This was my entry for the Sai Facebook page's contest for his birthday, which is November 25th. It started out as a one-shot, but then I realized that I opened a can of worms. So now it will be a multi-chapter until I can answer all the different questions that I inadvertently brought up.

Thank you very much to Gabriela Romero. She is my super-beta! She has been helping me since The Flower of Love and I really appreciate it. She gave me A LOT of helpful hints on this story. If you enjoy this, then you are seeing her work in motion.

Thank you also to ReiraKurenai. She helped me fine-tune the second draft of this story. I loved her suggestions on how to make things sound a little better than I originally wrote them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden or any of their characters. I do own Katie - and she seems to want to own Sai. So there you go!

Sai's Birthday

It started out as any other ordinary day. Sai didn't have a mission to go on, but he still woke up early to train. Team Kakashi had cancelled their normal training routine for the day, so he headed out on his own.

He had to admit that it was lonely training by himself, which was mighty odd for a man that grew up in Root. But he had grown fond of Naruto's enthusiasm, and Sakura's strength. He even missed Kakashi's presence behind the naughty books he always read. The bonds that he was forming with his teammates were getting hard to ignore. It would be impossible to live all alone again without them.

He left the training ground at noon. As he headed home, he noticed the bright, warm sun and the gentle breeze. He decided that he could sit outside and create a beautiful landscape drawing for his bedroom wall. It was funny… when he was in Root, all of his paintings turned out so dark. But now, through his experience with Team Kakashi, he wanted to use brighter colors.

When he approached his apartment, he noticed that the door was open. Sai was always very meticulous. He would have never forgotten to close the door, or lock it for that matter. He drew out his tanto and edged toward the entrance … very, very slowly. He didn't take the time to use an ink mouse or snake to check it out for him. He wanted to see for himself who had infiltrated his home. He didn't have any enemies that he knew of, and Konoha was now at peace. Why would someone break into his apartment?

He saw the shadow of the perpetrator creep up against his open door, so he sprang to action. It only took a couple of seconds to grab them from behind, and press his tanto up against their neck.

A high-pitched scream escaped from the perpetrator. What kind of ninja screams like that? Sai looked down and found a very unimposing female in his arms.

A female… he noticed… that had a noticeably larger chest than Sakura's. This he noticed because his other arm was wrapped around her soft breasts.

"Sai! You baka! What are you doing to Katie?" Naruto shouted.

Sai looked around. Not only was Naruto there, but Sakura, Hinata, Kakashi and Yamato as well. He then looked back at the young female still in his arms.

She turned her head around and she whispered with a sultry voice, "I'm happy to see you too."

What does she mean by that?

But then he noticed that he held her so close that her round ass was pressed up against his crotch.

What the hell! He immediately let go of her.

"Katie, I told you not to be that close to the door when we are trying to surprise Sai." Sakura scolded as she came up and led the girl away. Her violet eyes, however, never once peeled themselves from his ebony orbs as she headed across the room.

Sai looked around his apartment. Instead of his art supplies, he saw a cake, a bowl of punch and his favorite tofu displayed on his long table. There was also ramen for Naruto… of course. There were streamers and balloons that were neatly placed beside the nameless paintings that usually adorned his main wall.

"What is this for?" Sai asked.

"It's your birthday!" Naruto announced as he slapped Sai on the back.

Sai froze. "It is?"

"Yep. And this year you are going to celebrate!" Sakura answered as she brought him a cup of punch.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand."

Kakashi approached Sai, and answered him from behind his book, "You see Sai, as long as Danzo was alive, your records were sealed. But now we have access to them. Katie here works for Lady Tsunade in her records room. She told us that today was your birthday."

Sai glanced over at the girl. Well, to be fair, she wasn't just a girl. She was probably Sai's age. She looked slightly familiar, but he just couldn't place her. She was a few inches shorter than him with straight chestnut brown hair that reached halfway down her back. And her sparkling violet eyes seemed to stare right through him. She wore a teal-colored low cut blouse that revealed her voluptuous chest. A short, black mini-skirt complemented the sexy blouse and barely covered that butt that had been pressed up against him just a few minutes ago.

"I see." Sai walked over to his table, noticing the presents that were stacked up behind it.

He set down his cup and turned around. "You brought presents for me?"

"Of course silly, that's what people do on your birthday." Sakura playfully punched him on the shoulder.

That hurt. Sometimes Sakura didn't know her own strength.

"Do you want to start by opening your gifts?" Yamato asked.

"I don't know. Is that what normally happens during these occasions?"

"You can do whatever you want Sai. It's your birthday." Hinata's quiet voice answered him from Naruto's side. Hinata and Naruto had started spending a lot of time together. When Naruto wasn't training or on missions, he was usually with Hinata. The poor girl had become a permanent customer at Ichiraku Ramen.

But remembering that brought up the fact that one person was missing. Sakura looked very lonely without him.

"Where is Sasuke?" Sai asked to no one in particular.

Naruto and Sakura started looking very guilty. But Kakashi answered, "Oh… he couldn't make it. Sorry Sai."

Sai knew what that meant. Sasuke didn't want to come. Since he came back, Sasuke had been on probation. Sai was still a part of Team Kakashi. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Sasuke was not happy about their current arrangement.

Hinata then motioned Sai over to his own couch. "Why don't you sit down? We will bring the gifts to you."

It was strange. Sai had never been treated this way. Not only was he surrounded by his friends on the first birthday he ever celebrated, but he was also being treated very special by everyone involved. It was somewhat unnerving.

Then, Katie sat down beside Sai. No one else did. To be fair, it was a two-seater black leather couch, and Sai was sitting in the middle of it. Katie sat to his right, and due to the lack of space, she was pressed up against him.

She was softer than any kunoichi he had ever encountered. She looked over at him and her full lips tugged upwards slightly.

Naruto barreled over with a small box. "Here, open mine!"

Sai opened the gift, and not to his surprise, it was a coupon for Ichiraku ramen. He shifted his eyes up toward the over-eager blond. "Naruto, this seems more like a gift for you."

"I know. But I didn't know what to get you. And who doesn't like ramen?"

Sai shook his head, but gave Naruto his famous fake smile anyway. "Thank you, Dickless."

Hinata looked like she was going to faint. But before she could hit the floor, Katie turned to Sai with a curious expression. "I didn't know you knew that much about your male friend."

"What are you inferring?" Naruto shouted.

Katie smiled, but her focus never left Sai. "Don't worry Naruto. I don't really care." She gave Sai a devilish grin as she addressed him. "You could never be called Dickless."

"How would you know?" Naruto asked.

"Oh … I just know." Katie gave Sai a playful blink.

Then… Hinata promptly hit the floor.

Sai started to scoot away from Katie, but then she placed her manicured hand on his knee. "Oh my. I'm sorry. Was that inappropriate?"

She tried to look innocent, but even Sai could see through that façade. Her fake smile was worse than his.

And … he stared as her pink fingertips splayed across his knee. He swallowed and gently moved her hand back to her own lap.

"I guess we should have warned Hinata beforehand." Sakura observed as Hinata started coming to. "And Katie, get your mind out of Sai's pants."

Katie just smiled as her hand found its way back to Sai's knee.

Before Sai could do anything about Katie's wandering hand, Kakashi walked up to Sai. "Here is my present."

Again, it was a relatively small, square gift. Sai opened it up. It was a copy of Icha Icha Tactics.

Sai tilted his head toward Kakashi with his mouth open. He didn't even have a good response.

"I heard you like books. And you might need this one coming up."

"Huh?" What does he mean I will need this?

Sai could feel Katie's hand moving up his thigh. "I could highlight the areas that you will need to concentrate on." Katie purred in his ear.

He turned to face her. "Why would I want you to deface my book?"

Katie groaned out loud and removed her hand from his leg.

Sakura came up with her present next. Again, it was another small rectangular gift.

This time it was a book titled, Talking to Girls for Bakas.

"Is there something that you are trying to tell me, Ugly?"

Sakura wanted to punch him. But it was his birthday, so instead her eye twitched and she swung her fists behind her. "There certainly is! And it starts with the fact that you don't go around calling girls ugly!" Then she stomped back to his kitchen.

Hinata timidly approached Sai. She handed Sai a larger box. Inside was a sketchbook. It was very similar to the one that Shin gave him so many years ago. Only this one had a faint scent of lavender to it.

"You were done with the other one. I-I thought you could start one with your new team in it."

Sai flipped through the book. The memories of Shin flew through his mind, and his chin quivered slightly. But he wasn't going to let his newfound emotions get the best of him. "Thank you Hinata. That was very kind."

Lastly, Yamato came up with his present.

Sai opened it, and it was a small wooden box. Inside were compartments for his ink, brushes and pencils.

"I thought it might help you protect your instruments while we're on missions."

Sai nodded as the fingertip of his index finger brushed over the smooth, polished cherrywood. Sai was impressed at this piece of woodwork. It was sleek, sturdy and stunning. The box itself was almost a piece of art.

Sakura came back with a plate of tofu for Sai. Sai glanced upwards. "Did you make this?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, Hinata did."

Katie eagerly interrupted. "I made the cake!"

Sai kept his glance toward Sakura. "So what did you make?"

"Nothing. Naruto said it wasn't necessary."

"Oh. That's good," Sai said as he dug into his food.

The vein on Sakura's forehead visibly throbbed as she stomped off.

"Katie brought your final present. Why don't you give it to him?" Kakashi handed Katie a manila folder.

For the first time since Sai laid eyes on her, she seemed unsure of herself. She immediately looked away from him and bit her lower lip.

"Um… for your birthday, I wanted to give you a last name." She fidgeted as she tried to regain eye contact.

His whole body became stiff. Sai sat up and his eyes widened as he asked, "You made one up?"

"No." She shook her head and her focus was back on the folder instead of Sai.

"Then what do you mean?"

"I know what your last name is."

Sai stopped breathing.

After a few seconds, Katie turned back to him. "Don't you want to know what it is?"

Sai was overwhelmed. He had a pain in his chest, even though he wasn't wounded. It was almost as intense as the time he saw his brother again in the war.

"No. I don't think that will be necessary." Sai casually sat his plate down, rose from the couch and headed toward his bedroom.

He could feel the eyes of his friends follow him as he left. But he didn't turn around to acknowledge them. He didn't know what to say.

He closed the door behind him. He realized it was rude to leave his guests like that. But he was having enough trouble digesting this new information. Emotions, he realized, were more complicated than he could have ever imagined.

He had an identity. For the first time in his life, he would know who he really was. Did he want to know? How will this end up changing him? He sat down on his bed and placed his head in his hands.

He could hear his guests leave his apartment. One by one, they said their goodbyes and the door opened and closed several times.

What a relief. I don't want to hear about anything in that file. And I certainly don't want to see it in front of everyone.

The relief didn't last too long. He heard a faint knocking on his bedroom door. It was such a quiet knock. It had to be Hinata … or …

It's not Hinata. I don't hear Naruto. He wouldn't have left her behind.

"Sai, can I come in, please?"

It was Katie.

"I'd prefer that you don't."

Then the door opened.

She was smiling. Under her arm was the manila folder, and in her hand was a plate with a piece of cake and a fork.

When Sai gave her a curious look, she said, "I'm not limited by your preferences."

"It's my apartment." Sai stated dryly.

Katie blinked. "Okay." His statement didn't faze her in the slightest.

She sat down next to him and handed him the cake.

"Are you trying to poison me?"

"Nope. I'm a good cook. Try it."

Sai hesitantly sunk his fork into the dessert. He remembered his experience with Sakura's cooking. He stuck the cake in his mouth, and to his surprise, it was quite good.

He nodded his head, swallowed, and said, "Thank you."

Katie's full lips stretched into an easy grin. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"Why are you doing this for me? I don't even know you."

"Ah, but I know you. I have noticed you around the office for quite some time."

Sai straightened. "How?"

Katie's grin grew devilish. "Do you think ninjas are the only ones with reconnaissance skills?"

Sai leaned over and placed the plate with the half eaten cake on his nightstand. "Hmm… I guess not."

"And how could I not notice you with that outfit of yours?"

Sai looked down. "My uniform?"

"Or what there is of it." Katie leaned in close to him. "Let me ask you something. You have nicknames for all of your friends. So what is your nickname?"

Sai shuddered. The girl had no personal space boundaries. And her constant touching was causing his body to go on auto pilot.

"I don't think they have given me a nickname yet."

Katie laughed. "Well, we can fix that. If Naruto is Dickless, then what does that make you? Super Schlong?"

Sai cleared his throat and reached up to loosen his collar. "I don't think you know me well enough to call me that."

Her eyes glowed as she reached out for his knee again. "I'd like to fix that."

Is the room getting warmer? Why is it suddenly hard to breathe?

Katie's movements were those of a feral cat. Her fingernails grazed the lower seam of his shirt. "Fine. If that doesn't work, how about Wonder Abs?"

"Do you have a fixation on my uniform?" Sai asked.

Katie's Cheshire cat smile frightened him a little. "I have absolutely no interest in your uniform. Except for getting you out of it."

Sai's eyes darted from one side of his room to the other. They were in his bedroom, and this strange girl seemed to want to get better acquainted with his penis.

And his friends intentionally left him alone with her!

He could feel his heart beating against his chest. "I would like to change the subject."

"That's good. Because there is something I would like to discuss." Katie pulled the folder out from behind her. With everything going on, Sai didn't even notice that she had placed it to her side.

His eyes widened as he finally accepted it from her. He had to admit that he was curious about its contents. And he was somewhat grateful that he didn't have to look at it in front of everyone at the party. But he would have to look at it in front of a total stranger. He didn't know how he felt about that.

He opened up the folder, and the first thing he saw was a picture of a baby. He looked up with a confused expression.

"You. It's you." She whispered.

His gaze returned to the folder and behind the baby picture were photographs of an older male and female. The female looked a lot like Sai, but she wasn't pale. The male had dark hair and a very grim look on his face.

"Your parents," Katie asserted.

"Who are they?"

"Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha."

Sai blinked, but didn't say a word.

"Sasuke's parents," Katie confirmed.

Sai stiffened, but still didn't say anything.

"They were told that you died the day after your birth. You were so pale when you were born, that they thought you were sick. Danzo convinced the Doctor to tell them you died, so that he could raise you himself."

He wasn't breathing. The room started to spin.

"He probably planned on killing the Uchiha clan all along. He knew that he would have to have one under his charge beforehand."

Sai stared at the wood paneled wall in front of him. "Does Sasuke know?"

Katie nodded.

"He didn't come today. Am I to assume that he wasn't very happy with the news?"

Katie folded her arms and crossed her legs away from Sai. "I honestly don't know what he's thinking."

"Mmhmm," Sai muttered through his clenched jaw. He knew exactly what Sasuke was thinking. Sai was the brother that Sasuke never wanted.

Katie turned to face Sai directly. "He would be lucky to have you as a brother. And after what happened with Itachi, I would've thought he would welcome a live member of the Uchiha clan with open arms."

"Hmm. You don't know Sasuke, do you? He has never been the open arms type."

Katie's lips tugged upwards. "You have never known him to be the open arms type. He was."

Sai quirked an eyebrow up at her.

"He was before his family was killed," she noted.

"How do you know that?" Sai asked.

"I've seen his file. There are pictures of him hugging his mother and Itachi in there. He seemed like a happy kid according to his younger pictures and documentation from his teachers in the academy."

Sai's focus returned to the photograph of his parents. He pressed his lips tightly together as he tried to imagine the life that was taken away from him.

Sasuke… his little brother. What would it have been like to grow up with him? And what would it have been like to watch their older brother murder their entire clan? Would he have grown vengeful like Sasuke? Or would he have tried to protect the rest of the village like Itachi did?

Or would he have been killed with the rest of the clan?

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He would never know. Danzo could have possibly saved his life. But at what cost? He lived while everyone else in his family died.

His focus returned to the file and found that behind the pictures was his birth certificate. There in black and white it showed his birth name. Uchiha Sai.

There was no mistaking it, or denying it. The certificate was even certified by the Hokage himself - Naruto's father. And there was no death certificate in the file. For a baby that presumably died shortly after birth, that was a glaring error in record keeping.

Sai shook his head and closed his eyes. He didn't like the fact that emotions were trying to take over. Now he realized why Danzo demanded that he keep them buried.

But the last thing in the file threatened to push him over the edge. It was another photograph.

The photograph was of him and Shin.

The picture showed Shin handing Sai his bowl when Shin thought no one was looking. The joke was obviously on him. He was being photographed instead.

The two boys were about five and were dirty and beaten from the day's training. Each day the boys would get their rations of food. But it never seemed like enough. They were starving, but were told to make do.

This was one of the first interactions he had with Shin. Danzo must have noticed and put the two of them together after observing their relationship.

The bond that Danzo intended to sever… right from the very start.

Sai couldn't stop staring at the picture. He was frozen. He clutched onto it with one hand, and pressed the manila folder up against his chest.

If he could have become paler, he would have. Looking at the picture of Shin was like seeing a ghost. And he had already been through enough of that experience with Shin's edo tensei appearance.

Beside him, Sai could feel Katie scoot closer to him. Then he felt her delicate fingers wrap around the muscles of his upper arm. She held his arm with both hands and tucked her chin over his shoulder. Sai knew that she was looking at the picture too, trying to see it in the same way he was seeing it.

"You two were very cute back then." Katie observed.

"Mmm," was his only response.

"That picture is pretty important to you, isn't it?"

"More important than anything else." Sai placed it safely back in the manila folder.

"Then can I buy you a frame for it. You know, as a real birthday present?"

Sai's lips turned upwards slightly as he looked her in the eyes. "That would be nice."

Sai stood up and placed the manila folder beside the plate of unfinished cake on his nightstand. He then decided to pick up the plate and finish the dessert.

"What did you have planned for the rest of the day?" Katie asked as she stood beside him.

Sai thought about it while he chewed. He swallowed and answered, "Mmm. I had originally thought about going out and drawing a landscape."

"That sounds nice. It's a beautiful day."

"What about you? What were you going to do today?"

Katie cocked her head toward his bedroom doorway. "I thought the party would last longer. This is all I had planned."

Sai nodded. "I'm sorry I ruined it for you."

"Pffttt… It's your birthday. You could do whatever you wanted. Besides, we all knew it was a gamble giving you the folder today. Perhaps I should have waited?"

Sai shook his head. "No. I would have had the same reaction no matter when you gave it to me." He returned the, now empty, cake plate to his nightstand.

Katie observed Sai and his demeanor, then she uttered, "I guess you would rather be alone. I should leave."

She took a couple of steps, but then Sai said, "Wait."

She stopped mid-stride and turned her head. "Yes?"

"Will I ever see you again?"

Her smile returned. "Of course. Whenever you want." She took a step closer to him. "Besides, I have to come back with your picture frame."

"I see." Sai took a step closer to her. "Do you think I could go with you to pick it out?"

Katie giggled. "Certainly. But why? Are you that picky about the frame?"

His hands were sweating through his gloves. "No. It's not that." He took a deep breath. "I just thought it might be fun."

"Oh… it could be…" Katie reached out for his hand. In response, Sai just stared at her gesture.

"Give me your hand." Her eyes looked up at him expectantly.

He returned her gaze. "Do people normally hold hands when they go to the store?"

Her smile was warm, and her aura had started to invade his senses. "They do if they're interested in one another."

He quirked an eyebrow up at her. "Are you saying that you want to create a bond with me?"

She giggled again. "A bond? Well, we could certainly start with that." She closed the distance between them and placed her hand in his.

Her hand was softer than anything he had ever felt. It was obvious that the woman had been spared from the years of ninja training that was completely normal for his circle of friends. And the sensation of being touched was beyond his imagination. It was one thing to have friends, but this tiny bit of affection from the new girl was throwing his system into overdrive.

Sai picked up his new sketchbook and some of his pencils before leaving his apartment.

She led him around town, and it was clear that she was proud as a peacock at the fact that she was holding hands with him. It was weird for Sai. No one had ever taken such an interest in him before.

She talked and she laughed. She was such a stark contrast to his trained personality. But it was also very comforting. She was more like Naruto and Sakura, and that put him at ease. He didn't have to do the talking. All he had to do was listen. That suited him much better.

She explained that she was raised by a single mother. But her mom had died a few years back. So Tsunade took her in and gave her the job in the records room. Katie was too soft to ever be a kunoichi, so it was the best decision at the time.

But during her time in the records room, she found out a lot about the different male ninjas. And out of all of them, Sai fascinated her the most.

So when his file came over from Root after Danzo died, she made it her purpose to find out exactly who the mysterious ninja really was. If not for her sake… at least for his.

They made it to the store in 15 minutes. Katie picked out a fancy black lacquer frame. It wouldn't have been Sai's first choice, but he didn't seem to mind it. He liked seeing her so happy to be buying him his present.

After the store, they walked hand in hand to the park. They found a bench and sat down side by side. He used one of his charcoal pencils to draw a picture of Katie sitting below a cherry blossom tree in his new sketchbook.

When she saw the completed picture, she kissed him on the cheek and intentionally ran her hand through his silky black locks.

Sai blushed despite himself.

Afterwards, she leaned her head against his shoulder and placed her hand over his. Both of their hands were sitting on his lap.

He remembered seeing Naruto with Hinata. Naruto was different with her. She had a calming influence on him. Even so, Naruto always had a genuine smile when he was in Hinata's presence.

Now Sai could kind of see what caused his over-exuberant friend to act that way. It was flattering to be around someone that thought so much of you. It was also nice to receive physical affection from an attractive female.

He was happy. It was the first birthday that he was aware of, and all in all, it turned out very well.

He had created a new bond, received a picture of his brother, and gained a last name as well as some perverted nicknames. What could be better?

Well… Katie getting better acquainted with his penis could possibly be better. But he was going to keep that to himself for the moment. He hoped that she would be gentle when the time came.

She still scared him a little. She appeared from out of nowhere, and had an insatiable crush on him. But yet, she was also soft and kind. It was a nice feeling to have her so close.

The little girl with the violet eyes had already captured a piece of his heart. She was strong in spirit, but frail in body. She was his opposite, and for some reason, he found that appealing.

In the midst of his reverie, Sai felt a shadow cast upon him. He looked up and found the person that was causing the sudden darkness.

"Hello Sasuke."

Yep - Next chapter should be good times for Sai. No one wants to face an angry Sasuke. I wonder how Katie will react... I can bet she isn't going to make things any easier for those two. lol

Katie is from my novel, Indulgence:

(See my author page for link. Links obviously don't work in actual stories.)

In Indulgence, Sai is transported into the real world as Lance. So I thought it was only fair to do the same thing to Katie and have her fend for herself in the Narutoverse. Let me know how I succeed in this endeavor! :)

As always - reviews are well loved!