(A/N: Felt like I needed a Sakura redemption chapter ASAP, lol. The next chapter will be the start of the Training Camp Arc... Hopefully. Also, Christmas special is staying as a spin-off, not canon. Sorry all Hitoshi x Sakura shippers.)
The next school day, Kaminari still couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Sakura's manager pull up to his house once more. It wasn't because they were going on another excursion, no, it was because they were official.
He sat in back without a word this time, his fists clenching tightly as his face reddened considerably. She was sitting right beside him in her school uniform, yet she made the outfit look 10x prettier.
"What are you looking at?" she asked curiously once she noticed that he was staring.
"N-nothing..." He looked away in shame. He couldn't exactly say how her face shined in the rising sun and the way every pose she made looked like she was having a photoshoot.
Sakura moved in closer to him with a light smile on her face, "It doesn't look like nothing. What's up?"
His eyes couldn't help but move to her lips that looked so naturally soft. In turn, he gulped and his eyes averted to another place.
"I was just thinking... " he trailed off before flailing, "But it was just a dumb thought!"
She only laughed, "There's no such thing as a dumb thought. Just say what's on your mind."
Though he wasn't going to say what he was thinking about earlier, he did have another question that was much more serious.
"Why me? Why do you like me?"
Sakura leaned back to think about it for a moment. On a whim, she first wanted to go with Sterling, not just because he was handsome, but because of the publicity. However, she didn't want to be involved with a scandal and taint her image because of his fiance.
At first, she really didn't want to pick Kaminari. She found his actions endearing, flattering, and absolutely cute. That was just the problem. She found him cute, including the way he looked when he blushed. It just made her want to pat his head.
Not only that, but Sakura only received that kind of attention from Naruto, but since everything was pre-planned, it didn't matter. He was going to end up with Hinata. This was entirely different through. Kaminari loved Sakura for being Sakura.
She didn't know how to handle that.
"Cause, " she replied with a bright smile, "I find you cute."
Sakura wasn't going to lie to him. She rather admired his trick of secretly tucking in a rose for her hospital bouquet to get better.
She was using his feelings for her, that was a fact, but she wasn't just going to take like a villain. Kaminari was going to have a girlfriend in her as long as they were going to be together. She planned on being the best without a doubt.
Of course, she would have to change course around with Hitoshi's schedule but he learned to be flexible after changing it so many times.
"T-that isn't an adjective to describe a male, " he muttered, looking a bit dejected but still retaining his blush.
"Why don't you..." Sakura couldn't finish her own sentence as her own face flushed. It wasn't her fault that she could flirt with others since Honeypot missions were a thing. But still, Sakura never actually had her first kiss. Usually, she would kill her target before even progressing to that state.
"... Prove it, " she managed to complete with her voice softer than usual.
"Huh?"
"I'm not repeating myself, " she stated while folding her arms.
Sakura was quite baffled at herself for not even being able to say the complete sentence. Now she was really acting as a resident in her current world.
His face, though embarrassed, showed a flicker of something in it. She wasn't adept in emotions, but she could recognize the look a little bit.
"C-can I?"
She swore that he was somehow related to puppies. She loved the loyal dog side but since he was begging, it just felt different than usual.
"... Mmn."
He gently cupped the side of her face and leaned in closer, their breaths intermingling with one another. Every one of Sakura's nerves in her body was stimulated to life and she was suddenly self-conscious of every single movement.
Once Kaminari's lips touched hers, he couldn't help but wonder how exactly her lips could be that soft. Through a moment of her weakness, his tongue slipped in and he felt her stiffen at that.
Realizing that he overstepped his boundaries, he quickly pulled back and looked guiltily at the floor. She had given permission for the kiss but obviously wasn't expecting the advancement to French kissing so early.
His head hung lower as he registered that she could dump him for moving too quickly. Still, for as much as he felt guilty, he wouldn't take back for a moment the second he tasted strawberries.
Even a high-class model like Sakura liked to wear strawberry-flavored lipgloss. He couldn't help but find her more enticing.
Sakura, on the other hand, looked absolutely stunned as she stared at the seat in front of her.
"Did..." she wondered aloud, "Did you not like it?"
She wanted to be the perfect girlfriend to him, but from her unfiltered reaction, he had moved away. Was he unhappy at her reaction? Did he not like the kiss?
"... Have you dated someone before, Sakura?" he suddenly asked.
"No."
He looked particularly surprised at her answer and couldn't mask his emotions. "R-really? Then was that your first k-kiss?"
"... Mmn."
Kaminari's face then turned to one of stone as he understood why she was so shocked. "I'm sorry for overstepping!"
He had first assumed that she had previous relationships since she was obviously beautiful. Finding out that she hadn't was, well, against his previous guesses.
Sakura's face looked to the side as she tried to compose her. "Next time... warn me?"
"I will!"
If someone were to tell Sakura how she looked at that moment, she would've refuted them to the day that she died. However, Kaminari was rather glad that he was the only one there to see it.
After seeing her strong and independent side, the flustered and shy side wasn't bad either. Actually, it was very much the opposite.
(A/N: Idk if this chapter came out wrong. This Sakura is someone that never had love planned out in her life no matter how much she chased Sasuke (unwillingly). So this side is one that has never actually dealt with pure love. Please comment if something is off).