Fic: "Practice Dates"

[redbrunja]

Title: Practice Dates
Author: redbrunja
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: R
Characters: Sakura/Sai
Author's Note: comment fic.
Summary: Nothing like finding out the your best dates are with guys who aren't into you to put a girl in a depression. Sai x Sakura.

"So that was a date," Sai said musingly.

Sakura nodded as they walked. Under their feet, the snow squeaked like dying mice.

She was depressed.

Not because of the date which had been - actually, it had been hilarious and fun and kinda sweet. Sai had clearly done research: he brought her flowers (she'd winced upon realized that Ino knew she went on a date with Sai, and by.. well, now, the rest of Konoha would too), he met her at her door on time, he complimented her on what she was wearing (which would have been more believable if she hadn't gotten off her shift late and answered the door in a towel with wet hair streaming water down her back), he paid for everything and... okay, the conversation was crazy weird, but Sakura liked explaining things to Sai. First of all, he listened to her with this odd, intent look in his eyes and secondly, he learned. He was WAY more of a human being than he'd been when they first meet him, and while she was sure that was mostly Naruto's doing... well, she liked to think that she had a hand in it too.

The whole thing had started when Team Yamato had been walking back from their last mission and Sai informed her that he'd never been on a romantic date and would like to understand that facet of human interaction better. Sakura had simply said, "sure, I'll help you learn about that."

Naruto had screamed, "I'VE KNOW YOU FOR FIVE YEARS AND I'VE ONLY GOTTEN ONE DATE! HOW COME SAI GETS ONE ALREADY!"

"DO YOU WANT HIM TO BE UNLEASHED ON SOME POOR, UNSUSPECTING GIRL?" she'd yelled back. "HE CLEARLY NEEDS TO PRACTICE!" 

"..so it's not a real date?" Naruto had asked in a small voice.

Yamato was staring hard at her, clearly trying to communicate something with his eyebrows.

"It's a practice date," she clarified.

At that, Yamato'd winced.

Sai'd stared up at the birds flitting from branch to branch above them.

"...can I have a practice date?" Naruto had asked.

"No," Sakura had said, in a voice like death.

Now, walking slowly back to her apartment while little flurries of snow trickled down from the sky, Sakura sighed.

Sai turned to look at her curiously, his gaze flat and vaguely concerned.

The reason she was so depressed as was two-fold.

First, she hadn't thought about Sasuke once.

Second, she'd had a good time.

The former was good, but the latter...

Fantastic job, Inner Sakura commented acerbically, you found yourself another emotionally-detached brunet who doesn't care about you to love. I can't wait for the crying to start.

She stomped up the stairs to her apartment.

Was it too much to ask for someone she liked to like her back just ONCE?

"I had a really great time," Sakura said leadenly, wishing she were lying.

"I did as well," Sai commented.

"Bye," Sakura smiled brightly at her door. She shut it behind her quickly and then leaned against the wood, sighing.

After a moment, there was a knock by her ear.

She opened the door before realizing she should have waited so it woudn't seem like she was standing right by the door.

"It's rude and forward to attempt to kiss someone on the first date," Sai said factually.

"Umm, mostly, yeah," Sakura replied.

"I want to kiss you," Sai commented, staring at her mouth.

"Why?" Sakura said, before realizing how dippy she sounded.

Sai blinked, refocused his eyes. "I.. I'm not sure, I just..." he reached out, ran a finger across her bottom lip.

She shivered.

"I just ...do," he breathed, sounding annoyed and.. something else.

Sakura opened the door wider.

"Why don't you come in?"

Comments

[okroginator.livejournal.com]

*tackleglomps*

*sobs* I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON WHO DOESN'T DESERVE TO READ THIS GENIUS BECAUSE I STILL HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YOURS AND WAAAAAH

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I BARELY GOT FICS FROM MONTHS AGO DONE BEFORE THE NEW YEAR DON'T FEEL BAD!

[devimelete.livejournal.com]

Practice date. Sure, Sakura.

I love Yamato's reaction. I like to think he's reliving his awkward dating moments in his mind and tried to give Sakura advice via eyebrow movement.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, Sakura firmly believes it's a practice date. Sai and Yamato know better. I actually think that's what he was trying to communicate via eyebrow.

[kalliel]

Oh, I loved this! Sakura's narration here is excellent--Sakura's brand of romanticism-practicality fits in so well with the description of their 'practice' date. And Sai is adorable, and I loved Yamato's small part in this as well.

Awesome~

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I imagine part of the result of her youthful romantism ending badly is that she would learn to be pretty practical about love.

[scarlet-pencil.livejournal.com]

I loved Sakura saying "No" in the voice of death. XD And was just perfectly cute and loveable. Great fic. <3

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I imagine Sakura has to use that tone of voice a lot to get it through Naruto's head.

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

Just interrupting real quick to say that your icon is FANTASTIC! *grins* That's seriously one of the best icons I've seen.

[digthenym.livejournal.com]

The cutest thing I've ever read <3!! It's perfect light-hearted Sai x Sakura, everyone had great interactions and Yamato's eyebrows of foreboding cracked me up XD

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I imagine Yamato was like, 'tread carefully Sakura... he likes you... he likes.. oh, god damn it girl, you just threw lemon juice on the shrivelled remains of his heart.'

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

I soooo needed this right now. it's been shit-tastic at work. *sighs and grumbles*

My favorite, favorite, FAVORITE part: Inner Sakura. I actually laughe out loud with it. "I can't wait for the crying to start." *dies all over again* That was so great!

Thank you for a fun read and a wonderful pick-me-up from asshole patients

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! I love it when I have good fic timing. ^_^

I have SO MUCH FUN writing Inner Sakura. She's a kick, and I know a lot of people say that Inner Sakura is gone now that Sakura's all bad ass, to which I say: Oh, hell no.

[senior-witch.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful short story! I really like their interaction, and Sai's formal behaviour, and Sakura who is for once enjoying this. (Naruto would never remember the flowers.)

You know, I have a student who is just like Sai (and I wonder whether one of my former bfs was like him too.) Luckily I am his teacher, and therefore really out of the question, but this part really reminded me of my student:

First of all, he listened to her with this odd, intent look in his eyes and secondly, he learned.

This kind of look can be really irritating.

In the end Sai is acting ooC. Knocking on the door and stating that it is normally considered rude to ask for a kiss on the first date is perfect, but then being so bold to touch her mouth is unusual for this kind of guys - they would just state in a rather unemotional voice that they would like to kiss the girl.

[nekokatsu.livejournal.com]

"I just ...do," he breathed, sounding annoyed and.. something else.

I think that sentence there explains it, you know? Sai was obviously feeling something new for the first time, and was a bit helpless in the face of it. It was OOC for Sai as we know him, of course, but not unreasonable if he is just starting to experience it.

[industrialgirl1.livejournal.com]

This is just incredibly cute and wonderfully IC. I've never read this pairing before but this makes me feel happy I gave it a try. :)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really glad you gave this a try, even if it wasn't your normal pairing.

[nekokatsu.livejournal.com]

oh HELL yes, that was GOOD.

*wishes there was more*

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

And I don't have more of this fic, but I have written other Sai x Sakura.

[wistfulmemory.livejournal.com]

That was really cute. I liked the part with Yamato.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[anat-astarte.livejournal.com]

You have made me love this pairing so many times over! Great, sweet fic <3

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[askerian]

aww! That was so cute and sweet. You're making me ship it a little. XD

I like the idea that Sakura likes explaining things to Sai. And that he believes it's not the accepted social thing to kiss someone on the first date but he wants it anyway and actually asks for it. D'aww.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm always please to convert people. ^_^

And I think Sakura would have fun teaching Sai how to behave. I can see her having a lot of draw to teaching, honestly.

[lalagirl208.livejournal.com]

aslkjfkj~ ohmygodthatwassogreat~

I loved it~ so much, seriously. ^__^

Great, great job.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your review!

[korinacaffeine.livejournal.com]

:D I love Yamato's surprisingly communicative eyebrows. And I loved Naruto's outburst, lol.

<3

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't think Yamato's eyebrows were quite as comunicative as he'd like them to be. ^_^

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Honestly, though, how much of a shot did Naruto ever have?

And I'm not writing a sequel, although you will certainly see more Sai x Sakura fics from me...

[illeatchu.livejournal.com]

Under their feet, the snow squeaked like dying mice.

so discriptive! ok im gonna actually read it now. brb

[illeatchu.livejournal.com]

that. was. fan-tas-tic <3

[blackestfaery.livejournal.com]

How sweet *cherishes*

There's something about those socially inept ones, eh? But not the Sasuke socially inept kinds. The Sai types; now those ones can be unsuspectingly sweet on you and they don't even know it. This was a good example. I'd like to imagine they were going wall-to-wall inside after that ;D

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

*nods*

The big difference between Sai and Sasuke is that Sai wants connections to people and isn't interested in power, where as Sasuke isn't interested in connections and wants power. Honestly, I wouldn't describe Sasuke as inept; he's abrupt and rude, but he seems to know what appropiate behavior is.

And yeah, Sakura is going to be going at it hot and heavy with her boy in a five... four... three...