the author actually knows what he/she's doing. The "Sakura" character "loves" the "Sasuke", but then falls for and ends up with the "Naruto" character because the author developed their relationship.

So "Sakura" loves "Sasuke".
"Sasuke" doesn't really care about "Sakura".
"Naruto" loves "Sakura".
"Sakura" and "Naruto" become close.
Author knows what he/she's doing so they have "Sakura" realize her love for "Naruto" because of all the development.
"Naruto" and "Sakura" end up together.

And no, I'm not trying to start some debate on Naruto end pairings. I just want to know if there are any stories with a similar setup done right.

maybe Ao no Flag, even though the pairings begin to shuffle in the later chapters