This is intended to be a four-parter starting with Sasuke/Sakura, then Naruto/Hinata, moving on to Shikamaru/Ino and lastly Neji/Tenten. They can all be read on their own, but they take place in the same hypothetical future universe, so to speak.

Enjoy.

Three times Sakura and Sasuke are mistaken for a couple. The forth time, neither of them wants it to be a mistake.

Couple

The first time, it was only proof their disguise worked.

If they hadn't been on a mission, Sakura might have enjoyed her evening a lot more. She and Sasuke were both dressed in exquisite, tailored kimonos in matching fabrics. The midnight-blue silk with silver details set off Sasuke's pale complexion and dark eyes, making him even more handsome than usual. On Sakura the dark fabric made her skin look almost luminous. Her pink hair was done up in an elaborate braid with a silver comb keeping it in place. Together they made a truly striking pair at the lavish gala they were attending.

That was, incidentally, also the point.

Their mission was to extract the whereabouts of a diamond-smuggler, from the son of said smuggler. The son, Yamato Kaneko, was a notorious snob and playboy; he was known for his luxurious parties, galas and banquettes, and invitations to his events were always well-sought after. The Hokage of Konoha had managed, by unknown means, to get two invitations. Sakura was chosen, to her utmost chagrin, for her unusual colouring which was bound to attract the bachelor's attention; it was said he "collected" exotic beauties like an old lady might collect porcelain cats. Sasuke had volunteered to be her back-up – he had argued he only went along because he could blend in amongst the rich and powerful with ease. That Neji Hyuga, who would have blended in just as well as Sasuke, had offered to accompany Sakura on the mission too, he had pointedly ignored.

"There he is," Sasuke said under his breath, and took a sip of his water; the glass was pointed discreetly towards an archway leading out to an enormous garden, from which their target had just stepped through. Yamato was a young man with fair hair and tanned skin, he was both taller and broader than the average civilian. He walked with his head held high, a superior smirk on his face. He seated himself in a large sofa near the drink table, and immediately he was flanked by a dozen men and women, all craving his attention. In Sakura's opinion he wasn't as handsome as she had been told, he was too... Supercilious, for her taste. She glanced at her dark-haired companion next to her and hid a small smile. Then again, she might be slightly biased when it came to men.

Sakura took a firmer grip on Sasuke's arm to indicate she'd understood what he'd said and, to be honest with herself, to feel nearer him. If only for a second.

"It's very hot here, don't you think?" Sakura fanned her face with her unoccupied hand.

"Another drink, perhaps then?" Sasuke led them smoothly through the crowd. When they were ten feet from the sofa, he stopped and withdrew his arm from her grasp. "Why don't you wait here, while I get us those drinks?"

Sakura nodded with a grateful smile. She watched him walk away for a second, before she curiously looked over at her target. She took care to seem as serene and innocent as possible, she knew her make-up was done up in her favour; enlarging her eyes and plumping her lips. Everything to lure this person in. She caught Yamato's eye, seemingly by accident. Their gaze held just a moment too long before she averted her eyes, looking down at her feet bashfully. Sakura did her best to channel Hinata when Naruto unexpectedly flashed the younger girl one of his sunniest smiles. Too bad she couldn't blush on command. Not that she thought it would be needed from what she had heard about this particular subject.

Sure enough. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Yamato Kaneko excuse himself from his company and make his way over. He stopped just a bit too close, nothing overly noticeable – except by Sakura, of course.

"What is a beautiful young lady doing all by herself an evening like this? On my party nonetheless; I must be a most terrible host!"

Sakura looked up into the clear blue eyes of the infamous bachelor, a small flirtatious smile placed on her lips.

"Oh, I'd say my evening is looking better and better."

Yamato chuckled. "You don't say."

"I must say this is very impressive," Sakura made a vague, sweeping gesture with her arm. "I've never seen such a big house before." She had. Several times. There were a dozen of them in Konoha alone. "You must love it here!"

"The mansion has been in my family for three generations," he answered amicably. "I'd prefer something smaller myself actually. It gets awfully cold in the winter, and too hot in the summer – but I can't deny it has its charms." He inclined his head in her direction. "Like now, for instance."

"Oh, stop it!" Sakura giggled and swatted his arm playfully. "It's not polite to flirt with a girl without introducing yourself first, you know!"

"I am a most terrible host!" He smiled widely, obviously enjoying himself. He took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Yamato Kaneko, at your service."

"Suki Kimura." Sakura lied smoothly, with a smile of her own. "But you don't mean Kaneko, as in Takao Kaneko surely?"

"My father," Yamato's smile slipped for a split second; anyone less observant wouldn't have noticed. But Sakura did and she was, against her will, intrigued. "How do you know him?"

"Oh no, I don't! But..." She lowered her voice. Time to lie until her tongue turned black. She and Sasuke had done careful research. "My grandfather worked in a mine up in Snow."

Yamato nodded carefully, his smile still in place, but with an almost dangerous glint in his eyes. "I see."

"He died last year; a cave-in. Your father sent his condolences. Or, his office did I suppose," Sakura chuckled ruefully. "I think your father is a tiny bit more important and busy than my grandfather ever was. He probably didn't even know my grandfather's name."

"Important and busy." Yamato snorted. "Truest words ever spoken. He is away on business in Earth Country as we speak, otherwise I would have introduced you – it would do him good to hear what his company actually costs others. Not just see his own profit."

Earth Country. Bingo! She shifted her stance slightly to the right – the signal to Sasuke to come over in approximately ten minutes.

"I take it you are not on the best of terms with your father?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"To be honest, I'd rather not talk about him." His smile was back in full force, the dangerous glint from his eyes gone. "Too dull and serious – it doesn't suit me."

"What would you like to talk about then?" She looked up at him playfully.

"Actually, I have a proposal to-"

"Yamato?" A feminine voice said from behind them. Yamato spun around quickly, and Sakura suddenly became witness to something she did not expect at all. His eyes softened as they rested on the woman who had spoken. Sakura turned to face the new-comer too. The woman was very short and over-all tiny. She had light brown hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, small almond eyes. She was cute, in a very girl-next-door way, but nothing special – she shouldn't have attracted Yamato in the least, according to all the reports and research, and yet...

"Mimi, I thought you weren't coming?"

"Well, someone must keep an eye on you," she rolled her eyes in good-nature. "When I don't, you just butt in where you shouldn't. Like now." The young woman named Mimi turned to Sakura. "I apologize on Yamato's behalf if your boyfriend took offence in his behaviour. He really is quite harmless, it's not your fault you would make an excellent model for my exhibition. Your features, and not to mention your beautiful hair, are exquisite! It's like you were made for oil-paintings! The piece would be marvelous!"

Sakura blinked confused, and to be honest, scared.

"Mimi, you are frightening her – this is exactly why I scout for girls and not you!" He said sternly, but Sakura could tell it was only for show. He was clearly amused.

"Oops," Mimi laughed and blushed a delicate shade of pink. "I sometimes come on a bit strong I've heard, but if you are interested in sitting for one of my paintings I would truly love to have you." She gave Sakura a card with her general information. "Now, we will leave you to your date, he has been glaring daggers at Yamato for the last twenty minutes at least – honestly, I've told you to not upset nor tease the girls' dates a million times!"

"Thank you for your time, Suki," Yamato said and kissed Sakura's hand once again. He glanced behind her. "I think I will take my leave before your boyfriend kicks my sorry ass across the room. Enjoy the rest of your evening." He offered his arm to Mimi who took it seemingly without thought. They walked off leaving Sakura utterly bewildered. She heard Mimi chide Yamato for the last kiss on the hand, and Yamato's laugh in response. He never took his eyes off of her small frame.

"Huh." Who would have thought?

"What?" Sasuke came up behind her. He gave her a glass of water and none-too-gently placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Nothing," Sakura said with a smile. "Sometimes people surprise you, that's all."

She saw Sasuke give Yamato's retreating back a dark glare through slightly narrowed eyes. "Hn."

For some reason that single syllable warmed her heart tremendously.

The second time, it was only because Naruto was running late.

"Where is Naruto?" Sakura asked for the third time. She was annoyed and not that good at hiding it. Her fingers drummed on the surface of the restaurant table, her eyes constantly roaming the crowded room for a sight of the blonde. "He is almost half an hour late and I'm starving!"

"He probably fell asleep doing paper work," Sasuke said with a snort. "We might as well order without him."

"Yeah, you're right. He only has himself to blame if we're finished before he shows up!"

Sasuke expertly signalled to a waitress for the menu. A flustered and slightly haggard-looking middle-aged woman came to their table. She placed a menu in front of Sasuke. "I'm sorry, but we hardly have any menus left, is it okay if you split one? Again, I am so sorry for the inconvenience."

"No, no, it's fine," Sakura said with a wave of her hand, she scooted over closer to Sasuke so she could read too.

The waitress chuckled and gave them a fond smile. "Young couples like you never do seem to complain when presented with an excuse for cuddling. To be young and in love again...!" The woman walked off before Sakura had a chance to sputter out a protest, her cheeks flaming red from the implication. She moved, utterly embarrassed, a couple of inches from Sasuke's side. She was painfully aware of how close she had plastered herself at him, and it hadn't even been intentional! She hadn't given it a second thought, at all. Sasuke must have thought she was really-

"You won't be able to read from over there," Sasuke said, without looking up from the menu. "I thought you were hungry?"

Sakura studied his profile carefully; his strong features were their usual emotionless ones, except... Was there a pink hue to his ears?

She gave him such a radiant smile he must have been able to feel it; he tilted his head ever so slightly in her direction and gave her a tiny smile of his own, his eyes never leaving the folder in his hands.

"I am starving, actually." She placed herself right next to him again, their sides touching, her embarrassment completely forgotten.

Across the room, a middle-age, hopeless romantic sighed wistfully. She'd give them a couple more minutes before taking their order. She didn't want to rob them this small moment.

The third time, it was only due to the intimate place of Sasuke's injury.

"Honestly, how did you even manage this?" Sakura shook her head, exasperated. "I'd expect this from Naruto, but not from you, Sasuke."

"It was Naruto's fault," he growled though gritted teeth. "He obviously thought he was funny."

"Why am I not surprised?" Sakura sighed. She had a feeling Naruto injured Sasuke in those particular places on purpose, just to embarrass his two team mates as much as possible. "Well, I need to see the extent of the injuries, so... Take off your shirt and pants." She spun around and picked up his medical chart, eyeing through it mostly as an excuse for not observing him while he undressed. This was awkward enough as it was. When she got a hold of Naruto...! Because honestly, how big where the chances that one kunai would literally be stuck in Sasuke's inner thigh and another would slice open his pectorals, making a full undressing necessary?

She looked up and averted her eyes just as quickly again. Sasuke's chiselled pale chest and his equally muscular thighs and upper arms was a sight she had not been entirely prepared for. She was relieved (with an odd mixture of disappointment, but she suppressed that peculiar feeling before it got a real chance to root itself in her brain) that the kunai was in-bedded in his upper thigh and not higher, and he therefore got to keep his underwear on at least. A treacherous voice inside her head whispered he, thank Kami, would be in no danger of erectile dysfunction this way, either.

"Great!" Sakura said, a tad too shrill to be considered casual. She cleared her throat and kicked herself tremendously for reverting back to her pathetic useless Sasuke-worshipping days. She was a grown woman in her early twenties, and a jounin, dammit! Get a grip, Sakura, be professional. It wasn't like this was the first time she had seen him in a state of undress; being teammates for the last four years, not counting the year when they had been twelve, it was inevitable to catch a glimpse of skin every now and then. She inhaled deeply, only once, before bending closer to examine the wounds. "Well, it doesn't look too serious at least, no internal organ damage, no bones broken, only flesh-wounds. Give me a couple of minutes and you are free to go."

Sasuke grunted something incomprehensible Sakura interpreted as consent. She quickly healed his chest wound with expertise; her hand not even lingering longer than strictly necessary nor any closer. On the whole she was proud of herself.

"There!" She said with a smile. "It won't even scar."

And now for the more awkward bit... To gain full accessibility and visage she needed to literally put her face in between his legs. Awkward did not even cover it. Sasuke's stone-face did not help matters either. Sakura could tell he went for indifference, but unfortunately he managed to look more constipated than cool; his neck was too strained for a completely relaxed posture.

She sat herself on a chair and bent forward to easier extract the kunai with minimal damage to his muscles. A low hiss in pain was the only sound heard from her patient.

The door suddenly flung open.

"Hey, Sakura, Tsunade said you'd help... – OH MY GOD!"

Startled Sakura straightened quickly and turned to the doorway where a bug-eyed Tenten stood with her mouth hanging open. "Tenten-"

"I am so sorry! So, so sorry! I had no idea, Sakura, why haven't you...? Why didn't I...? Sasuke and you... Here. Wow, I am officially scarred for life! Thanks for that visual...! Not that I'm not happy for you, of course!" Tenten added quickly. "About time you got together, after all! But... In the hospital? Really? Not that it's any of my... I'll just go, actually. You... Carry on."

Tenten slammed the door shut behind her again, very eager to escape what she thought she'd just been witness to.

"What was that about? Why did she run away?" Sakura was genuinely confused. Sasuke gave her a weird, you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me-look and turned a curious shade of pink.

"Just think, Sakura." He remarked gruffly and refused to meet her eye.

"Think about what?" She bent her head down to continue her work. On his naked upper-thigh. Her head. His... "Oh Kami!" She snapped away from him and swivelled around in her chair, her face the colour of a tomato. "Did she think-? That we-? That I-?"

"..."

Sakura turned to face Sasuke again. They made awkward eye-contact for a second before both of them averted their eyes, embarrassed.

"How about I finish this up, and then we never mention this again?"

"Agreed."

Sakura carried on with her work in torturous silence (though she could have sworn she heard Sasuke mutter something about icebergs when she put her chakra-infused palms to the stab wound).

The fourth time, Sasuke doesn't want it to be a mistake – and neither does Sakura.

"Fuck, if that ain't the finest piece of ass I've ever seen."

"Yeah, ya got that right, bro. What I wouldn't do to nail that...!"

Sakura struggled to keep the pleasant smile on her face. They were just two very drunk, young, civilian men after all; they weren't worth the trouble, especially not tonight. Tonight she, along with Sasuke, Naruto and Sai, were supposed to relax and have fun – they hadn't managed to get together all four of them due to their constant conflicting schedules, for over a month. While waiting for Sasuke who was running late, Naruto and Sai went to get them a round of drinks and she had occupied a table. The table right next to the two drunk men.

"Could do with a bigger rack, though." One of the men remarked, making the other crack up with laughter.

"And a smaller forehead, that thing is fuckin' huge!"

"How cares? I'd still bang her senseless."

Sakura was just about to turn around and punch the living daylights out of the two of them when she sighted Sasuke making his way over. A very pissed Sasuke. Heading, not for her, but the guys next to her.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shot out of her chair and put herself between the men and him. She placed her hands on his chest, fully intent on keeping him from killing someone. "Let it go. It's not worth it." She conveniently neglected to mention she had been about to do the same just a few seconds ago; but she could afford to, Sasuke on the other hand? Even after almost five years back, his status as a ninja was still questioned by a majority of the inhabitants. Seemingly unprovoked violence would not look good for him.

Sakura had stopped his pursuit, but Sasuke did not take his now Sharingan-red eyes off them.

"Shit!" One of the men exclaimed in terrified shock. He leaned forward to talk to his companion, his voice only marginally lowered. "D'ya have any idea how close we just was to dying?"

"Fuck you talkin' 'bout?"

"That's fucking Uchiha! Uchiha! And we trash talked his girl."

"Uchiha?" The other male paled considerably. "Shit."

They turned to the fuming Sasuke and the annoyed Sakura.

"Ah man, we meant no disrespect to ya girlfriend," the two men nodded in unison. One of them continued. "She's smokin', is all. Not that we care! Or noticed!" He hastily clarified when Sasuke narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Dude, just... Cheers!" Both of them drowned their glasses quickly and hastily retreated.

"The fuck did he hear us?"

"Dunno, man, just keep walkin' before he change his fuckin' mind."

Sasuke was still glaring daggers after them. Sakura didn't let her hands drop until they were completely out of sight. Neither of them moved away from the other.

"Really, Sasuke, let it go. They're just two idiots. Idiots I would have been more than capable of taking care of myself for that matter."

His eyes finally stopped bleeding red, at least. "I know."

Sakura let out a small laugh. "Good, otherwise I might have been forced to remind you."

"Hn," was Sasuke's only answer. He slowly turned his attention back to Sakura. His dark eyes met her light, green ones.

"It was sweet of you, nonetheless." She smiled gently, acutely aware of how close they were standing.

"Sweet?" Sasuke frowned, that had obviously not been his intention. "I was about to put them under a genjutsu so powerful they would have lost their minds."

"I know." She swallowed thickly and let out a breezy laugh to cover it up. "Funny how they thought I was your girlfriend, though. Again. Ridiculous, like we..." She trailed off when she realized Sasuke was staring at her intently, a dark look in his eye.

"No." He said. "That's not funny at all."

And then he kissed her. He was neither gentle nor harsh, but surprisingly passionate, almost hungry. Once she overcame her initial shock, Sakura responded with equal fervour, pressing herself closer to him, sneaking one hand up to his dark hair. She felt his hands encircle her waist, squeezing almost painfully; not that she cared in the slightest. Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest, a fever travelled through her blood, spreading from their connected lips to the tips of her fingers. She felt his hands move from her waist up to her hair until they, finally, gently cradled her face.

They broke apart, both out-of-breath, even though Sasuke was slightly better at hiding it than her. Neither spoke, nor broke eye-contact.

A hearty chuckle next to them broke the spell.

At the table Sakura had abandoned earlier sat Naruto and Sai with drinks in hand, a huge grin was present on Naruto's face. He rose his glass to them in salute.

"Well," he took a large gulp of his drink and sighed happily in contentment. "It was about bloody time; two more days and I would have lost the bet."

The end

Well, that was Sasuke/Sakura, next up is Naruto/Hinata. Brace yourselves.