bathing area through the tiny slits of space between each bamboo stalk. Sasuke ignored him while Kiba stuck around to see how long it'd take for him to get a nosebleed. That moment eventually came when Ino's unmistakable voice shrilled through the room and announced that Hinata was naked.

Naruto nearly had a fit. Kiba, who had been friends with Hinata for a long time, found it necessary to defend her virtue. Ergo, repeatedly trying to drown Naruto.

"Don't act like you weren't trying to sneak a peek too, Kiba," Naruto said, pouting and crossing his arms.

Sasuke just sighed and muttered to himself. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Shut up Sasuke," Naruto automatically retaliated.

"Don't look at me," Kiba said. "I wasn't doing anything."

"Yeah right! You would've looked at Ino. Or Sakura-chan. Whatever."

"No I wouldn't."

"You would too."

"I don't have to spy on a bathing area to see naked girls," Kiba said with a cocky smirk.

"Right, with all the porn you watch!"

"Why you–" he launched himself at Naruto and started plunging his head into the water. Again. When Naruto surfaced he gave Kiba a noogie and tried to push him down by grabbing a his shoulders. All the loud splashing and swearing was attracting the attention of the other occupants, specifically the male chaperones.

"Uzumaki! Inuzuka! Uchiha! Go back to your rooms now!" Asuma yelled.

Sasuke whipped his head to Asuma's direction. "It was those two–"

"Don't care. You three, leave. Now."

"See what you did Kiba?" Naruto said childishly.

"Me? It was all you!"

"It's true," Sasuke said flatly.

"Bastard! We're supposed to be bros!"

Asuma looked unimpressed. "You boys have five seconds or else you'll be going straight back to Konoha for misbehavior."

Kiba looked indignant. Sasuke glared.

"Five..."

"Okay, okay, we're out," Naruto said. They all eventually left the onsen with muttered curses.

When the door firmly shut behind them, Asuma's turned to Kakashi, who looked absolutely indifferent toward he entire situation.

"Remember when we used to be like that?" He said, calmly resuming his bath.

Kakashi leaned deeper into the water. "Sometimes I wish I could forget."

.

.

"I hate you all," Sasuke announced when they reached their room. They had to stay with their roommates so Sasuke and Naruto were roomed together. Kiba didn't want to be confined in his room by himselfso he just followed along.

"We love you too Sasuke," Kiba replied sarcastically.

"Heh, I don't," Naruto said. "We're going to miss our massage now," he realized with a frown.

The guys were going to be treated to a massage after the onsen but Asuma told them later that they weren't allowed to come downstairs until dinner time.

Sasuke glared at him. "And whose fault is that?"

"This really sucks," Kiba said, plopping down dramatically on the bed. "You really couldn't have creeped on the girls some other time, could you?"

"I wasn't creeping. I was doing legitimate research for Ero-Sennin."

"There's a reason why Jiraiya's the head of an all-boys school. It's because of this 'research,'" Kiba said.

Sasuke scoffed. Naruto just shrugged and yawned. "Can't believe we're stuck here for the next few hours." He blinked at the ceiling a few times in boredom then suddenly flashed a grin when he realized something. "Did anyone bring any Icha Icha?"

.

.

While the boys were cooped up in their room, the girls were busy being treated to a spa treatment. This included massages, facials, and getting their hair and nails done. Suffice to say, when the girls left the spa they were very content.

"Sakura, you won't believe it. The worst thing just happened to me."

Though Ino was always harder to please than most.

She walked into their room with an angry stride and immediately pouted and crossed her arms. The blonde was looking many times more radiant and beautiful as she did normally, and that itself spoke volumes. Her hair was still in its signature ponytail but it was styled differently so that her bangs were pinned up in a pouf. Her already dewy skin was glowing even more and her light blue eyes shone bright. Sometimes Sakura forgot how stunning her best friend was until she saw her with different eyes.

"What is it, Ino?"

"I met the rudest person alive!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. She was busy trying to pick out an outfit for the dinner that night. The resort had a formal dinner hall that the students and chaperones were dining in for the first evening in Grass. She was getting stressed because she couldn't find the halter dress she reserved for nice occasions in her suitcase.

"I was trying to get into the building and he was just taking up the entire doorway. And he was smoking too! Ew, right? I'm pretty sure he got the smell in my hair. I just got it washed! Anyway, I just told him, 'hey, mind getting out of the way?' And he pinned me with this blank stare, and he just stared at me apathetically. His smoke was getting into my eyes then I was just like, 'Pineapple Head, move!' and he wouldn't! I pushed him and he called me an annoying banshee. Who does that?" She exclaimed.

"Whu..." Sakura said, not really paying attention. Her arms were still digging through her suitcase.

"Sakura, were you even listening?" Ino demanded angrily.

"I don't know. All I heard was 'Pineapple Head'. Where is my dress?"

"This guy called me a banshee!"

"How fitting. Ino, have you seen that cream dress I like?"

"What, the ugly one you wear all the time?"

"I don't wear it all the time. And–hey, it's not ugly."

"Yes you do, and yes, it is. I think you left it at KPA, thank goodness."

"No, no I didn't. Oh wait, I did. No!"

"Relax, Sakura. I have an extra."

"Relax? What am I going to wear now? Oh wait, you do?"

"Yeah. I'll let you use it if you let me get you ready for dinner."

Sakura immediately sent a wary glance her way.

"Oh, please! Don't look at me like that. Go show up to a nice dinner in jeans for all I care."

"Wait, I didn't say no!" Sakura pleaded.

Ino smiled instantly and Sakura glared. She should have known Ino was manipulating her.

"Great!" the blonde said, clapping her hands excitedly. "Here's the dress," Ino said, throwing a deep maroon dress her way. Sakura's face immediately darkened. At first Sakura was worried that it wouldn't fit around the breasts since Ino was considerably more voluptuous but after seeing the material, it wasn't going to be a problem. It looked like a tight fit. The sweetheart neckline plunged, the hem was dangerously short and the sides were exposed.

"That is not a dress."

"What? Then what is it then, a blouse?"

"No," Sakura said. "That's...that's just fabric. Sown together. Semi-resembling a dress."

"Whatever. You can wear it or not," Ino said while examining her nails.

"What are you wearing?"

Ino smiled then held up a purple dress that seemed much, much worse to Sakura.

"Geez, Ino, don't you own clothes?"

.

.

Dinner was a formal affair. The resort's dining hall was very impressive indeed. The girls dressed up, all of them looking noticeably refreshed from their spa treatment. Boys were wearing dress shirts and trousers. Asuma eventually let Sasuke, Naruto and Kiba out of their room arrest to get themselves ready. The prospect of fancy food didn't lighten Sasuke's mood one bit. Girls who were wearing skimpy outfits were blatantly trying to catch his eye. He was trying to avoid Naruto and Kiba since he was still slightly mad at them. Naruto and Kiba were good again after bonding over Kiba's Icha Icha collection. While they laughed and made bawdy jokes, Sasuke busied himself by sulking in a corner.

At the moment, he was trying to find the girls. Normally he would've liked to be alone, but if he didn't find decent company anytime soon he would end up sitting with people he didn't like. Hinata would probably be with Naruto and Ino would've been with Kiba...damn it all. That only left Sakura. He soon caught sight of her. Her back was facing him but she was distinguishable by her crown of pink hair.

"Sakura, is that–whoa."

He said in more of a shock than appreciation. She looked different. Not even like a different version of herself, but like a different person.

"What was that about?" Sakura glared.

He shook his head. "You look different."

Her makeup was applied thickly, but tastefully. Deep, metallic purple eyeshadow was applied to her eyes and enhanced their green colour. Her eyeliner was done in a cat eye shape that tapered into a thin line. Dark mascara lengthened her naturally long lashes to the point that the tips skimmed her eyelids. He found it harder than usual to look away from the pure green of her eyes.

She sighed in near exasperation. "Do I at least look nice? Ino basically tied me to the chair as she caked this stuff on," she said, gesturing to her makeup. "It better be worth the near-torture," she mumbled mostly to herself.

"It's...a change," he said, not knowing what to say in compliment-giving situations. It was true though. Whereas Ino and Hinata always looked presentable everywhere they went, Sakura was always the one with tired eyes and no makeup.

"Well thanks for the reassurance," Sakura said sarcastically. "Some meatheads think I look good though. See that one over there?" She jerked a thumb toward meathead número uno. "He completely budded me in the lunch line two days ago and said 'sucks for you har har har' when he took the last cookie. And right now he totally tried to pick me up! What an idiot! He thinks I'm two different people!"

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle lowly. Sakura snorted.

"And that's not it. This other pervert was staring me up and down then came up to me and said 'hey, that's a real fine dress on you but it'd look better on my floor.' Wow, you're really original there buddy! I hate this. I hate this dress, I hate the makeup, I hate these freaking accessories..." Sakura eventually went off into a ramble about all the things she hated, from the print of the tablecloths to the way his hair stuck up. It was easy to ignore. Sasuke's eyes dropped to examine the dress she claimed she wanted to incinerate after the night.

Well damn. It was like once he started he couldn't look away. Her breasts were practically on display for the male gaze to appreciate. Sakura was still focused on her rant and almost didn't notice that Sasuke's gaze had dropped south and was focused on her dangerously low neckline.

"I should have just worn jeans. This is why I don't listen to Ino, this is why I never–Sasuke, are you staring at my boobs?"

"What?" His head shot up. "Of course not."

"Yes, you were. You were just staring."

"Sakura, you're imagining things," Sasuke said casually, trying to maintain his cool facade. She didn't notice how the tips of his ears were turning red.

"No I'm not! Honestly, of all people!"

She stomped off to Naruto and Hinata, not caring about ruining their alone time. She started ranting to Hinata about 'how all boys are the same, she really shouldn't have expected anything less, and that Uchiha Sasuke was a total closet pervert who liked to stare at her boobs and ask her for sexual favours.'

Sakura's ranting was loud enough to echo throughout the entire room. Many curious eyes turned to Sasuke and he glared them all away to hide his growing embarrassment.

Naruto erupted into laughter beside Hinata. "The bastard? I knew it, I knew it all along!" he repeated.

Sasuke wanted to groan for the nth time that day.

And so ends the seventh chapter! Sasuke just wants to go home at this point. Ino is a total SasuSaku shipper who just doesn't know it yet. Naruto and Kiba are being teenage boys. Sakura is prone to extreme moodswings and just wants people to like her.

Next chapter: Shikamaru will make an appearance. People will be mean to Sakura. Ino's catty cheerleading friends will be introduced. (You can put the two together). There will be SasuSaku bonding.

See you next time, (hopefully soon!)