Sakura sat in her first period with supreme focus. Kakashi-sensei wrote down each vocabulary word and stated firmly that each one was on the exam next week.

The exam.

It would mark the midpoint of the school year and she knew her grades weren't up to par with her club members'.

"Now, I really don't feel like telling you the page numbers for these vocabulary words... So, that's your job for the rest of the class period." Kakashi took out his book and began giggling to himself with each erotic phrase.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Ino texting on her cellphone with a big smile on her face. She pounded her thumbs against the keypad and waited until another buzz would notify her of a message.

"What's up, Ino? Talking to your imaginary boyfriend?" Choji teased.

Ino's eyes remained glued to her screen. "He's not imaginary. You're just jealous because you're still single!"

Shikamaru joined in after hearing her shrill voice. "Please, Ino. You haven't told anyone who it is, so how can we believe you?"

Ino laughed dryly at the pair and began searching through her phone. "If you must know... This is him! His name is Zetsu!"

Sakura immediately turned to her with an incredulous look. "Zetsu? The third-year?"

"You know him?" Ino responded, surprised by Sakura's words.

It had been so long. A month or two before school had officially started and Golden Week had finished. And that terrible note as well. She had never met such a terrible person before. Now, they seemed to appear left and right.

"Yeah, I know him." Sakura returned to her work without anything else to add.

Ino twirled a strand of hair around her finger and smirked. "He's pretty amazing. I can't believe how handsome and romantic he is. Do you have a boyfriend, Sakura?" The Ino-Shika-Cho trio turned to her questioningly.

Sakura frowned. "No, I don't. I... don't need one." She thought back to Utakata and the six boys.

The blonde couldn't hold back her humiliating cackle. "You're in highschool and you still don't have a boyfriend? I can understand these clowns, but you have an entire club filled with hot boys."

Sakura's cheeks burned. "I had one for awhile. I just don't feel the need for one."

Ino snorted - obviously not buying Sakura's statement.

"I told you that I don't need one. Unlike you, I can live without constant attention on myself." More of their classmates were staring at the girls.

"Sakura, please! Stop trying to make up excuses for yourself. Or... maybe you're not interested in the opposite sex?" A collective 'oooh' rang throughout the classroom by spectators.

"I definitely like boys-"

"Then why haven't you showed any proof?" Ino pushed.

Kakashi stood up from his desk and scratched his scalp. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to inform you guys... All of this week, instead of gym class, you will be attending a sexual education course. You won't need to dress out for P.E. so be happy that you can relax - sort of."

A chaos of whispers broke out in the classroom.

"Sex Ed? I thought they taught that to second-years..."

"Is there any way we can get out of it? If Gai-sensei teaches gym then he might teach this too..."

"That's impossible. Gai-sensei is the least capable person to teach it; who would involve themselves with him?!"

The fact that each one of the students in her class were slightly uncomfortable made Sakura feel included. It's true she knew little about sex in general, but isn't being told where babies come from by your parents and losing your childhood innocence enough as it is?

"Ha! Why are you all so freaked out? So what? We learn about the reproductive organs and have a bit of a review from junior high - it's not a big deal," Ino scoffed.

"How do you know?" Shikamaru asked.

Ino turned to the lazy-eyed student. "What else could it be about? Stop acting like children... We're highschoolers for goodness' sake!"

Kakashi buried his face in his book. "Oh, great. Another freshman pretending to be an adult..."

OoOoOOoOoO

The bell rang, signaling lunch, and Sakura moved to the meeting room.

Health Economics and then P.E. - or Sex Ed.

"Why do they make us take this class? I really hope it isn't Gai-sensei teaching it," She spouted out miserably.

"What'd you say?" Deidara asked, watching the pinkette enter the room.

Maybe asking the boys what it was like would get her settled in quickly. "This week, all freshmen have to participate in the Sexual Education course."

Conversations stopped. Food laid cold in open bento cases. The boys were staring awkwardly.

"You've... all taken this course, right?" Sakura mumbled.

Itachi cleared his throat. "Yes, we have."

"Can you tell me how it went? What you learned?" She took a seat and opened her lunch.

The silence was suffocating. Each boy hesitated and exchanged looks of uncertainty.

"You're the President. You tell her," Hidan hissed at Itachi.

Itachi closed his eyes and sat back in his chair. "I'm sorry... My memory is completely foggy of my first year. Perhaps one of the juniors could assist?"

Deidara shook his head. "No way. I've done my share of explanations, hm!" He turned to Sasori. "You?"

Sasori scowled, "What kind of explanations have you done?!"

"If it's too unpleasant to talk about then you don't have to... I just wanted to be ready for anything," Sakura said, hoping a guilt trip would cause them to confess.

The redhead sucked in a hard breath and turned to the girl. "They don't split you up - it's completely together as a class. The first day I know will be kind of slow, but I remember having to watch a birth video and something about prevention of STD's. You'll also receive information on both male and female sexual organs. Sorry I couldn't be of much help." His face was blistering hot, but he tried his best to smile.

The other boys roared out in a fit of laughter.

"I can't believe you, Sasori, actually explained it!" Hidan crowed.

Deidara wiped a tear from his eye. "I seriously thought you were going to have a heat stroke, Sasori-kun!"

Sakura stood up and walked to Sasori's side. "Don't be mean! At least he had enough courage unlike you all!" She patted his back. "Thank you, Sasori-kun."

"Don't thank me yet. You still haven't taken the class."

...

Shizune-sensei quickly wrapped up her lesson on nutrition and handed out the worksheets due next week. Most of the students weren't focused on the class, but the upcoming period.

Sex, in itself, was awkward enough, but add in some adolescents starting puberty or students surging with hormones as of that moment made it worse. Sakura overheard some of the boys actually looking forward to the lesson.

"Maybe we'll get someone really hot to teach us!" Kiba whispered, unable to hide his excitement.

"Will there be books with boobs in them? I wonder if there will be a 'final exam'!" Naruto chuckled pervertedly.

Sakura couldn't help rolling her eyes at the immaturity. This was a serious subject, but leave it to the boys to make it outwardly perverted.

"Maybe if you had a girlfriend, you wouldn't have to look through anatomy books to see breasts, Naruto," Ino sneered. The blonde drama-queen turned to Sakura and smiled fiendishly. "How about Sakura?"

"Get real. I wouldn't date Naruto in a million years," Sakura responded quickly.

Naruto pouted. "Don't be so cruel, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura pushed open the door leading to the gymnasium. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

The class took their spots on the floor and waited patiently for their teacher to arrive. The longer they waited, the more their anxiety, or enthusiasm, built. Poor Hinata looked as though she was going to faint. Kiba and Naruto had saliva dribbling from their mouths.

Finally, the doors opened and Tsunade, Shizune and a white-haired man met with the class. Tsunade adjusted her spectacles and turned to the unfamiliar face. "As you know, all of this week's P.E. classes for freshmen will be substituted by our Sexual Education course. We have a special spokesman here to teach you the main course while Shizune-sensei will also assist. I'll allow him to introduce himself..." She bowed once to her students and left without another word.

The white-haired man set up his small podium and portable, dry-erase board. "Hello, kids! My name is Jiraiya-sensei, but it doesn't matter what you really call me - I don't care. Today, I would like to start off by asking some questions. But first, everyone shut your eyes."

Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the first question.

"Good! Now, who here has had a boyfriend or girlfriend before? Raise your hand!" Jiraiya sounded a bit more excited than he should.

Ino shot her hand up proudly including quite a number of others. Should Sakura raise hers as well? Was dating a boy for less than a week or two really considered dating anyway? She decided to keep her hand down. She wanted to take a peek, but restrained herself.

Jiraiya uncapped his marker and tallied the number on his board. "Okay... Now, who has ever had sexual contact with their partner orpartners? Don't be afraid, I won't tell."

Now, Sakura desperately wanted to see who the raised hands had belonged to. In all honesty, she expected nobody to have experienced anything sexual since they were still young. She could hear the squeaking of the marker on the board and wondered if Ino had been one of them.

"Alright... last question for now. How many of you know about STD's and pregnancy?" He waited for a moment and finally capped his marker.

"Okay, open your eyes!"

When Sakura opened her eyes, her eyes instantly tracked down the dry-erase board.

"You see... A number of you have experienced the wonderful adventure of dating and another fraction have already been engaged in sexual activity. Also - apparently - you all know, to some degree, about STD's and pregnancy. This gives us a good start to what you're about to learn." Jiraiya turned to his assistant and motioned her to pass out the papers in her hands.

"Shizune-sensei will be handing out a worksheet that will be due tomorrow. For the rest of the hour, I want you to answer each question - whether you know the answer or not. It's primarily for fun and to see what you all truly know about male and female reproductive organs, sexual diseases, and other related topics. Now, separate around the gym and begin your first assignment!"

...

The school day was over and the six boys sat in their chairs, awaiting Sakura so they could begin club activities. All were worried that the girl was scarred for life from their class.

"Do you think she was freaked out a lot?" Kisame asked.

Hidan leaned over the table, his arms cradling his head. "With how Cherry-chan reacts to perverted shit... I'm pretty sure she had a heart attack."

"Poor, Sakura-chan," Deidara said sadly.

"Whatever happens... we'll be there to help her," Itachi stated.

The door squeaked open and Sakura silently walked into the room. The boys went about their business - avoiding any eye contact with her.

"It wasn't that bad," She spoke up.

Hidan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Oh, that's cool. We weren't bothered by it at all. Wait... what?!"

She strapped her bag over her chair and sat down. "Jiraiya-sensei was really nice. He made it fun and interesting."

"What did he do?" Sasori asked.

"He kind of made it a game in the beginning. We had to close our eyes and raise our hand if one of the few questions he asked were relevant to our lives." Sakura continued to explain. "Then he gave us a practice test - or a survey - to see how well-informed we were in the subject. After that, we got to talk for the rest of the period."

"Survey?" Itachi was curious.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, we had to write out all of what we knew about sex and stuff like that."

"Can we see what you wrote?" Itachi asked.

She hesitated, but retrieved the paper from one of her many folders. She handed it to Itachi and the boys crowded around.

STD's... Syphilis... Child-birth... Labor pains and contractions... Erectile dysfunction...

"Why are you guys so interested in Sex Ed. anyway? You've already taken the course," She questioned, sitting down. When did they actually do real work for the Student Council?

They weren't interested in the class. The girl sitting in the chair playing with her pink hair was the the only thing that got them wondering. How much did she know about sex? The class covered a large spectrum of sexual topics, but they only cared about the perverted aspects.

Sadly, there wasn't much to go on.

"Did you guys know that Ino is dating Zetsu?" She asked rather loudly.

The boys were surprised. "Zetsu? You mean the actual Zetsu?" Sasori responded.

Sakura nodded, twiddling her thumbs. "She made it such a big deal. I didn't really care, but I was just so surprised. She said he was super attractive and stuff like that."

"So?" Deidara asked.

"I don't know. I guess it just made me upset that she dangled him in front of everyone like he was a trophy."

"Girls like that just want attention. Don't pay too much thought to it, Sakura-chan," Itachi answered.

Itachi's words made her feel better. "You're right. Ino-chan's always been like that." She smiled brightly. "So what are we doing today?"

"We could go over the material you need to study," Kakuzu suggested.

"Okay. Let's start with English Composition." Sakura pulled out her textbook.

"Hey, let me test Cherry-chan! I'm amazing at this subject!" Hidan hollered, grabbing the textbook.

Kakuzu glared at his classmate. "You're hanging by a thread in the class we have now. Don't start acting like a hotshot when you're only luke-warm."

"Sakura-chan, I can help you with Biology," Deidara clucked, taking her backpack and rummaging through it.

"No, I'm helping Cherry-chan first!" Hidan yelled.

Sakura slapped her hand to her forehead. "Maybe I should just study in the library..."

OoOoOOoOoO

"I was thinking. Before the weather gets really cold, we should all go to that new icecream parlor." Deidara opened the door to the room and held it open for the others.

"It's already cold. What a stupid idea to open it so late in the year," Sasori growled.

Deidara leaned over, hovering over Sasori's shoulder. "I'm sure you would be fine with going if Sakura-chan accepted."

"Shut up. She's too busy studying exams to think about that kind of stuff."

Itachi walked to one of the filing cabinets in the room and removed a large folder. He dropped it on the table and turned to the blonde. "I need you to deliver these to the principal."

"Right now? But classes are about to start!" He argued.

"Then you better move fast. I need them on her desk before the first bell." He walked out, followed by the other boys.

Deidara grumbled and stomped out of the room. He peeked in the folder, but found nothing of interest. As he turned the corner, he stopped near Sakura's classroom. Ino and Zetsu were standing against the wall, the senior holding onto the freshman's waist. He whispered something softly and the girl giggled. Deidara covered his face with the folder and moved closer to hear.

"Do you want to come over tonight?" Zetsu asked.

Ino blushed and rubbed his shoulders. "I don't know..." She started with a sing-song tone. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, my parents are going to some convention for the next week. I have the house to myself and I wouldn't mind some company." He smirked, deepening Ino's blush.

"Sounds good to me." Her voice sounded shaky to Deidara, but he wasn't quite sure.

Zetsu turned to the mysterious student hiding behind the folder. "Do you mind? You're really annoying me just standing there," He stated, not trying at all to hide his irritation.

Deidara hurried away, running behind the corner towards Tsunade's office. Were they just talking about having sex?! No, it wasn't his business to care about the privacy of other students' lives. But she was friends with Sakura-chan, so did he have the right to tell her?

...

Sakura couldn't stop from watching Ino text non-stop during their classes. Her thumbs worked quickly and, every so often, she would stop to listen to the lesson. How could she even focus?!

It was almost lunchtime and Anko-sensei was writing down the rest of the questions on the board. "Now, after you've finished your answers. Bring your answers to my desk. If everyone finishes before the bell, you can talk for the rest of the hour."

Sakura's pencil marked against her notebook paper as she wrote her answers without one gesture of uncertainty. She continued through the questions with ease and, after being the first one done, waited quietly for someone else to finish. It was a strange ritual she performed every time the class was given a test or quiz - perhaps she didn't want to be looked upon as a nerd.

As Shikamaru stood up, she sat for a moment longer and followed after him. Returning to her seat, she was surprised to see a folded piece of paper on her desk. Looking around, she found not one hint at who it was from. She opened it:

'Hey, I know we haven't gotten along for the past few months, but I want to invite you to a party. It's this Saturday and I'd like to get the word around so a lot of people show up. I hope you come because it's supposed to be a lot of fun. If you decide to come, just text me.
-Ino'

Sakura had to re-read the note several times before she turned to Ino. The blonde glanced over and smiled very friendly at the pinkette. She peered down at the phone in her lap and quietly lifted it and texted again.

Warm, fuzzy feelings surged in Sakura's stomach as she sat quietly at her desk. She thought that their friendship was ultimately over and nothing could restore it. Now, things were turning back to normal and it made her absolutely thrilled. She grabbed her pencil and wrote underneath Ino's note. Watching Anko-sensei carefully, she tossed the note onto Ino's desk while her back was turned.

Ino unfolded it and smiled as she read it...

'Do you want to get ready at my place?'

OoOoOOoOoO

"Leave it alone, Deidara-kun. It's none of your business what they do," Sasori responded, very annoyed by his classmate's jabbering.

Deidara pouted and slumped in his chair. He tapped his pencil against the wooden surface of his desk. How could he leave it alone when he knew Sakura still cared for Ino? "Then again... they aren't on very good terms. If I tell her and she tries to poke her nose in Ino's business then it could lead to things that could have easily been avoided," He said aloud.

"Good. I'm glad you've realized that," Sasori stated flatly. He grabbed a few books from the shelf. "I've got all of my reading material. Let's hurry and check these out, so we can meet with the club."

Deidara nodded and followed after the redhead. "But what if Sakura-chan wants to know?"

"Gah! Deidara, let it go!"

...

Sakura practically floated above the floor as she headed to the club room. Opening the door, she was greeted by her friends.

"Hey, Cherry-chan! You want to study?" Hidan grinned.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, Hidan-kun!"

Itachi raised a brow, perplexed by her immense happiness. "What has you in such a good mood, Sakura-chan?"

"Was Jiraiya-sensei's lesson really that interesting - ouch!" Hidan yelped as Kakuzu quickly slapped his open palm against the back of the silver-haired senior's head.

"No, actually... Ino-chan invited me to a party this weekend. She said it was going to be a lot of fun and I accepted. We're going to get ready at my house and then head to Zetsu's house. Isn't that-"

"Zetsu?" Itachi felt uneasy.

Sakura nodded again. "Yes! At first I wasn't sure, but she made it clear that he was a very nice guy."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Kakuzu stated, crossing his arms.

Sakura frowned. "Why? It's nothing bad."

"How do you know if this isn't just some prank they're trying to pull on you?" Sasori questioned, pushing his feet against the floor to scoot his chair away from the table.

"I don't, but neither do you. She asked me... and we've been friends since we were little. Besides, friends have fights and make up all the time. I believe that Ino's being sincere," She replied.

Kisame spoke calmly. "We're not trying to be rude, Sakura-chan. It's just... Ino is a very shallow girl and she doesn't care who she hurts."

"That's not true at all. How could you say that?" She said, hurt. Why weren't they happy for her?

"She's done it once, Sakura-chan. It will be no surprise if she does it again," Itachi said straight-faced.

She decided to end the conversation by dropping her bag on the table. "I'm sorry, but I need to study."

"We're just looking out for you," Itachi finished.

Her frown deepened and the freshman stood up, snatching her bag. "Actually, I think I'll go study in the library. Oh, and by the way, sensei..."

Itachi turned to her as she walked to the door. "I'm not a child. Stop watching over me like a hawk." She slammed it shut, leaving the six behind.

"Don't take her seriously, Itachi-kun," Kisame said. "She's just going through things that every teenager goes through."

"Yeah," Deidara added. "She's got all those hormones and other stuff surging through her body right now. Give her a week and she'll be fine!"

"I'm not worried about her attitude. I'm much more concerned about this party," Itachi replied.

Sakura stomped away, but a familiar hand caught her sleeve. "Ino-chan!"

"Hey, are you going to study? Can Zetsu-kun and I come with you?"

"Oh, do you want to go over our English notes together or our vocabulary words?" Sakura asked with a smile.

Ino laughed and shook her head. "Sakura-chan, you're so funny! No, I want to go to the library so we can set up some plans for the party. One day of studying won't hurt, right?"

Sakura hesitated, but agreed. "Yeah, that seems fine." Right now, she wanted to do anything Ino did. They hadn't spoke so open and friendly to each other in months - why ruin it by being a stick in the mud?

"Great! I'll go get Zetsu-kun and meet you there!"

Exam week had every student filing into their club rooms or the library to study. It was also the only time the librarian actually allowed speaking, so slackers often visited just to hang out.

The three took their seats at a table far from the others and began talking. "Zetsu-kun and I were thinking about inviting couples only..." Ino stopped, embarrassed of what she had just spoken. "I'm sorry. I totally forgot that you're not dating anyone, Sakura-chan."

"It's okay, Ino-chan. A lot of people are single, so it doesn't really matter. Let's make it a free-for-all," Zetsu said with a smile.

Ino thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay. Then we'll make it an open invitation - anyone can come. Do you want to invite anyone, Sakura-chan?"

"How about the Student Council?" She asked.

Ino bit her lip and turned to Zetsu. They exchanged a few whispered words until Zetsu suddenly pounded his fist on the table. Ino faced her with a smile. "To be brutally honest, Sakura-chan... we don't really want to invite them. Zetsu-kun and I don't really appreciate how they've acted towards us and we would feel incredibly uncomfortable with them attending."

Sakura glanced at Zetsu, but he seemed calm. "Okay... I guess that makes sense."

"You know what? How about you just bring one along? I'm sure Zetsu-kun won't mind, right?" Ino turned to her boyfriend.

Zetsu remained silent, only nodding his head.

"Alright. I'll just invite one."

"Thanks for understanding, Sakura-chan. Now, let's go over some of the hors d'oeuvres..."

...

Jiraiya drew on his dry-erase board. "Now, everyone knows that the sperm travels through the fallopian tube on its tasking journey and once it reaches the egg, it penetrates the egg's outer surface. After the head of the sperm penetrates the egg, that's when fertilization occurs. Now, turn your attention to the television set and watch the next steps into the conception process." He hurried to the other end of the gym and shut the lights off.

The freshman watched each step of the movie and began to grow restless. It was the final day of the Sexual Education course and, after the movie, they were given their final test. Luckily, Jiraiya-sensei was a laid-back teacher and made the questions much easier than his students anticipated.

By the end of the school day, Sakura and Ino would walk home together to get ready for the party. She was so excited she could barely focus on the movie. Once the test arrived, Sakura went on the knowledge that had imprinted on her brain the last time she had health class.
She would probably pass the test by a hair, but she didn't mind. How could she when she was in such a good mood?

...

"Hey, Sakura-chan, are you ready to study?" Deidara asked the freshman as soon as she entered the club room.

"I can't. I'm actually walking home with Ino-chan so we can get ready for the party. It's tonight and I want to spend some time with her," Sakura answered.

Hidan zipped up his bag. "Cool. We'll see you at the party then!"

Sakura squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, um, that's what I came in here to talk to you about..."

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked.

She licked her lips and rolled on her heels. "Zetsu-san and Ino-chan don't want you guys to come..."

Hidan stomped his foot. "What the hell?! That's not fair!"

"No offense, Hidan-kun, but we haven't been very nice to them."

"They haven't been very pleasant to us either," Sasori responded bluntly.

Sakura pushed the conversation forward. "Anyway, what I was going to say is that I'm only allowed to bring one of you guys with me. And I decided on-"

"Cherry-chan, it's okay. You don't have to say anymore! I'll meet you at-"

"Hidan-kun, I wasn't going to say you. I picked Deidara-kun," Sakura interrupted.

Hidan fell back into an empty chair, surprised. The others, including Deidara, felt the same. "Care to explain why?" Itachi asked, hiding his feelings rather well.

"Well, I'm still mad at you, senpai. Hidan-kun isn't very sociable and neither are Kuzu-kun and Kisame-kun. I was going to choose Sasori-kun, but Ino-chan explained to me that she definitely didn't want to see his face there... So I chose Deidara. I would have invited all of you, but like I said, I couldn't. I hope you're not too upset."

Deidara clapped his hands together and strutted towards Sakura. He grinned fiendishly at the others as he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. "Completely understandable, Sakura-chan. I would have done the same thing!"

"Remember to be there at six o'clock." She waved at the others and walked out the door.

Before he could turn around, Deidara already felt the heavy, terrifying glares burning on the back of his skull. "She chose me because I'm the most socially-acceptable. Prove to me that any of you can actually hold a conversation and not act like fools with a group of others for a period of time longer than two hours," He spoke harshly.

"Shut your fucking mouth! If you try anything with her then I'll beat your ass!" Hidan shouted.

"Try anything with her?" Deidara repeated, turning to the others.

Sasori began to speak while still looking through his notes. "You like to use your hands a lot, Deidara. Sure, Hidan can be a pervert and try things with her, but with you it's more flirtatious than direct. You like to talk - it's easy for you."

"That's pretty hypocritical considering you're the one that can flirt so easily with other girls, Sasori-kun. Tell me... how many times have you given out a number even if it wasn't yours?" Deidara challenged.

"I did that simply for our own benefit. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Yeah, you can say that bullshit all you want... doesn't mean anyone believes you, hm," Deidara replied, crossing his arms.

Itachi decided to step in before the conversation continued downhill. "How about we calm down. It's just a party - nothing serious. Just watch her carefully, Deidara-kun."

"No need to tell me. I'll be watching her very carefully," he snickered. He left, ready to enjoy his time with Sakura.

The others whispered amongst themselves, concerned. "I'm not saying I'm truly jealous, but I'm not very happy with Deidara acting that way," Kisame admitted.

"It will be fine. Deidara-kun knows the rules and I'm positive that he wouldn't break them over one, miniscule choice," Itachi assured.

Atleast he hoped so.

...

Ino applied mascara to her lashes and smiled at her reflection. She spun around once in her navy-blue, halter dress. She frowned as she took a look at her chest.

"They look so small!" She readjusted her bra, pushing her breasts closer together.

"How does this look?" Sakura asked, entering the room wearing a modest, red, knee-length dress.

Ino examined her and shook her head. "No, no. Don't you want to look sexy?"

Sakura laughed, "Why would I want to look like that?"

Ino ignored her and rummaged through Sakura's closet. She pushed hangers away and came out with an old dress that Sakura used to wear in middle school.

"Here, let me fix it up." Ino ripped apart the sleeves, surprising Sakura.

"Hey, what are you doing? My mom bought me that!" She tried grabbing it, but Ino pulled it away.

Taking a pair of scissors from Sakura's desk, Ino snipped away at the loose threads. She cut pieces of fabric away from the neckline and threw it to Sakura. "Try this on," She ordered.

Sakura sighed, taking off the dress she was already wearing. She pulled it over her head and turned to the mirror. Since she had grown the last time she had worn it, the dress ended at her middle thigh and the neckline exposed her chest. The black dress also fit snugger and showed off her thin body well.

It certainly did look sexier.

"That's so much better, Sakura-chan. Why don't you put on some make-up and we can get going?" Ino suggested.

Sakura nodded and sat down at the vanity, grabbing the small assortment of make-up she had on its surface.

"Just to warn you... There will be alcohol and other stuff going on," Ino stated, smearing lip gloss across her bottom lip.

"What other stuff?" Sakura asked.

Ino shrugged. "I don't know... Like, dirty truth or dare and strip poker - fun stuff. You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Her blues eyes trailed to her friend putting on blush. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I am. Let's go." Sakura wasn't feeling well, but she didn't understand why. She could have pushed it away as if it was a stomach bug, but that wasn't the truth.

Zetsu's home was luxurious in every way possible. The cold air made Sakura shiver under her thin jacket, but she hadn't even noticed. The three-storied, traditional home sat beside a lake with cherry blossom trees framing the land surrounding the house. Balconies lined the upper floors with lanterns hanging from hooks attached to the rafters; their soft light illuminating the night sky.

"It's beautiful," Sakura whispered.

"You'll never find a place like it," Zetsu replied stoicly, meeting the girls. Behind him, partygoers talked amongst themselves as music exploded from large speakers, sending vibrations under their feet.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Deidara yelled, running towards the trio. His arm wrapped around her waist. "You look great!" He couldn't control himself while his cerulean eyes dropped to her chest and figure.

"Thanks to me," Ino giggled.

Deidara saluted Zetsu and grinned. "Thanks for letting me come, Zetsu-san!"

"Just don't make a mess," Zetsu deadpanned, pulling Ino back to the house.

The blonde junior grabbed her hand and began walking toward the house. "Let's go! Zetsu went all out on this party - he even hired a caterer! There's so much food that I know you'll like."

"Okay," Sakura smiled. She felt better knowing Deidara was the best choice. He was so outgoing.

The music was blaring throughout the entire house and Sakura watched others dancing and enjoying themselves. Several groups stood around counters and against walls taking swigs of beer and other alcohol. Deidara brought her to the endless buffet table and her mouth dropped at the amazing display of desserts and appetizers.

From chocolate cake to traditional mochi... Sakura was in paradise. She grabbed a plate and turned to Deidara. "Everything looks so delicious! I might just spend my entire time here!"

Deidara laughed and grabbed a plate himself. "No way, Sakura-chan. You have to dance with me too!"

She pushed as much sweets as she possibly could onto her plate and sat down on the floor since the chairs were already filled. Deidara sat beside her and bit down on a piece of fried shrimp. "Sakura-chan, that is so much food!"

"I can't help it! I probably won't get this chance again!" She scarfed down another piece of chocolate cake and sucked on her fingers.

He watched her incredulously as she sucked off the chocolate frosting from each finger slowly. He could feel the crotch of his pants tighten and he looked away, but it was already too late. His cheeks burned at his own embarrassment and Sakura had noticed.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Of course she was too innocent to realize - even after Jiraiya-sensei's class! He covered his jeans with his plate and smiled. "Nothing, Sakura-chan... Just relaxing!"

She placed her hand on his cheek and felt the warmth on her skin. "You're so red and your face feels hot. Are you not feeling well?" She smiled. "Or is that a blush?"

"What?! I'm not blushing! Why would I do that?" He answered frantically. "It's just really hot!" He pulled off his coat and threw it aside, knocking over his plate into Sakura's lap.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry, Sakura-chan!" He lifted the plate up and scooped the food off her lap, his hand brushing against her bare thigh. Why was she sitting down on the floor in such a short dress anyway?!

Sakura pushed his hand away and brushed the food off. "Deidara! You're acting weird. Here, I'll clean it up in the bathroom." She set her plate down and stood from her spot.

Opening the bathroom door, she was surprised to find the room empty. Parties like these with so many people made it extremely difficult to find a vacant restroom. She turned the faucet of the sink and grabbed a towel from the rack.

Remember, you're going to get urges and those are perfectly acceptable. In fact, it's completely natural to act on those impulses!

Sakura shook her head and bent down to splash some water on her face. Jiraiya's words ran passed her mind as soon as Deidara's hand brushed against her thigh. The sensation crept up her spine and made her heart beat faster. If it had been any other guy, she wouldn't have hesitated to push him away and slap him, but with Deidara, she didn't mind. The feeling of indifference made her uneasy and she had to escape.

She ran the washcloth under the water and began scrubbing at the food on her dress. After rubbing against the stain for several minutes with no results, Sakura gave up. It wasn't very visible anyway. She exited the bathroom and apologized to the people waiting in line and hurried back to Deidara.

He stood up and grabbed ahold of her shoulders. "Sakura-chan, I'm really sorry. It wasn't intentional at all..." He picked up her plate and presented it to her. "Here, do you want to keep eating?"

She pushed it down. "Nah, I'm not very hungry." She felt a small push on her back and turned around. Ino stood with two glasses of punch and handed one to Sakura.

"Are you enjoying yourself? Isn't this party awesome?" She took a drink and motioned to the crowd of dancers. "Why don't you go dance?" She left as soon as she arrived.

Sakura gulped down her drink and set the cup down with a couple of others'. "Come on, Deidara-kun. Let's go." Strange, the punch left a nasty taste in her mouth.

They moved into the crowd and danced to the rock songs. Ino would visit often with them, giving Sakura a cup of punch every now and again. She would drag Zetsu with her a few times to dance with Deidara and Sakura, but not too much.

Deidara would pull Sakura close during some songs and she didn't seem to mind. She felt like she was loosening up finally. She could dance forever! After a popular rock song finished, a slow, acoustic song began.

"Do you want to go get something to eat, Sakura-chan?" Deidara asked. He could only assume that she didn't feel comfortable dancing to slow songs since they weren't dating.

Sakura shook her head. "No, no! Come here!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him so close, he could see flecks of blue encircling her irises. She pressed her forehead against his and exhaled softly. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and gripped at the back of his shirt. His heart danced within his chest as his hands fell around her waist, resting at the small of her back. Other couples glided around them, but Deidara imagined themselves the only two people in the room.

If the others had spotted them at that moment, they would have been complete messes - tearing their hair out probably.

Sakura leaned closer, her hot breath on his ear. "This is so nice. I'm glad I chose you to come with me, Deidara-kun."

A tingling sensation ran down his spine. His hands rubbed her back as they swayed to the music. "I would never say 'no' to you, Sakura-chan."

Ino stepped over, holding onto Zetsu and the two danced along side Sakura and Deidara. "You two seem to be enjoying yourself," she said, pressing her body against Zetsu's.

Sakura blushed, finally realizing how close she was to Deidara - her friend, not her boyfriend. She took a step back, bowing her head to avoid Deidara's gaze. The blonde junior felt his heart drop. Why was she acting like she was embarrassed?

"Sakura, are you thirsty? Why don't you come with me to get a drink?" Ino suggested.

Deidara tried to intervene. "Actually, I-"

Sakura left his hold and walked to Ino. "I'm so thirsty. You don't mind, right?" She stared at Deidara, the red still stained onto her cheeks.
Deidara stuffed his hands in his pockets. "No, I don't. Go ahead, Sakura-chan." Go ahead and walk away before the end of the song.

"It'll only be for a minute." Ino grabbed Sakura's hand and whispered in her ear, "Come on, Sakura, I need to tell you something."

The two girls arrived at the punch bowl and grabbed new cups to fill. "I'm spending the night with Zetsu-kun after the party," Ino said with a smile.

Sakura took a drink. "I'm sure after cleaning up you would have to."

Ino laughed, "No, dummy. He has a cleaning service for that. I'm going to have sex with him."

"What? Why?" Sakura was quite surprised. Sure, Ino was boy-crazy, but taking a big step like that and only being fifteen?!

"Don't worry. We've got condoms and stuff, so it's not a big deal. He got all of this set-up just to celebrate our two months together. We were originally going to do it a few days before the party, but I didn't feel ready for it then. Now, I know I am." Ino frowned as she noticed the disapproving look cross over Sakura's face. "What?"

"You've only been dating for two months. Isn't that a little early, Ino?"

"Two months isn't early. People have sex the night they meet and leave it at that. Zetsu and I know what we want and I'm very mature - I'm ready for it," Ino answered.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem right," Sakura answered.

Ino crossed her arms. "Of course you don't know. You still act like a child. How would you ever understand the maturity of sex so young?"

"We're the same age, Ino."

"But I'm more mature where it counts." She pointed to her body and smirked. "Like Jiraiya-sensei said: 'Your body knows when it's ready for sex.' My body is curvy and beautiful!"

"I don't think-"

"Listen, Sakura. You wouldn't understand sex because you're not fully developed. Look at you... flat-chested and stick-thin. That dress is the only appealing thing about you. No man would want to have sex with a girl that still looks like a child," Ino said coldly.

"What did you just say?" Sakura was shaking.

"I'm just saying as a friend. I know you can't help how your body develops, but your mind is a different matter. I mean, you have a smoking-hot guy that obviously wants you - why not let him have you? Trust me, everyone that I've talked to told me that sex is amazing. It feels good and you become a woman in the process. Don't you want to be a woman?" She gulped down the rest of her drink and rummaged through her small pocketbook. She grabbed Sakura's hand and placed something on her palm and closed her fingers around it.

A condom.

Sakura turned to the punch bowl and refilled her glass. Ignoring the increasingly bitter taste, Sakura drank it quickly. Her throat was extremely dry even though she felt nauseous. Was she really that nervous? She had to admit she did act quite childish, but what was so wrong with that? Being a freshman in high school, wasn't she expected to act that way?

Deidara stood idly on the dance floor much longer than he expected to. He stepped out of the crowd and caught Sakura at the punch bowl alone. She turned to him with tired eyes. "Sakura-chan, are you okay?" He asked. It was weird how she walked towards him - her body moved side-by-side with each step of her feet. She stumbled, but Deidara pulled her into his chest and held her weight against his. "Sakura-chan?"

She giggled loudly. "You're acting so funny, Dei-kun! Come on, let's go dance! This is my favorite song!" Sakura tried to pull him, but Deidara didn't move.

"Sakura-chan, you're drunk," he stated, pulling away. How could she have gotten that way so quickly? She wasn't even drinking!

Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm not. I don't drink bad stuff like that. I'm a good girl!" She stated it very proudly.

Deidara slapped his hand to his forehead. "We need to go now. You need to go to bed."

The pinkette stomped her foot. "I'm not a baby! Besides, I told my mom that I was going to spend the night with Ino-chan... Where am I supposed to go?"

"Well, I can't let you stay here the way you are..." He pulled out his phone. "What's the big deal anyway? Why can't you just tell your mom that you decided not to?"

"My parents went out for the weekend to visit my aunt and uncle. I don't want to be alone in my house," she confessed.

Deidara sighed and pressed a few buttons on his phone. "Fine. I'll text my mom and tell her that I'm spending the night with Sasori. If you want, I can stay the night with you." Usually, he would be fine with this, but due to her current state, he wasn't too excited to be a babysitter.

She grabbed his arm and hugged him very tightly. "Aw, Dei-kun. That's so sweet! You're the perfect guy!"

Deidara couldn't refrain from cracking a smile. "Thanks, Sakura-chan..."

...

Shivering, the two hurried through her door and shut it immediately. Sakura was practically asleep with her weight leaning against him. He scooped her into his arms and treaded up the stairs, careful not to drop her. He kicked her blankets down to the foot of the bed and gently placed her on her bed. Tucking her in, he stood up and paused to stare down at her.

"Good night, Sakura." He turned away, but was surprised to feel a small tug at his jacket's sleeve. Turning around, he faced Sakura who, apparently, was wide awake.

"Sleep with me," she whispered.

Deidara smoothed down her hair. "Alright... I'll go get a pillow and lay next to you on the floor." She was so cute when she seemed so serious.

"No, Dei-kun, have sex with me."

His first response was sheer shock, but it faded to a simple smile. "Very funny, Sakura-chan. Now, let's get to bed-" He was pulled down to her eye-level.

"Deidara please have sex with me." It was very different seeing her so serious.

As he tried to think out what was happening, he noticed her face inching closer to his. In a moment, they were connected with a kiss. This was the moment he had been dreaming of for a long time. Their lips pressed against each other. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through her silky hair. Now, he wasn't so mad about Hidan stealing his staged kiss with her - this was real. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the ends of his blonde hair.

He loved her so much and he felt so complete.

Helping him onto the bed, she pulled him to sit on top of her. Sticking a hand inside of her bra, Deidara watched curious as she took out a mysterious object. Opening her hand, she exposed the condom that Ino had given her.

"We'll use this," she said, placing it on her nightstand.

She held his face in her small hands and kissed him. This was what he wanted. He so desperately wanted her to want him, but why did it feel so terribly wrong?

"Sakura-chan, I don't think this is a good idea," he mumbled.

Sakura's thumbs brushed against his cheeks. "No, it's okay I'm ready, Let's do this."

Deidara wanted to. He wanted to badly.

But he couldn't stop thinking how it felt as though he was cheating himself and Sakura. Was it remotely fair that he did this while Sakura was intoxicated and not thinking clearly? How would he look at himself the same way knowing that she was under the influence for their first time? Would it be something they could look back on with a smile?

No, it wasn't.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I won't do it," he stated, lifting himself off of her small frame.

Sakura couldn't believe it. "Why won't you? At the party, you said that you would never say 'no' to me!"

"I just don't believe that this is what you really want," he answered.

She grabbed his arm forcefully. "Don't say that! Don't treat me like a damn child! I want to do this - I want to have sex!" she shouted.

"If this is what you really want then why didn't you ever say so before? Why here? Why now? You're drunk, Sakura! How can I even tell what the hell you're saying is what you really want?!" He yelled back.

Sakura released her grasp from him and let herself fall onto her bed. Her tightly clenched fists covered her eyes as she began to cry. "I knew it! I knew that no matter what happened, you wouldn't have sex with me! I'm just a stupid kid!"

"Don't say that. I just..." He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I want our first time to be special. If we had sex now, it wouldn't be fair for either of us. I don't want you to regret something that is so special."

"I don't care! I want this with you. I want to be a woman and I want everyone to realize that I'm not a child anymore!"

"I know you're not a child, Sakura," Deidara replied softly.

She rose from the bed, tears cascading down her face. "Then have sex with me!"

He stood up and looked down at the girl. "I will not have sex with you. Like I said, I don't want you to regret it tomorrow-" He stopped as her hands violently pushed him, hard.

"I can't stand the stupid lies! I mean, look at me. Do I even look like something a man would want to have sex with? I don't have big boobs or a curvy figure! There's nothing of interest! I have no sex appeal! Everything Ino said was true... I look like a child and what man would want to have sex with a child?" Her hands slapped against her face as she sobbed. She turned onto her side and muffled her cries with her pillow.

Deidara sat on the bed and rested one hand on her shoulder and the other on the crown of her head. "Sakura-chan, a large chest and curves doesn't make you a woman. Having sex doesn't make you one either. I don't exactly know what Ino said to you, but please don't take it to heart. And you're definitely not something a man would want - you're a human being. There are plenty of men who prefer women with your body shape. And as long as you're with the guy that loves you as much as the universe is vast then I'm pretty positive he'll take you as you are. He... probably wouldn't want you any other way than the way you are. He wouldn't treat you like an object either." He gazed down at her and wiped away her tears.

She cuddled her quilt and pulled it close to her face. "Do you mean that?"

"I would never lie to you," he answered.

"Deidara-kun," she started.

"Hm?" He felt her hand grasp his.

"Please, stay here with me. I hate sleeping alone in this house."

Deidara stood up. "Of course, Sakura-chan."

...

Sakura eyes fluttered open and avoided the sunlight peeking through her blinds. She turned on her side, facing the direction where Deidara was sleeping.

But he wasn't there.

She slowly rose up and searched the house for any sign of him. Besides the fresh pancakes in the fridge, there were no signs that he was even there last night. Sakura climbed the stairs and searched for her phone. Finding it underneath her bed, Sakura discovered a new text message from Deidara.

hey we're the skating rink. hurry up n get dressed! we'll be here til 3

She smiled while rubbing her eyes. It was noon, so she'd better hurry.

...

The skating rink was packed with so many people. She was still suffering from a dull headache, but tried her best to search for the group. A pair of large hands grabbed her shoulders. She twisted around and waved. "Hey, Kisame-kun."

"Let's hurry and get you some skates," he said with a grin.

She toddled after him and met with the others already skating. Her eyes followed Deidara as the blades of his skates glided against the ice. She hurriedly pulled on her skates and laced them up. Jumping onto the ice, she raced after him, leaving the others puzzled.

"What is she doing?" Sasori asked.

Itachi leaned against the rink's railing. "Don't know. Probably talking about last night."

Hidan clenched his fist. "Damn him! I can't believe that she chose him of all people!"

"Don't worry about it. Nothing interesting probably happened anyway," Kakuzu stated.

Sakura zoomed passed others in an attempt at reaching her blonde-haired clubmate. "Deidara-kun!"

Hearing his name, he slowed to a stop and balanced on his skates. "Sakura-chan, how are you feeling?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about that. I need to talk to you." She thought for a moment of the appropriate way to speak about last night. "I really need to apologize to you. Everything is sort of fuzzy, but I know that I said some pretty crazy things. I'm so sorry that I did that to you."

"That's okay, Sakura-" She shushed by pushing her index finger against his mouth.

"I also want to thank you. If we would have gone through with what I wanted then... Well, I really don't know what would have happened. I just find it amazing that you refused that. It's great because I know you respect me enough to do that. Really, thank you." She smiled at him. "I promise to never do that to you again."

Deidara nodded and smirked. "Oh, it's okay, Sakura-chan. In fact, I don't mind if you do that again. I've got some pretty cute photos of you passed out." He pulled out his phone and showed her a very unattractive image of her in a deep sleep, her mouth open with drool spilling out of her mouth.

Sakura gasped and tried to snatch the phone, but Deidara was too quick. "Give that to me!"

"No way! It's seriously too cute!" He snickered.

"Delete it immediately!" She tried to fight him for it, but failed.

The others watched from a distance. Kakuzu crossed his arms and affirmed the situation. "See? Nothing worth worrying over."

xxx

Omg 1k views? That's so amazing, thank you all. Votes and comments appreciated. <3

xTsu