Falling Apart and Growing Together – Team Seven's Feud

By Meo.

B-T-F'ing-W:This is a story about guys 3ing eachother.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Yaoi, Sasunaru, Sakura bashing ('cuz she's a ho)

AN – Huzzah, I got off my lazy ass and actually wrote out one of my brain-childs. This is the second story I've gotten to put up on t3h int3rn3tx0rz, and it'll be better than FMA Fatale. I swear. Just…read the story. I shall bore you no longer. Unless you don't like this story. In which case…well, F U. …Not really. :D

CHAPTER ONE

Scalding, blazing heat

In both the air and in hearts

Which is the hottest?

The shrill chirring of cicadas rang piercingly throughout the forest which surrounded the village hidden in the leaves. Browning grass and the blazing sun marked the deepest part of the season and branded it as one of the hottest summers the land had seen in years. This fact, however, didn't stop a certain group of ninja in training from honing their skills further.

Currently, two boys were wrestling immaturely, fed up with the use of professional techniques. A dark-haired teen was straddling the waist of the boy beneath him and keeping his arms pinned above his head in a futile attempt to keep him from squirming. The strategy wasn't really working, however. The blond was determined.

A growl followed by "Stop struggling, loser," came from Sasuke and, though the boy in question didn't do what was suggested of him, he did stop howling as if he was being beaten and manage a real sentence.

"Sasuke, get the hell off of me!" he snapped. "It's too freaking hot!"

"Not until you admit that I won."

"Never!"

"Then you'll just have to suffer, won't you?"

The only girl in the squad, Sakura, sighed loudly. It really is hot out here, she thought to herself as she wiped the back of her hand across her damp forehead. While the boys had been sparring and their sensei had been reading his…'adult novel', she had been exercising by herself to build her physical strength. The three had improved greatly over the (almost) three years since they'd become ninja, but Sakura was still the scrawniest of the group. She sighed again and glanced at her perverted, silver-haired teacher.

'Kakashi-sensei, make them stop arguing, please," she suggested. A one-eyed glance and a shrug were the only response she got. Naruto and Sasuke continued their childish argument.

"The only reason you're on top of me is 'cuz I tripped, bastard!"

"Hnn, but I am on top of you…" Sasuke said thoughtfully.

"GAH! YOU PERVERT!" Naruto wailed while unsuccessfully attempting to hide the blush that crossed his face. Sasuke smirked and leaned closer to his prey, dark hair falling to brush against whiskered cheeks.

They remained like this for a moment, labored breaths mingling, lips separated by a tiny space of air, staring into the other's eyes. Just daring the other to try something. Something they'd both longed to do for a few years.

It was obvious that the two boys cared for each other, but how deep that care ran was secluded in their hearts, unshared. They were rivals, but somehow managed to also be best friends. Despite the feelings they harbored, the friendship was nothing more than just that – friendship. Both longed for it to be more but didn't dare ruin what they had.

Kakashi took that moment to glance at his young charges and raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you saying it was too hot a second ago, Naruto?"

This was enough to jolt the two out of their 'moment' and Sasuke smirked faintly at the blond before sitting up. These little slip ups were not uncommon in the training procedures the boys participated in; in fact, they secretly enjoyed them. Perverted, silver-haired jounin, however, took every opportunity they could to poke fun at their students. Kakashi could easily see the crushes the teens had on each other even if they couldn't. With the snap of a closing book Kakashi turned to the group.

"Since you've all done quite a good job of training today, and it is a bit warm out, I just thought I'd tell you all that training is over."

Naruto cheered.

"And there's a river over there. Just to let you know," he added before turning back to his book.

Naruto and Sakura cheered while Sasuke sighed contently. The blonde and pink haired members of the team gained vigor and instantly dashed in the direction indicated by their teacher, followed by the latter and the Uchiha heir.

Though the sky was slowly darkening, indicating an oncoming (and much needed) rainstorm, Cell 7 jumped on the opportunity to cool off. Naruto shamelessly discarded all clothing but his boxers (which, needless to say, were orange) as he ran and jumped into the water with a cry of joy. Kakashi dangled his feet in the river instead, and Sakura fidgeted, feeling awkward around the boys. She couldn't just strip and jump in the water. Unlike Naruto, she had dignity. What if Sasuke-kun saw? Inner Sakura wondered deviously. Sakura blushed and glanced at the focus of her thoughts.

Sasuke sat on the river bank and discarded his clothing, folding it and setting it where it wouldn't get wet, unlike Naruto's method of 'strip-as-you-go'. He sighed at the fox boy and proceeded to fold his clothes as well.

"Sasukeeee…Hurry up!" Naruto whined. "Neat freak!" …He did appreciate what the other boy was doing, however. Sasuke scowled at the blond before sliding into the water as well.

A content sigh escaped the dark-haired boy as he slid into the water in much the same way as someone else would dip into a hot tub for the first time. He looked very serene, something both Naruto and Sakura noticed. The latter had decided to suck it up and do what the boys were doing; bathe in her underwear. Maybe it'll catch Sasuke-kun's attention…Inner Sakura grinned. Naruto, no less absorbed by the scantily clad Uchiha than Sakura, was much more inclined to do something to him. But…he couldn't bring himself to do something out of character.

So he flung water at Sasuke's content face.

Sasuke's surprised outburst sent Naruto into peals of laughter and sent Sakura into squeaks of, "Naruto! That was mean! Apologize to Sasuke-kun right now!" and other such protests of A.A.A.S.K (or Any Acts Against Sasuke Kun. The Uchiha fanclub took out the hyphen so it would turn into a word.) Sasuke sputtered and shook his head like a wet dog. An angry, dark-eyed glare was sent pointedly at the laughing blond who, in turn, took no notice. The fox boy was, after all, one of the only people on earth who had immunity to the Uchiha Death-Glare.

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled threateningly. The blond just grinned, absolutely begging to be jumped. And so, he was. Sasuke leapt at Naruto and shoved the startled boy underwater. Sakura and Kakashi twitched as they were splashed and the Jounin teacher just sighed. Sakura turned to him with a pleading look. He just shrugged and turned back to his favorite novel.

"You'd think you'd have gotten used to it by now, Sakura," he said simply.

She just sighed and watched.

The two boys grappled like grade-schoolers, flinging water and insults at each other without abandon. Both of them were laughing and grinning (or, in Sasuke's case, slightly-more-than-smirking, because it was unheard of for the Uchiha to grin) at the other while they play-fought. It was almost refreshing to watch the two play, Kakashi mused, after they swore and fought the rest of the time. He smiled faintly under his mask and watched out of the corner of his eye.

Finally, as the sky continued to darken, the teens seemed to run out of energy. Light breezes fluttered around them and chilled their soaked skin. Panting, they exchanged glances before wordlessly deciding it was time to get out of the water.

Naruto flopped onto the grass the second he was out of the river and sighed. "I'm so tired, now…" he whined. Sasuke shook his head at the blonde's constant complaints and smacked him lightly on the back of the head. He let his fingers linger there for the tiniest moment before taking the towel Kakashi offered him. The action wasn't unnoticed by Naruto who repressed a smile and blush because of the slight touch. Nevertheless, he called Sasuke a bastard and smacked his hand away to cover his faint joy. Said 'bastard' just 'hnn'd and turned away to dry himself off.

The blond grunted as a towel was tossed at his head, but he took it and laid it out on the ground in front of him to stretch out on. Kneeling on it on his hands and knees, Naruto did one of the most annoying habits he gained from the fox demon sealed within him : he shook off like a dog, flinging water around everywhere. Kakashi sighed, Sakura shrieked distastefully, and Sasuke snarled the blonde's name. Naruto grinned broadly at the Uchiha and said in a strange voice, "Yeeees, Saaaasuke? Whatever could be the matter?"

Sasuke just glared at the blond. "You're such a loser," he muttered before ducking under his towel to dry his hair. Naruto stuck his tongue out before drying himself off as well.

All four of the group could hear the first thunderclap; the storm was moving quickly. Winds blew instead of breezes and encouraged the group to put clothing on over their swimwear. Unfortunately, with the darkening weather would come darkened moods.

As she had created a habit of asking 'Sasuke-kun' out at every opportunity, today would be no exception for the cherry-haired girl. While Naruto had moved on and no longer had a crush on her at all, she was still set on defeating Ino to try and gain Sasuke's heart.

Both the boys had quite enjoyed their romp and were in high spirits at the time. Naruto found himself staring at Sasuke and blushed, embarrassed to do so in front of his teammates. I can't let them see. If they knew…If he knew… he sighed a bit, pulled down from cloud nine. He can't like me the way I like him. That's just a fairy tale for me… He shivered. The cutting breeze whipped at him angrily and chilled him to the bone. A wet towel wasn't the best blanket, he decided.

Sasuke glanced at the fox boy and noticed him shiver. He frowned slightly, disliking the sight of any discomfort in the blonde, and attempted a friendly suggestion. "Put your clothes on, loser. You're going to catch cold."

It was then when Sakura decided to make her move. Before Naruto could thank Sasuke (not really thinking about it before hand), the pink haired girl began her attempt.

Still wearing only her underwear, she moved towards Sasuke while making unnecessary hip movements. Sakura glanced at him to see if she was getting any notice from the stoic boy, but saw that he…wasn't even looking at her. And she was right in front of him, too. This didn't discourage her, however. She was kinda used to getting ignored by the Uchiha she lusted after. I've got to ask him, though. Today seems like a lucky day to me! She thought.

"Oh, Sasuke-kuun! Can I ask you a question…?"

He glanced at her with disgust.

Naruto half giggled at the sight. Sakura glared at him for it. He managed to keep from laughing too loudly.

"Well, Sasuke-kun, do you have any plans for after training today?"

He grunted, signaling no.

"Well, I was just wondering…Since you don't have anything to do, and neither do I…"

Sasuke growled. Would she ever get the point?

The girl continued, beating around the bush like a blind person with a blade of grass. She just couldn't get to the point. "Well, I was thinking it would be boring to spend the rest of a perfectly nice day-" at this point, a raindrop hit Sasuke on the nose and another thunderclap sounded in the distance, "-on my own, and you probably wouldn't want to waste the day either…"

"Spit it out, Sakura." He was tempted to say, I know what the question is and the answer is NO, but he kept a civil tongue. For the moment.

She blinked at his interruption and clawed at a raindrop that landed on her forehead before continuing. "Oh, yes. Well…I guess the question would be…Would you…go on a date with me, Sasuke-kuun?" Sakura even dared to pull a tiny pouty face and managed to look somewhat like a hurt puppy.

Sasuke took in a deep breath and, very calmly, said, "No."

Sakura, however, was feeling different that day. She set her face in a frown and looked at the boy. Naruto, meanwhile, was watching from under the towel. He had only managed to ignore the conversation long enough to put on his pants. This is gonna be interesting… he thought, secretly cheering for Sasuke.

Sakura was determined, finally deciding that today was the day that she would learn why Sasuke had been turning her down all these years. "Sasuke-kun, why?" This startled the Uchiha. He blinked at her before frowning. She continued as an almost angry look crossed her face. "All these years I've been asking you to out with me! I know you so well, better than anyone else, but you refuse to go out with me!"

Meanwhile, Naruto had paused in the act of drying his hair and watched the scene unfold from under the unmoving towel. There's all kinds of things wrong with what she's saying, he thought. The angry look that grew in Sasuke's eyes was unnerving as well.

Sakura continued her rant. "I mean, all this time, we've been on the same team. I've fought beside you, I've trained with you…I just…please, Sasuke!" The boys could swear that they saw tears in the corners of her eyes. "Tell me why you don't want to go out with me!"

Sasuke was pissed. He glared at the pink haired girl before taking a breath and letting it out slowly. "You want to know why I don't want to go out with you?" he asked calmly. She nodded slightly, her previous determination fading. So, he started a list.

"You're loud. You're obnoxious. You're clingy as hell. You won't take 'no' for an answer. You're obsessive. You don't learn." Sakura's eyes widened slightly with each thing Sasuke said.

She looked gravely hurt, watching as Sasuke finished talking. "You and all those other girls that hang all over me all the time are all the same. You don't know me just because we're on the same team, Sakura." His eyes narrowed. "You say you love me. You don't. It's called 'infatuation', not love, Sakura."

Angrily she interrupted him. "I know the difference, Sasuke!" she argued.

"Obviously, you don't!" he snapped back at her. Sakura, who appeared to be on the brink of tears, continued to argue with Sasuke, who appeared to be on the brink of some kind of murderous outburst. Naruto, however, found the whole thing quite amusing. Sakura had it coming.

Finally, however, the worst part of the argument broke like a wave. Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. He stood abruptly and snarled, "Even if you think you love me, Sakura, I don't love you. I will not grow to love you. At the moment, I don't particularly like you."

Sakura looked rather like she'd been slapped. She stared at Sasuke with wide, hurt eyes. "…Sasuke…" she said quietly. Her fingers tangled together at her breast and her mint green eyes searched Sasuke's angry black ones. Another rumble of thunder growled through the air as the rain began to increase in intensity.

The scene was too dramatic for the fox boy, however, and he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He had been laughing soundlessly, his body shaking under the towel, but the look on Sakura's face was so priceless he couldn't hold back the snort of laughter that burst from his throat. The sound caught the attention of both his teammates, so he quickly busied himself with drying himself off again.

The upset look Sakura had faded into one of fury, surprising the Uchiha and the blond. Slowly and deliberately, she turned towards him.

"What's so funny…Naruto?" she growled. His bright blue eyes flicked up at her, but before he could defend himself, she descended upon him in an angry state the likes of which he'd never seen her in. "How can you laugh at me!" she barked. Naruto winced. Again, she interrupted him before he could say anything in his defense. "You think it's funny that Sasuke doesn't love me?"

"That's not it, Sakura!" he blurted, trying to fend off the angry girl.

"I can't believe you, Naruto! You're so horrible!" Angry tears formed in her eyes. "At least I have more of a chance of having someone love me than you ever will!"

Naruto just stared, a stricken look on his face. Sasuke looked at the back of Sakura's head, not believing what she had said. His eyes turned to the blond who was just as taken aback. Naruto's eyes were blank as memories flooded his mind. Sakura, however, was not about to leave the argument. Perhaps if she had stopped to see how her words had affected him, she would have shut up.

"Everyone hates you, Naruto! I can see the way they look at you. The way everyone looks at you. They detest the very fact that you exist. And you laugh at me for loving someone? Because it's something you'll never have!"

Something inside Sasuke snapped at that moment. The pained look in Naruto's eyes was too much for him to take. "Shut the fuck up," he snarled, grabbing Sakura's wrist with unnecessary strength and spinning her around so that she was eye to eye with the Sharingan. He could see the well deserved fear that flickered in her gaze. Saying that Sasuke was pissed of would be the understatement of the century. "How dare you say something like that, you…you…"

"Naruto!"

Sasuke looked up at the sound of their sensei's voice just in time to see a blur of tanned skin and blonde hair lunge into the trees in the direction of the village. Sasuke watched as the familiar figure of the fox boy disappeared. He said the boy's name softly, thoughts of what could be going through the blonde's head worrying him greatly. The Uchiha turned towards Sakura briefly and snarled a vague threat on her life before grabbing Naruto's things and racing into the trees after him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto had already reached his house, using a transportation jutsu when he was sure he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He collapsed on the floor of his apartment sobbing loudly, the tears running down his face in streams. Sakura's words had cut like a knife, slicing into the part of his mind where the cruel things the villagers had said to him were locked away.

You're a demon!

You destroyed this village!

The world would be better off without you ever existing, demon

Locking his arms around his knees, more horrid thoughts broke into his mind. Sakura's right. Nobody loves me. Sasuke can't love me. He hates me like everyone else. …Maybe I should…make their wishes come true. His tearful, crystal blue eyes turned towards the kitchen and one of the drawers. I left my kunai at the training grounds, so…that'll have to do. The damn fox better not do anything to try and stop me.

Naruto stood sluggishly and, still crying, moved towards the drawer he had looked at before. Slowly he drew it open and pulled from it's depths a single knife, once used for cutting vegetables. His gaze flickered across the weapon analytically. Devoid of any emotions, he moved back into the living room of his small apartment.

Positioning the knife shakily at the base of his palm, his mind wandered again. Naruto questioned his intentions. Will anyone miss me? …No. Nobody will. They'll be glad I'm gone. People will dance on my grave…if they bury me.

His decided it was a good time to stop thinking. A shaky sigh escaped his lips as he closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the blade's handle, ready to execute his plan.

Bye, Sasuke. Too bad I never got to say…I love you.

At first, he thought the knocking on the door was part of his dysfunctional imagination. He shook his head and ignored it until it grew almost angry.

It was pointless to try to push the percussive noise out of his thoughts, so the fox boy stood abruptly and walked to the door. Probably Sakura, making sure I've killed myself by now, he thought.

To say Naruto was surprised to see Sasuke at the door would be an understatement. He locked eyes with the Uchiha heir for a moment before he found him self pressed to the wall, the knife wrenched from his grip. He gasped. "Sasuke, what are you—"

"What the hell were you thinking!" Sasuke's voice wasn't angry as it should have been. It was almost pleading, confusing the blond to no end. His brows furrowed.

"I was doing Konohagakure a favor," Naruto replied quietly. He refused to look into Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke had instantly known what the fox boy was planning to do; the emotionless gaze and white-knuckled grip he had on the knife were telltale signs of what he was planning. If he hadn't followed Naruto…He shook his head. He didn't want to think of the consequences.

It was obvious that the blond was distraught and scared by Sasuke's outburst. The dark-eyed teen could actually feel Naruto trembling from where he clutched at his wrists to keep the boy pinned, just in case he tried to escape. Trying to calm Naruto down even just a little, Sasuke spoke the distressed boy's name as gently and warmly as he could. The tearful eyes that turned his way all but broke Sasuke's heart. He hated to see pain in those crystal blue orbs that betrayed Naruto's every emotion.

Naruto felt Sasuke's fingers slide down his bare arms until they were no longer touching the blond. The loss of contact, however, worried him, as did the somber look in the other's eyes. Naruto swallowed hard; he didn't want to cry anymore, especially not in front of Sasuke. The tears were fighting against the barriers he had put up, though, and it was getting harder to keep them at bay. Abruptly, the plethora of emotions that flooded his mind overtook him. Suddenly lacking the strength to stand or fight back the tears, Naruto sunk to the floor and buried his face in his knees. He hated his inability to fight back his sadness.

SHIT. I did something wrong, Sasuke thought instantly, dropping to his knees. He had never really heard Naruto cry like this before and the sound scared him. All of the boy's strength seemed to dissipate as he sobbed hysterically, hugging his knees as if they were his only lifeline.

The Uchiha couldn't just watch. As gently as he could, he put out both of his hands and lightly touched Naruto's arms, giving the blond a heads-up so he wouldn't be startled as to what Sasuke was going to do. His long fingers brushed over Naruto's tanned skin until his hands rested on the shaking shoulders of the other boy. Please don't hate me for this, he mentally begged before pulling the fox boy to his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around him. Sasuke didn't say a word. He remained as he was, tenderly holding Naruto close to his chest, stroking his sunshine-yellow hair with one hand and gently rubbing his back with the other.

Sasuke certainly didn't expect to be hugged back, but he was, and quite forcefully at that. Naruto clutched desperately to the fan design on the back of Sasuke's shirt and buried his face in the crook of the other's neck. If anything, however, his sobs only increased in intensity because he was touched so deeply by Sasuke's embrace.

Another thunderclap sounded in the distance and the sound of rain pounding on the windowpanes increased. The storm was growing in intensity, mostly unnoticed by the two teens safe inside Naruto's apartment. Finally the fox boy seemed to calm down and his tears slowed to a stop. He blinked hard and sniffed loudly. I can't believe I broke down like that…But…Sasuke hugged me? He was too embarrassed to stay in Sasuke's arms after his 'episode', but as he began to pull away from the other boy, he found himself held tighter. Faintly he blushed.

The Uchiha heir turned his head just enough so his cheek rested against Naruto's blond hair. Though he wasn't entirely sure of what to say, he wanted to break the silence. "You feel a little better, Naruto?" he asked quietly. Said fox boy flinched a little at the voice but nodded a tiny bit to show he did feel more relieved. "I brought the stuff you left at training," Sasuke reminded him. After a sniffle and a nod, Naruto reluctantly pulled a hand away to wipe at the streaks on his face left by tears. He was startled by the touch of a hand that wasn't his on his cheek. Bright blue eyes instantly darted up to meet onyx black ones.

Naruto shivered slightly and closed his eyes as Sasuke's thumb brushed away the remaining dampness from the scars on his face. He'd never known the usually stoic boy could be so…tender and caring. Without really meaning too he turned into the touch. This kind of feeling was completely new to the boy who had always been shunned and pushed under the rug, but he found himself instantly addicted to the feel of it. I like this side of Sasuke. I wish I could see it more, he thought shamelessly while putting his arm back around the subject of his thoughts. Naruto didn't care that Sasuke was a boy, let alone the most sought-after boy in all of Konoha; he simply followed his heart and could tell, from some instinct within him, that he adored the other with all his heart.

Sasuke, meanwhile, was having similar thoughts about Naruto. He had never loved the blond as much as he did at that moment. His pale hand slid from Naruto's cheek to his waist to pull him closer. I feel like I need to protect him, keep him from feeling this way, he mused.

After a long moment where the two simply reveled being in the other's arms, Naruto spoke up, his voice still slightly shaky from crying. "Um, Sasuke…It's still raining really hard, right?" He didn't really need an answer; the howling wind and percussive rain was enough of a response. Sasuke nodded a little anyway. "…If you wanted, you could…um…" Crap. Courage is too fleeting, Naruto thought. He swallowed a bit and hid his face in Sasuke's shoulder before muttering, "…spend the night here so you don't have to go out in the storm."

Certainly the Uchiha wasn't going to give up an opportunity such as that, but Naruto was truly frightened that he would say 'no' and leave. He was so relieved when Sasuke chuckled softly and said, "Sure," that he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. This made the other teen give another tiny laugh. Naruto's response to Sasuke laughing was to hug him tighter and smile. Sasuke's rare, true laughs were one of Naruto's favorite sounds.

"You should laugh more," Naruto murmured into Sasuke's shoulder. "Smile more, too."

"Glad to see you're feeling better," was the reply that accompanied a ruffle of blond hair. A squawk of protest from Naruto made Sasuke laugh a little again before he stated, "There's only one problem if I stay here."

Naruto blinked up at him, the hand that wasn't tangled in Sasuke's shirt placed firmly on his head in order to defend his hair. "What's wrong?"

"I don't have any other clothes with me than the ones I'm wearing."

The fox boy sighed in relief. "Oh, that's all? You can wear some of mine if you have to. And no, it's not all orange." Sasuke's lips twitched up into a small smile.

"You know me all too well," he said. Naruto smiled, too, embarrassed by the faint blush that tinted his cheeks; he could tell Sasuke meant what he said, and not just about his dislike of the blonde's favorite color.

--------------

So, please tell me what y'all think. Constructive criticism is one of my best friends. Besides Photoshop. And my 0.3 sized lead pencil. Anyhoo, I'd appreciate any comments you got.