"How to Love" Sai x Hero





The four of us wandered about,roaming the streets of Konoha. We talked about the things we'd experienced,as both kids and ninja. Nothing too personal; just the casual things. It was after a while,that I realized that what I was trying to achieve might not be all that impossible. Watching the three of them all laughing together put a genuine smile on my face. I liked their company,and for once I felt at ease.



Even as I knew that this whole ordeal was a punishment,I still found that I was enjoying myself. Thoughts of team Itazura came and went swiftly,as I had no time to think of my worries.



Around nine pm,we all stopped for a rest near a more solacing part of town. As we reached it,our sudden silence was enough to tell one another that we all have some sort of memories about this place.



"This place is where..." Sakura mumbled,as a gentle breeze blew the fallen leaves down the path. Naruto gently placed a hand on her shoulder. I studied them curiously,uncertain of how to make sense of Sakura's unfinished sentence. As I turned to Sai,he gave me a blank stare. Was he just as clueless as me?



The four of us sat down on a bench,and stared up at the starry sky. The sun had disappeared a long time ago,trading shifts with the moon. On the far left,Sakura and Naruto sat beside eachother. So again,Sai and I sat on the right.



"How was your day?" he asked me. Sai followed my gaze to the sky. I suspected that he was done interrogating me; at least for tonight.



"I had fun," I admitted. I didn't want to pout forever. If I didn't have a positive attitude,what sort of super hero would that make me?



"Good. I'm glad,Princess,"



'That name again...' I lowered my eyes to the ground. "Princess..."



"I'm having a hard enough time being a super hero. A princess isn't really something I'm cut out for,I'm afraid,"



Sai leaned forward and folded his hands together. His expression was not the strange smile. He looked calm,instead. "Really?" He asked me seriously. "Well,why is that?"



I opened my mouth to speak,but closed it quickly. I had to be careful around this boy. He was from the Foundation. "Um..." I mumbled,choosing my words wisely. I began to think a little about the past again. I figured it had a lot to do with that. "Well...things have been complicated since three years ago,"



Why was I telling him this?



"Three years ago," Sai's expression flickered. "Um...would you like to talk about it?".



I considered it for half a second. The serious look in his eyes almost made me want to spill the truth. That was the thing about people from the Foundation. Their faces were just mask,deeply concealing whatever troublesome thoughts they didn't want you to figure out. They were made into people you were convinced you could trust. 'There's just one trick to it...I'll never be fooled...'



"I don't see a point in explaining at this time," I decided. I realized that I'd been a little late with my response. Had he noticed my hesitation? Maybe the atmosphere seemed right for the moment. But I didn't feel like opening up just yet; especially in front of someone like this guy.



"Alright,then. Maybe another time," Sai said. I assumed that this would be where our conversation would end. However,I was wrong. "Um...I couldn't help but overhearing that you have a talent for writing. I think...that's really cool.."



I turned my eyes to him,expecting to see that fake smile of his again. A light blush touched his face as he scratched nervously at his cheek with one finger. He looked at me with a genuine smile.



"Uh..so is that true?"



"You heard that,huh..." I didn't answer his question,but instead asked one of my own. "Sai...do you like to read?"



"I do,actually," he replied. "I spend a lot of my spare time in the library. It's much like an author's museum. You know?"



"An author's...museum.." I repeated. "Yeah,you're right! Well,um...what sort of things do you like to do?"



The pale boy turned his eyes on me. "I can't tell you," he said with a serious face. He couldn't tell me? Was he that honest?



"I can't tell you," he repeated. "But I can show you,"



"Show me?" I frowned. Suddenly,Sai reached for my hand and pulled me up.



"H-hey! Where are you taking me?! Sakura! Naruto!"



Naruto stood up,but the remainder of team Kakashi did not follow us. Before I realized it,Sai was dashing through the air,pulling me along into the depths of the forest.



"S-Sai..." I mumbled,trying desperately to reclaim my wrist. His eyes were set intently on whatever lay ahead.



We'd been running for quite some time now,when Sai suddenly decided to stop. I looked around,trying to re-adjust my eyes with the help of the moonlight that filtered through the trees. I called for Sai again,and turned around. He was pulling a scroll open,swiping a paint brush across it with black ink.



"Ninjar Art: Super Beast Scroll!"



Shortly after a large puff of smoke,a great bird fluttered its wings and bowed its head. From what I could see,this was no ordinary bird. This was...



"Did you...just draw this?" I asked,completely dumbfounded.



"Yes," he replied,rolling the scroll up and replacing it in his small backpack. He then climbed onto the winged beast's back,and gave me an expectant look. "Well,are you coming?"



"W-wait...C-coming? Coming where? H-hey,man. This isn't such a good idea,that thing is only made of ink--UUWAAAH!"



Before I could say anymore,Sai had grabbed me around the waist,and tossed me onto the back of the bird. The beast gave a single wave of its wings,and then swiftly lifted itself into the air.



A moment later,we were drifting steadily across the night time sky. The trees looked so small from where we were now. Afraid to fall,I leaned forward and instinctively wrapped my arms around Sai's middle. Immediately,I felt the coolness of his bare skin. Feeling embarressed,I let go too quickly,and nearly lost my balance.



"Hold onto me," Sai insisted. He reached for my arms again,and wrapped them around himself. Startled and unprepared,I braced myself,until my face gently bumped into his back.



Was there such thing as getting air sick? I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to concentrate on something else. Anything. The feel of Sai's bare abs just beneath my fingers...cool and smooth. Okay,it was kind of creepy to think about. But it was a lot better than throwing up on the poor guy.



A while had gone by,and we were still floating in the air. Finally,the sick feeling had passed and I was able to open my eyes. "Are you awake?" Sai asked,glancing over his shoulder. "I thought maybe...you'd fallen asleep,"



"I'm awake," I mumbled groggily. I couldn't believe we'd been in the air this long. Was there a chance of us just suddenly falling out of the sky,once the jutsu wore off?



"Don't worry,we'll be fine," Sai said,almost as if reading my thoughts. "As long as I have enough chakra,we are able to stay up here,"



I had to wonder why he'd taken me up here in the first place. Was this a way of showing me his art? To say the least,it was impressive. To fuse chakra into pieces of beautiful art like this...



"It's really amazing..." I told him. Sai gave a light smile.



"I knew you'd like it,Princess. I had to show you..."



"Huh?" the last bit of his sentence had trailed off,leaving me curious.



"Why me?"



He was silent. I tightened my grip around him then,as the bird suddenly took a dive down. My stomach flopped,and a slight wave of sickness came over me. I was going to puke.



Before the bird could make a crash landing,Sai reached around and grabbed a hold of me. Safely,we landed onto the ground,and then he set me down.



"Where are we now?" I asked,taking in deep breaths in order to fight away the nausea.



"The other end of the path. It's getting late,so I figured it was probably a good idea to head back soon..."



"Soon?" I repeated. Sai flashed me a curious look. I watched a sliver of moonlight dance in his coal black eyes.



"Yes," he replied,and took a step forward. Instinctively,I took a step back,jumping at the sound of a branch snapping under my foot. Sai's eyes were calm,and his hand reached out as if trying to grab for something gently.



"H-hey.." I stammered. I felt my back hit the rough bark of a tree. Still,he was drawing closer. What did he want?



My heart began to pound. The distance had nearly closed between us,when Sai placed the tips of his fingers against my cheek,beginning to caress it. I closed my eyes,feeling his touch cause every nerve in my body to react as if I'd been shocked by jolts of electric pleasure. Sai's hand settled on my right shoulder,and I began to open my eyes.



Before I could see his face,I felt the coolness of a pair of lips softly pressing onto mine. Sai's tongue,like warm satin,treaded on the surface of my bottom lip. I couldn't move; I was frozen. A dark shade expressing my uneasiness then blossomed over my body. I felt the heat leaving my core,quickly rising to my face.



I was angry.



In the spurr of the moment,my hand drew itself back,colliding swiftly with the left side of Sai's pale face.



"W-who said you could kiss me like that?!" I exclaimed,feeling my heart begin to excelerate from inside my chest. I glared at him. His expression only melted into a blank stare.



"You're a princess..." he told me in a monotone voice. "Have you...ever kissed like that,the way it happens in a fairy tale?"



A fairy tale.



This was his idea of trying to be funny?



Without another word,I pushed myself past the boy,and took off running to wherever I thought the path to home might be. To my relief,Sai didn't bother to follow me. What was he thinking? I didn't want to know.



It hadn't taken me long to get back on the path. Where Naruto and Sakura once were,was now an empty bench,so it was safe to assume that they had both gone home. The sky was getting darker than it had been. I took this time to realize that I should probably head home now,myself. Without Sai around,I would be going back by myself.



Not that I cared.



'Kissed like a princess'  I scoffed,trudging down the path.



'I'm not a princess. I'm a super hero.



I'm not delicate,and I don't blush.



I don't get swept away on majestic beasts.



I don't get stolen away from danger.



Or taken to secretive places...'



An unfortunate realization had hit me then.



All of that had happened tonight. Stopping in front of my house,I turned my attention to the moon in the sky.



'Damn it!' I thought. What did that mean...?