Hey guys! So this is the third and last chapter for this short-story. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I would really appreciate your reviews about this short story, or ideas for a new one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

The pumping of his heart beat inside his head, as he easily performed the butterfly stroke. He was basically functioning on autopilot, his mind replaying the events at the parlour a few days ago. It had been a more then pleasant outing, and though he was usually a quiet listener he found himself talking a little more than usual with the pinkette. Needless to say most of the conversation had been in control of the girl, who seemed shy at first, but with the obvious sugar-drive she animatedately talked.

Stroke, kick, stroke, kick, stroke, breath, kick.

The boy with mid-thigh black and red speedos, hair hidden underneath a black swim cam, silver goggles over black eyes, and arms extended outwards on either side, elegantly blazed through the water. He was so consumed in his thoughts that without much effort he beat his personal 100-meter time, by 15 seconds.

He got out of the water, a confident smirk adorning his lips, as he pulled his cap off, revealing his bunned hair tied with the sakura petaled hairtie. He was soon ambushed by his teammates, especially a blue-eyed blonde.

"Yosh! We're so going to win this year's finals!" exclaimed the blonde shaking the boy's shoulders.

By the now his teammates were forming a small circle and with devious eyes peeking at each other, overcome with hormone ridden competitivity, they each pushed the right arm outward towards the center of the human circle.

"YOSH!" they exclaimed, chuckles and playful punches following after.

Yes, he was feeling extremely confident, bashful even. Who cared that they barely new each, except for the 4-hour long talk they had before, he was sure there was some chemistry. So with new resolve in mind and a cheeky smile (hidden behind his towel), he would ask the chocolate-loving pink-haired girl to cheer for the team, especially him, at the competition to come.

..

The sound of paper shuffling echoed through the classroom as all students turned the page of their textbook. A low sigh escaped the pinkettes lips, as she stared the printed text from her textbook, the explanation from the teacher just a murmur in her ears. Exactly five days she had been jovially eating ice scream with the quiet, slightly stoic but interesting boy.

It turned out he was a fourth-year student, much to her dismay. She was just a first-year, so what could she expect, nonetheless she was glad she had taken the chance to go out with him at least one time. Her pink eyebrows started to furrow at the center, as her train of thoughts started to spiral down, leaving her anxious.

A chime echoed through the halls, indicating the end of second period.

"There's a surprise test next period, brace yourself," smiled the teacher, as he left the classroom, face glued to a well-known orange book.

The girl covered her face with her hands as she let out a small groan, that didn't go unnoticed by her two friends. They eyed each other with concern, but before they could ask the girl what was disturbing her, a loud yell exploded in the classroom.

"Ne, Sakura-chan! 'Tachi-senpai, is looking for you," beamed the blonde, waving his hands and pointing to a tight-lipped long-haired boy.

Everyone turned their gaze towards the door, astounded as they could be. He was known to be the first rank from his year, and quiet a serious person, so why would he be asking for the pink-haired girl, that had transferred some weeks ago? How did they even know each other?

Her friends turned their questioning gaze towards her, but with flushed cheeks she ignored them, and rigidly walked towards the boy, closing the door behind her.

..

She was blushing furiously and she couldn't look straight at him, which made him think was an endearing gesture.

"Good morning," he breathily said, effectively earning her complete attention.

"Morning...Itachi-senpai," she meekly replied, twirling her left foot on the floor. Under the hallway light her skin looked much paler than it was, but it effectively brought to light some freckles splatter across her nose and cheeks. The sudden urge to trace them with his slender fingers took over him, but he pushed it down immediately.

A few seconds of silence crossed them.

"Um," the pinkette bravely stuttered, "You...you were looking for me?"

"Ah," the boy agreed, a childish glint appearing in his oh so very dark eyes. He wanted to prolong anytime he had with her, so he would make her interrogate him about his reasons, besides she looked extremely cute with nervousness oozing out of her small frame.

The girl eyed him with skeptical green eyes.

"What for?," she squeaked, her anxious behavior getting the best of her. Her fingers were turning white, as the clasped on tightly to hem of her shirt.

"Can you cheer?" the boy asked, the question as weird as it could be being completely out of topic. He received a small nod from the girl, who was biting her lower lip.

"Good," he stated, and he wasn't about to give her a choice in the matter so he continued, " Bring some friends to the swim competition, from this saturday to next, and cheer for us. It's the finals.

The pinkette was shocked, she had not expected that in the least. Why did he want her to go? A hurricane of questions plagued her mind, but they were brought to a stop. The boy's big hand was patting her head sweetly, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"Ja ne," he said, poking her forehead with his index and middle fingers. She watched as his back moved swiftly from side to side as he strode down the hallway, black ponytail secured in her sakura hairtie. A blush creeped up to her cheeks before she rapidly hurried to her desk.

Damn, the test.

..

Now that the girl knew that a competition was on the way, and it coincidentally being that she took everything seriously, and with a little push from her two friends, she took it upon her hands to correctly cheer for long-haired boy.

She had arrived earlier than usual to the school grounds, but the cold silence didn't stop her from happily skipping towards the school pool, with a small green paper bag in her hands. A relieved sigh escaped her plump lips when she noticed that practiced hadn't started and the boys were in the changing rooms.

"Good morning," she respectfully said to the quizzical coach, to which he responded with a small nod.

She then continued to walk towards the cubbies and searched for a specific name. Her emerald eyes brightened once she found it, and she gently placed the small bag inside. She hoped the boy would appreciate her gesture.

"Good luck," she chirped, to the same coach who was looking at her curiously, before she skidded to the staircase that led to gymnasium level, to start her school-day.

..

It had been 4 days since he had all but demanded the pink-haired girl to attend the meet, and in the past for days he had received little somethings from the girl. It seemed a little overboard, but the boy didn't mind. On the contrary it made him feel warm and content, maybe even a little manly pride swelled up within him, since the girl was obviously thinking of him. Nonetheless, none of those feelings made the snickers and jokes thrown his way by his teammate any less irritating.

"What did you get today?" asked his ototou, black brow furrowed, he definitely didn't like girls ogling his older brother.

"Hn," replied the older boy, flicking the younger boys forehead, before heading to his classroom. He didn't want to let anyone know about his precious nothings, so he wouldn't say.

A small smirk adorned his lips while climbing the stairs to the upper level, tucking away the tiny pink note with perfect penmanship in his wallet.

This time the girl had managed to sneak him a new pair of silver goggles, exactly the same to ones he had until the day before when the adjustive strap ripped for the second time, deeming the object unusable. Again the warm feeling seeped into his chest, the girl was watching him and she noticed small things about him.

He tied his hair in a loose bun with the girl's sakura hairtie, before sitting down just as the morning bell rang. The boy turned to the window, the teachers morning briefing just noise in the background. Ah, the sakura trees were starting to bloom and he believed something inside him was too, as small smile itched to appear, while reminiscing about the four notes stored in his wallet

'Gambate! Itachi-senpai!'

..

Soft giggles erupted through a room, surrounded by cream colored walls and white decorative furniture.

"Ta-da!," exclaimed an overexcited platinum blond as she finished placing the last pin on silky pink hair. Soft claps came from the quiet dark-haired girl sitting on the fluffy mint green bed.

"I'm nervous," peeped the pinkette, a small blush staining her lightly freckled cheeks.

"Hinata and I will be right next you, don't be, just scream your heart out" smiled the blonde, as she grabbed her belongs along with a big white folded cloth, "Ready?"

"Hai," replied the dark haired girl taking the nervous girl by the hand and pulling her through the door.

..

Noise. A lot of noise surrounded them: whistles, splashes of water, laughter, and voices. It was a little confusing, people were bustling here and there, and it was somewhat cramped.

"Let's find a seat," stated the dark-haired her, her long tresses swinging as she motioned her head towards the stairs. Her two friends nodded, before the trio skipped towards the benches at the upper level of the enclosed pool.

"I can't see them," muttered the pinkette, a small pout adorning her lips. Her emerald eyes turning everyone to spot the long-haired boy, or at least someone she would recognize from the team. Alas she found him, as he climbed out from the pool to skip to his bag, taking out a small red towel.

THUMP. THUMP.

"ITACHI-SENPAI!" hollorred her blonde friend, waving madly from the top floor, reclining her whole body on the railing. The girl turned pink as she saw what was happening, but she mustered up the courage to stand next to her friend and wave with her.

..

He believed he heard his name so he turned around to the noise. To his surprise a blonde girl was waving madly at him, but a pink-haired blushing girl appeared next to her and meekly waved at him. Upon recognition a small smirk crawled to his lips. He raised his hand in response, holding the red fast-dry towel the pinkette had gotten him.

A few seconds later another girl appeared next to her holding something white. She said something to the other two, before they nodded vigorously and started to unfold the material.

It turned out to be a large handmade banner. They promptly hanged it on the railing and raised their thumbs at him. Heat crawled to his neck and ears. The pinkette was utterly adorable, with her shy smile and enthusiastic aura. Indeed something inside him was blooming.

He proceeded to read the banner, before letting out a hearty chuckle and nodding.

'Go Konoha-nins! Go Itachi!'

THUMP. THUMP.

"Wait, is that Hinata-chan?!" exclaimed the blue-eyes blonde, slightly closing his eyes to focus on the trio of girls who were getting his team captain's attention.

..

A few hours had passed, and it was apparently the final round. The boy she had come to cheer for had qualified on the finals and it would almost be his turn. She was full of energy and nervous, and she wasn't participating so she couldn't begin to imagine how the boy felt.

He was pacing back and forth behind the springboards, damp hair sticking to his back. She was watching him intently, his brows were furrowed and his back muscles her somewhat tensed. Then boy brought something up to his mouth, before he proceeded to tie his long hair and dress himself with swim cap and goggles.

Though the girl was far but she recognized the he had kissed her sakura hairtie, as if it was a lucky amulet, and her breath caught in her throat.

THUMP. THUMP.

He started to take the few steps to stand right behind his assigned springboard right in the middle lane.

Damn the hairtie! Damn shyness! Those wouldn't push him to win.

She abruptly stood from the bleachers and ran towards the stairs. The girl weaved through the people on the staircase, earning yells of displeasure and anger, but she seemed not to care. Her emerald eyes shining with determination.

She reached the lower lever, harshly pushing the doors that led to the lower level bleachers reserved for close family members. But nothing would stop her, as he pink locks flew behind her tied in a delicate braid.

Taking a deep breath, she cupped her lips with her hands and giving all heartfelt emotions hollered with all her might, "GO ITACHIIIII!"

The chronometer beeped indicating the start of the race and it was followed by the splash of water from the competitors.

..

He heard her perfectly tuned voice just as he impulsed himself to the water. His heart clenched. The boy was determined now, the girl was cheering him on, him and no one else, and he couldn't bring himself to disappoint her.

It was a tough and long race, he could see his contenders right at his sides, although 600 meters had passed . His head thumped with every beat of his heart, and it was getting a little hard to breath every third stroke. There was only 200 meters left. Exhaustion was getting the best of him, but that was when he noticed something pink through clear goggles.

The pinkette was walking up and down with him, with every stroke and every lap he did, wavving her small hands, pushing him to go faster.

Exhaustion be damned!

He kicked harder, stretched his body even more with every stroke, the feeling of grabbing the water with his hand and using it to propel him forward was pure adrenaline. He could see the girl every six strokes and she had started to jog next to the lanes as he picked up his swimming pace, still cheering him on.

All of a sudden it was over. His pale hand smashed against the chronometer mat, indicating the end. He had won first place and had broken his record.

Onyx eyes earnestly turned to were they had last seen the pinkette, but she was gone. Confused he pulled his cap and goggles off, releasing a loose ponytail that floated by his panting shoulders. The girl was nowhere to be seen. The timers were now urging him out of the pool. Complying he extended his arms to the edge of the pool, pulling his tired body up.

All of a sudden he was falling right back into the water.

..

The girl was panting with a bright smile on her glossy pink lips. He had won and from what he heard the coach say he broke his record. She was ecstatic, beyond happy.

Her limb feet jogged towards the center springboard. She was patiently waiting for the boy to come out. Her green eyes turned to her friends for a second, and her excitement doubled as she saw them clapping and jumping.

As soon as she saw his pale wet skin arouse from the pool lane she couldn't hold back. Without a care in the world, and angry protests from the moderators she tackled the boy in a hug. Balance lost and emotions at their fullest, they landed in the cold water. Bubbles surrounded them, the sound-proof water encasing them.

Her green cheerful eyes turned to his surprised but gleeful black ones. For a few seconds it was just them in the world.

..

They broke the surface of the water gasping for air. The boy was laughing the warm feeling he had every time he saw or thought of her taking over him.

Her wet pink hair clung to her face, framing her oh so beautifully. Her green orbs reflected the pool and his own onyx eyes. Her pink lips were smiling ever so brightly. She just looked breathtaking, like a hypnotizing mermaid come to enamour him.

The boy didn't know what took over him that moment. Maybe it was the excitement for his win, maybe it was the exhilarating feeling at being yelled at by the moderators, or maybe it was the hypnotizing spell that came from the heat the girl wrapped in his arms emanated with her lean arms wrapped around his neck, holding on to him for dear life. He didn't know, he was just sure that the feeling of his lips over hers was otherworldly. They slowly sunk a little lower, water encased them once again as the kiss turned turned more passionate.

The need for air soon overcame them and he pulled them back up to the surface. He chuckled as his cheeks flushed a little. The pinkette turned red and laughed alongside him, before there were angrily ushered out of the pool.

..

The boy carefully wrapped his light blue towel around her shoulders, and patted the top of her head with the corners. Adorable, was the only thought coursing through his mind. She was slightly blushing before she whispered a small, "Thank you."

Light steps clattered behind her, so she turned around to see her two friends jogging towards her. Her blonde friend was smugly wiggling her eyebrows at her, making her all the more embarrassed and self-conscious. Before they reached her, a tall blue skinned boy she had seen hang around the long haired boy, wrapped his heavy arm around her shoulders.

"You're Sakura?" he asked, a lopsided grin on his blue-lips.

Before she could answer the boy, she was pulled towards a chiseled chest, "Yes, she is...and don't dare to touch my girlfriend."

The girls mind stopped working for a moment, as well as her two friends, since they had reached their spot at the exact moment.

"Girlfriend?" she asked the raven-haired boy, her cheeks taking a full red color accentuating her emerald eyes.

"Ah," smirked the boy, poking her forehead, before walking towards the podium to receive his honored first place medal. The girl could feel her heart literally doing backflips, all the same she felt warm and fuzzy, as she watched the boy climb up the stairs to the podiums, and smirk with his gold metal on his neck, her sakura tie peeking from the nape of his neck.

THUMP. THUMP.

Well this is the end of my short-story, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review about your thoughts. Also a friendly reminder that I'm still updating 'Life Happenings', so it isn't all lost.

Thank you!