AN: No idea where this came from. I just sat down and wrote it. Thanks for reading.

A Lesson in Relationships

"What'cha writing?"

Sai's head snapped up, focusing in on the small, mousy girl in front of him. He'd stopped to get lunch at a small cafe near the training grounds, purposely avoiding Ichiraku's. His teammates were angry with him again, though he was still unsure why and he thought it best to avoid the only place they seemed to frequent more than the training grounds. His well trained ninja-senses had alerted him to the presence of the young girl but he had quickly filed her away as 'non-threat' and ignored her. So when she spoke it took him slightly by surprise, not that he showed it.

Her head was quirked to the side, awaiting his reply.

Sai considered his answer and decided the best course of action was a query of his own. "Why is it important to you?" he intoned, his voice revealing no hint of emotion.

She shrugged, apparently not finding this rude. "It's not really important to me, but you looked s focused. I couldn't help but ask. Curiosity killed the cat, I suppose."

"What cat?" Sai asked, unsure of what she meant, he had not noticed a cat when he entered the establishment.

She laughed, "It's just a saying. Besides, satisfaction brought it back anyway." Outwardly Sai smiled at her, but in his mind he sighed, thoroughly confused, and wondered if he would ever understand the delicate complexities of normal conversation. Sai took this moment to note how she looked beyond the instinctual 'threat, non-threat' assessment. She wore khaki slacks that seemed slightly oversized for her, and the white shirt and black apron that her identified her as an employee of the establishment were definitely too large. Looking at her more closely Sai realized she was older than he had initially thought, probably near his own age group, but was rather small and unassuming, which, combined with the oversized clothing, had made her seem younger. The fact that her hair was tied back in twin ponytails and bound by baby blue ribbons did not help her look any older either, he was sure.

"So," she asked, her voice interested, but not demanding, "am I going to get an answer?"

Sai glanced down at the notebook before him and decided it was safe to answer. "I am writing notes on human behavior."

The girl looked slightly taken aback, but that was quickly overshadowed by a more prominent look of curiosity, "Why would you do that?" she seemed genuinely curious and apparently undisturbed by his replies so far, he took that as a good sign and decided it was safe to continue answering her questions.

"In case you had not noticed, I am... slightly lacking when it comes to what most would consider basic social skills, so I am studying to try to increase my knowledge on the subject and more easily make friends among my piers." he replied matter-of-factly, his voice monotone. Her mouth formed a small 'oh' shape at this sudden outpouring of information and she took a moment to think it over.

"Well..." she began carefully, "I hadn't noticed anything about you that seemed 'lacking'." she air-quoted, then paused, "Except maybe your smile, yeah that's a little off." She smiled at him, as if to reassure him that she had not meant that to be an offense. Sai thought for moment that she had a very pretty smile, then wondered why he thought that. "I can give you the only advice you'll ever need when it comes to establishing relationships." Her smile had now widened to a grin.

Sai's eyes widened slightly, surprised and intrigued by this sudden announcement. "What is that?"

She was apparently pleased at his encouragement of her because her smile widened even more, which Sai has not thought was possible, and he noted that her whole face, which was rather more mature than the ribbons let on, was indeed very lovely. She bent down and scribbled something on his sheet of paper.

Sai's eyebrows scrunched in concentration, as he read her words. Once he deciphered them he found he was still very confused "I... I am afraid I don't understand."

She laughed and Sai realized that when she laughed her face lit up and her eyes, which were a lovely dark blue, complemented the ribbons in her hair very well. "Figure it out." she told him, the smile never leaving her face "And when you do, give me a call. Maybe we could do lunch or something."

Then she gathered up a tray of dirty dishes from the table behind her and walked away. Sai watched her go, (noting that she walked with a lot of bounce in her step, like she was ready to start dancing at any moment) in a rather stunned silence. Had she just asked him out?

He looked down at the paper and sure enough, underneath the words of advice she had given him, in a spiky, distinctly waiter-like scrawl was her phone number with a small smiley face and her name 'Aya' jotted down beneath that, almost as if it was an after thought. Sai smiled, though this time without meaning to or even realizing it. He stood, his half-done notes forgotten, gathered his things, dropped down money on his table (exact change, of course) and left. As he stepped out into the bright sunlight and spotted the girl, no, young woman, scrubbing down another table, he thought that it just might be worth it to search for the meaning behind her words.

Love Many.

Trust Few.

Always Paddle,

Your Own Canoe.

751-303-4675

:) Aya

AN: Thanks again for reading it. Ciao.

~BBear