[swimming AU, funny]

"What the heck is he doing?"

"Hm? Sasuke?"

Naruto and Sakura peered at Sasuke, "you're right, this is really confusing... Is this a dream?"

"Sasuke never swims freestyle..." Sakura crossed her arms, "something really crazy is going on here..."

"Oh, Sasuke?" Kakashi walked up to the two.

"Yeah. He's been swimming freestyle since Tanaki joined a few days ago." Sakura tapped her toes impatiently.

Naruto glared at her, "what'd you do to him?"

"Nothing! He hasn't been telling me anything lately. In fact, he's just been living like a regular human being lately."

"So..." Kakashi rose a brow, "there's nothing to worry about?"

"No. Sasuke never acts like a regular human being... He's always asking for..." Sakura looked away, "never mind. Let's just say he hasn't been himself but is doing an excellent job at hiding that there's even something wrong."

"Wow, he's got great form." Tanaki joined them as he tossed his swim towel onto the chair next to him, "does he normally swim free? I thought that was yours, Sakura."

"It is. His specialty is fly, so we don't really know what's up."

They waited until Sasuke finally climbed out of the pool. He went to pass the group until Naruto grabbed his arm firmly.

"What?"

"What's going on, Sasuke?"

He didn't reply. He only scanned each person briefly, shut his eyes, and exhaled sharply, "it has nothing to do with you."

"Well, you're damn wrong it has nothing to do with us. We're your teammates." Naruto lowered his eyes at him, "whatever's going on with you affects us all."

"What goes on with me only applies to me." Sasuke glanced at Sakura, "so stop worrying about me."

He yanked his arm from Naruto's grasp and headed to the locker room.

"Is he..." Tanaki blinked a few times, "is he normally like this?"

"No..." Sakura sighed, "he's just being stubborn... He can get like that sometimes, I guess."

"You guess?" Tanaki chuckled softly, "I mean, shouldn't you know? He is your teammate, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but... I don't bug him about these things. Sometimes it's just for the best."

"Maybe it's a phase." Naruto chuckled, "I had a number of those when I was younger."

Sakura pursed her lips.

"Hey, uh..." Tanaki smiled, "it's not really healthy to be worrying so much like this. Why don't we all go out to eat later today? Maybe it could help us to get to know each other better? You know, before the tournaments and all."

"Good idea!" Naruto grinned, "maybe Sasuke will come with us?"

"Maybe..." Sakura rubbed her elbow doubtfully, "maybe..."

_________________________

"No."

"Come on..."

"No thanks."

"Come on, Sasuke." Sakura crossed her arms, "what's been going on with you lately?!"

"I told you. It's nothing." Sasuke rummaged through his clothes drawer and stuffed some clothes into a duffel bag, "I said not to worry about me. That goes for you, too."

"Sasuke, what are you doing?"

"I'm packing."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm heading out of the village for a while."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Sakura raked her hair back, "you sound like someone from an old anime I used to watch... You think you can just get up and leave like this?! In the middle of practices?! Sasuke, tournaments are in four days!"

"I know."

"What the hell are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking." Sasuke slipped on a cap, set his duffel on his shoulder, and turned to face her, "that I need to leave the team."

"Are you insane?!"

"No. I'm being reasonable." Sasuke looked at her, "I've only been a burden to you guys. I see that now."

"In what way?! Leaving us is going to be a burden on us!"

"Because." Sasuke shut his eyes, "it'll be a burden if you race with Tanaki."

"What do you have against Tanaki?!"

"Everything." Sasuke turned away from her, "if you race with him, then I can't race with you guys."

"Why?!"

"It's none of your concern."

Sakura gritted her teeth angrily as Sasuke moved to the front door, "Sasuke Uchiha. You have no right to say that none of this is my concern. Because if you're going live here as a teammate and overall my boyfriend, then every problem you have is my concern. So suck it up and tell me what's been pissing you off lately! I'm so sick of you walking out like this without saying a word, damn it!"

Sasuke stopped, "Sakura. Thanks for everything..."

"Stop saying that like I'm never going to see you again!"

"You might not."

"Sasuke, we're not in some movie drama! Stop making excuses!"

"I'm being serious." He tilted his head to look at her, "I'm leaving after the tournaments."

"Why?!"

"I've said enough. There's no need to say anymore."

"You idiot!" Sakura yelled, "what are we going to do about the relay?!"

"I don't know. You all seem to have things figured out. But I'm warning you." Sasuke peered his eyes at her, "don't say I didn't warn you."

"Well, you didn't say anything! Warning or otherwise!"

"Tanaki. You can't trust him."

"Why? Are you jealous?"

The word hit Sasuke like an arrow, "just stay away from him."

"And why should I? That's coming from the man who's bailing on his swim team like a wuss! You're so pathetic, Sasuke, to drop to such a low level--"

Suddenly, his hand was holding her neck against the wall and his mouth was on hers.

After a few seconds, Sakura shoved him off, "don't kiss me!"

Sasuke was taken back by her response. He pulled the front of his cap further over his eyes and turned to leave, "fine. If you insist. That may be the last kiss you'll ever get from me."

"Fine! See if I care!!" Sakura yelled as she watched him walk out the door and shut the door behind him. He didn't look back or even hesitate. She pulled at her hair and screamed as loud as she could. She had no idea what was happening, it was as though the bottom of her life had completely dropped out, and she was left free-falling until she hits whatever is waiting below and goes 'splat'.

___________________

"I'm going to kill him..."

"Naruto..."

"I'm going to rip his throat out and stick it up his butt..."

"Naruto..."

"I'm going to gouge his eyes out with a spork and feed them to the Khoi from the pond at the zoo..."

"Okay, Naruto, calm down for Pete's sake!" Kakashi finally slammed the bleachers of the pool that same evening, "listen, all we need to do is get Sai back onto the main team from the alternate team we put together and we're good to go."

"Ah..." Naruto rubbed his neck, "so, Sakura said something in her text about Tanaki. Why exactly did you put him on the main team if he's only a new student? And where'd he come from so suddenly?"

"It's a long story..." Kakashi leaned his head back, "but let's just say I took him in when no one else would."

"Took him in? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Heh." Kakashi shut his eyes, "figured. It's alright. It's nothing you need to know right away."

"That's not fair."

"All is fair." Kakashi pulled out his book, "now get in the water."

"What?!"

"You came to the pool for a reason."

"It's nearly the middle of the night! Who swims this late? I only came to talk to you, not to swim!"

"Well, you're here. May as well, right?"

"No, I'm good." Naruto rolled his shoulders back, "besides, I don't have my swimsuit."

"Who doesn't wear their swimsuit under their clothes?"

"Uh, no one wears their swimsuit under their clothes."

"Well, you never know. Only the best swimmers do." Kakashi shrugged, "skinny-dipping? Sasuke had to do it once."

"Oh, please no..." Naruto continued on towards the exit, Kakashi following close behind.

Just as they left, a head of red hair ducked into the room from the boys' locker room. He snapped his goggles into place and dove into the water, kicking into butterfly. He swam a few laps before he resurfaced and held onto the wall.

"Heh..." He set his goggles back onto his forehead, "took me in, huh? Well, that's one way of putting it..." Tanaki wiped his face with a nearby towel and climbed out of the pool, "so... He remembered me after all, huh?" 

~~~

Written by xX_Fang_Xx