[swimming AU, funny, fluff]

Here we are... Naruto smiled, "I feel so... Hyped, right now." 

"Of course." Tanaki grinned, "I'm sure we'll all do our best out there."

"Hey..." Naruto muttered, "you're starting to sound like Sai... If we have two Sai's on the team now, then..."

"What's wrong with me?" Sai smiled, "my mere presence brightens the room."

"Heh." Naruto rolled his eyes, then turned, "helloooo..."

Sakura jumped.

"You look so tense." Naruto poked her arm, "are you okay? Will you be fine today?"

"Yeah..." Sakura sighed, "I'm... I'm doing the Women's Division 100m Free and this relay with you guys..."

"You'll do great." Tanaki gave her a smile that made her heart flutter in a way she hadn't felt in a while.

"Thanks."

A ding went off on Tanaki's phone. He checked it then smiled at the group, "sorry, I need to head out somewhere."

"Hm?" Naruto blinked, "is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about me. You'll be great out there, Sakura! Don't forget... What you swim for." He walked up to her and gave her a tight hug before running out of the lobby.

Sakura smiled and clenched her fist, "he's right. I just hope..." She watched the direction that Tanaki ran off to, "I hope he could make it to watch me swim."

"I'm sure he will." Sai grinned.

"Good luck out there, Sakura. We'll be cheering for you!" Naruto gave her a pat on the back before he and Sai walked into the spectator's stands.

Sakura made her way to the girls' locker room where she found a locker and shoved her duffel and swim towel into it.

I'm normally confident walking into these swim meets, but... My hands are trembling so bad... She looked down at her hands as she walked through the door of the locker room and into the pool area, where crowds of spectators watched. Damn...

"Sakura!!"

Her eyes immediately met Naruto's as her teammates yelled her name and cheered.

"You got this, Sakura!"

She chuckled nervously as she pulled her jacket off and set it in the bin provided at each lane. Center lane again... That only means... Am I the fastest here? Standards are... P-pretty high... But why... Why do I feel this way?

"Swimmers, take your marks!"

Sakura took a few deep breaths and stepped up onto the starting block. She took her stance and stared at the water below her, her hands trembling. Then she saw it.

It was him.

"Tch!"

The buzzer went off, and from the very start, she knew what would happen.

"Sakura!" Naruto stood up, "damn, she started late!"

Sai smiled, "she doesn't have a chance."

"Sai, shut up!" Naruto cupped his hands over his mouth, "come on, Sakura!! Catch up!!"

Sakura threw her head from side to side with each stroke, tiring her out faster. When she flipped to lick off the wall, the turn was early, so her kickoff wasn't as strong as it normally is. She slapped the water as hard as she could and coughed in between breaths as she swallowed and choked on the water.

"What happened..." Naruto watched her sadly as she was the last swimmer to tap the wall.

Sakura coughed uncontrollably as she ripped her goggles and swim cap off. She weakly climbed out of the pool, grabbed her jacket, and made her way through the locker room and was met by Naruto and Sai in the lobby.

"Sakura!"

She stopped as the two approached her.

"What happened out there?!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders, "come on, talk to us! We need to know before the relay--"

"Get the hell away from me!" Sakura shoved his hands away, "I don't need to tell any of you anything! It's just not my day, okay?!"

"You're better than this!" Naruto rose his voice, "we'll help you, we want to help you! Just tell us what happened back there!"

"I'm fine!" She yelled and headed back towards the locker rooms.

"Where are you going?!"

"I'll be in the locker room. I don't know if I'm swimming that relay."

The two watched as she slammed the door of the locker room shut behind her. Just as she did, Naruto clenched his fists, "Sai, where's Tanaki?"

"He hasn't come back yet." Sai looked around, "I can check the locker room."

"Okay." Naruto headed towards the front door and walked out of the building, glancing around for any trace of the red-haired boy. What he found, however, was even more than what he expected, "what the... Tanaki! And... Sasuke?!"

"N-Naruto!" Tanaki shouted, "he just... Assaulted me!"

"What the hell?!" Sasuke gritted his teeth as his clench on Tanaki's jacket tightened, "quit spouting lies, you idiot! You wanted to meet in the first place!"

"That's what they all say..." Tanaki glared at him.

Naruto ran up to the pair and shoved them, "okay, you two need to calm down! Tanaki, go inside. The relay's starting soon."

"Yes, sir." Tanaki shoved Sasuke away and nonchalantly walked back into the building.

"Sasuke." Naruto peered his eyes at the Uchiha, "we need to talk."

"What about?"

"Don't act like you don't know! Have you been out here knocking heads with Tanaki the entire time?"

"So what?"

"Sasuke, why did you leave the team? If your jealousy's involved, then you're weaker than I thought!"

Sasuke grabbed the front of Naruto's jacket, "shut up! I did what I did for her sake!"

"What are you talking about?! She's crushed because of you!"

Sasuke's grip released a bit, "wh-what?"

"So..." Naruto shut his eyes, "after all this time, you really still care about her? Despite the fact you didn't completely comprehend the results of your actions..." He looked at him, "Sakura's performance today... We could tell there was something bothering her, and that's all thanks to your selfish planning."

"What I did wasn't selfish!"

"Before you start giving me that crap, think about the results of your actions!"

Silence.

Sasuke clenched his teeth, "... You sound like my mom."

"Sakura lost her chance at Nationals because of you! Don't you feel the least bit guilty?! Unless you're just wading in denial!"

Sasuke was silent for a long time.

"Maybe what I said is true, then, huh?" Naruto removed Sasuke's hands from his jacket collar, "if you want to apologize, just tell me what's up with you and Tanaki."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, then shut his eyes, "Tanaki was a friend of mine... We swam together all the time. We were in the same swim team until... An incident happened, and that was, kind of, the catalyst of our rivalry..."

"So... Rivals..."

"Yeah. In both swimming and love..."

"What?"

"Because... We both wanted to swim with Sakura."

So... It was jealousy after all.

"And no, what I did wasn't out of jealousy. It was purely to keep you guys out of harm's way. Because..."

"Because?"

"We swore that the next time we saw each other, someone would die."

Naruto suppressed the urge to burst out laughing, "isn't that going a bit far, Sasuke? Even for you?"

"I may not have believed him at first, but he was serious, after..." Sasuke shut his eyes, "he took a knife to my throat."

"Well..." Naruto pursed his lips, "that escalated very quickly..."

"This is no joke, idiot. I've wanted to tear that bastard's eyes out the moment he said he would kill to have Sakura all to himself. When I finally got to meet Sakura, I was a mess, and all my pride clouded my judgment and forced me to forget Tanaki. Until the day he came to the pool to swim with us, I barely recognized him, and that's when all the memories came back. The memories I finally forgot all came back, just because he decided to show up. To avoid Sakura getting caught in any crosshairs... I left."

"You wanted to protect her physically, but she was damaged emotionally instead."

"I didn't mean to hurt her in any way!" Sasuke gritted his teeth, "I warned her about Tanaki, I didn't want her to stay involved with him."

"What made you think leaving permanently would make her any better?!"

"I see that now..." Sasuke looked away, "but she's moved on with Tanaki..."

"Are you really that dense?!" Naruto yelled, "Sasuke, her swimming has dropped by a landslide ever since you left... Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"What..." Naruto looked him dead in the eyes, "you swim for the team, right? Well, she's never told you what she swims for."

"I know." Sasuke countered, "she swims for her friends and not just for the medal. But that wouldn't explain why her not going on to Nationals would affect her so badly."

"Because Nationals isn't the reason why she's in this state. Because what, or rather who, she really swims for is you, Sasuke."

"M-me..."

"You're so stupid, she just wants to swim with you normally again!" Naruto turned around to leave, "so... Spin it how you want to... But we have a relay to swim. If you still want to leave, so be it. But that guilt is gonna live with you for the rest of your life."

Without another word, Naruto walked into the building.

"What do you swim for?"

The question has haunted Sasuke ever since Itachi's death. He thought he'd found it, but it's bothered him ever since. And at that moment, he knew he was heading in the wrong direction. He needed to find it for himself. This was his last chance to figure it out before it's all out of his grasp in an instant.

_________________________

"Hey."

"Sakura!"

As Sakura joined her three teammates at their lane in the pool, her eyes immediately landed on Tanaki, "what happened to you?"

He chuckled weakly as he rubbed the bruise on his cheek, "it's nothing. It was just a little run-in I had with--"

"Afterwards." Naruto cut him off and glared at the boy, "if you tell her now, you'll regret it."

Tanaki didn't say anything. He only turned away and set his goggles in place, "yeah, whatever."

Naruto grabbed him by the jacket collar and muttered directly in his ear, "you screw with Sasuke and Sakura, you screw with me. Got that?"

He only sneered in response, "so, he told you."

"He did. And I don't think there's anything you can do or say that will change how we feel about Sasuke."

Sai jumped into the pool and held the starting block.

"On your marks!"

"I don't care what you think about that Uchiha scum. All I know is that Sakura's not his anymore."

"Why you--"

The buzzer went off and the swimmers took off.

Sakura felt her hands trembling again as she watched Sai swim. She glanced at the other teams. Their own relay team was placed in the middle lane, so she knows that they have to deliver what's expected of them. On her left, she recognized the infamous Taka swim team. They had Suigetsu Hozuki, only one of the fastest swimmers in the region. She felt her heart beat faster as Sai turned at the wall and headed back to the start.

"So, you're Sakura Haruno." Sakura looked at the girl with red hair, who was getting ready to get onto the starting block, "Hmph."

Who is this girl? Sakura watched as her orange-haired teammate slapped the wall and she took off. Their synchronization was perfect, almost like... Her mind wandered off then remembered she had a tournament to focus on. Their team was just on the edge of last, but there was still a chance.

"Good luck, Naruto." She smiled as Naruto shot her a thumb's up.

"I won't be needing it, but thanks." He flashed her a confident grin before diving into the water.

That confidence... She clenched her fist over her heart. Heh... It's contagious. With Naruto's speed, he brought their team up to third place.

"Looks like I'm up." Tanaki slipped his goggles over his eyes, "I can't believe I'm racing against the Suigetsu Hozuki."

Suigetsu smirked as he mounted the starting block, "Too bad this might be the last time you'll ever get to swim in our league."

"Tanaki."

He glanced back at her, "yes, princess?"

Sakura's gaze went serious, "I heard everything."

His eyes fell to look at the starting block below him, "Naruto?"

"I know what you did, but." She shut her eyes, "I still believe in you. I know you can get us further into the tournament. I don't care about your past or what you did, because... I forgive you."

He looked at her in awe, smiled sadly, and sighed, "thank you, Sakura... I didn't mean to--"

"Shut up and pay attention, Idiot!"

Tanaki was cut off by Sakura's yell as he was slapped back into the moment, "ah, right..."

Naruto hit the wall and Tanaki took off like a torpedo. His butterfly was strong as he followed right behind Suigetsu.

"Sakura, you've got this." Naruto came up behind her, "just breathe and forget everything."

"I just can't do that so easily..." Sakura muttered, "my hands are trembling so uncontrollably..."

"Don't worry. After all..." Naruto smiled, "rivers may part, but eventually meet up in the ocean."

She laughed, "that sounds like something from a Hallmark card..."

"That obvious?" He chuckled sheepishly, "now get going."

Sakura climbed up onto the starting block and took deep, even breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. She'd felt this same way when she'd swam earlier, and the feeling just wouldn't disappear. The people around her were already on their starting blocks with her, but the block on her left was still empty.

What the heck are they planning on doing? Are they even concerned at all that they're missing a teammate?

Suddenly, as if a wave of relief had passed over her, her nerves were gone and a figure stepped up onto the empty block. Instead of nervousness, she felt a wave of motivation, determination, and a spark of hope.

"Good to be back."

She couldn't help the mischievous smile that played onto her lips, "I've been waiting for this."

"Of course you have..."

This is it...

This is what I've been looking for...

What I truly swim for.

Rather, who I truly swim for.

Sakura took her stance and watched as Tanaki and Suigetsu reached the wall, and the entire race slowed down as she kicked off. Before she hit the water, her eyes glanced to her left, and she knew his glanced to his right. Sasuke and Sakura watched each other as they dove into the water, side by side, swimming the final stretch of the race with freestyle. She felt him quickly speed ahead of her, but something inside her pushed her to swim faster than she's ever swam before. They were in their own race, just the two of them, and all other white noise was drowned out. Every stroke spoke to her, and as if he were talking directly to her, she understood.

"I'm sorry I left. I was searching for the wrong things and wanted to protect you the wrong way. I was being selfish. Please forgive me."

"I was pretty stupid, too." Sakura chuckled to herself, "but I know, now."

"Me too."

"I want to swim for you. I want to swim for us, Sasuke."

"Same."

"Because..."

"I love you."

Sakura nearly choked on the water from laughter as she and Sasuke turned and hit the home stretch. And by the end of the race, they both surfaced for air as their eyes didn't even look at the scoreboard. They only looked at each other. As if on cue, Sasuke dove under the lane line and resurfaced holding Sakura in his arms in a tight hug.

"Sorry..." He murmured in her neck, "I promise I won't leave you again..."

"It's okay..." She chuckled, "you idiot..."

"Sasuke!" Naruto and Sai ran up to the lane, "congrats, you guys got first."

"Ha..." Sakura remembered how exhausted she was, pushed Sasuke away, and climbed out of the pool, "congratulations, champ."

Sasuke followed her but was caught by Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo in a team hug.

"Sasuke, nicely done." Juugo smiled.

Karin blushed, "y-yeah, oh Sasuke, you're so great..."

Suigetsu slapped his back in excitement, "let's go, Sasuke!"

Sasuke chuckled as he congratulated his own team, then he sighed, "this has been great, but... I don't know if I deserve to swim with such an amazing team, though... I have..." He turned to Naruto, Sai, Sakura, and Tanaki, "I have to go back. Someone's freestyle is starting to slack and she needs some serious help."

They looked at him, confused expressions plastered on their faces.

"Heh." Suigetsu sighed, "I thought this might happen. You were definitely acting differently since the last time we swam together. But hey, that's alright. Just promise us you don't stop what you're doing now."

"C'mon, Sasuke..." Karin gritted her teeth, "you're going just like that?!"

"Yeah." Sasuke smiled sadly, "it's for the best. Thanks for everything, guys."

Without another word, he turned around and walked over to join the four open-mouthed swimmers, "well? Don't stare at me like I just sprouted five heads. Don't you have training to do for the next tournaments? You don't have all day."

Tanaki crossed his arms, "I don't need to hear any more of your--"

"Tanaki, just shut up." Sasuke cleared his throat, "I don't need to hear another word from you. I trust Kakashi's making you a better person than you were in high school, so I'm not going to give another shit about you."

"Hmph. That's all I need to know."

"But that doesn't mean you can go around staring at Sakura's butt whenever you're with us. Got it? Even when I'm not around, I have my sources."

"You're both so perverted..." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well." Sai smiled, "all boys are perverts. Including Naruto and myself."

"That's not really something you just reveal to a girl so easily, Sai!"

They had their share of laughs as they left the pool to the locker rooms to change.

Sasuke quickly caught Sakura's wrist, "hey, wait."

"Hm?" She turned around.

"I was being serious, earlier. What I told Taka."

"What, about my sloppy freestyle?"

"No... Well, partially..." Sasuke chuckled, "but you need some serious help."

Sakura scoffed, "gee, thanks."

"Which is why you need someone to train you and make you a better swimmer. That's why I'm sticking around a little longer."

"Heh." She crossed her arms and walked up closer to him, "I knew you'd come crawling back to me soon enough. You can't last a night without me."

"I know..."

She laughed, "at least you're honest."

"If I'm being honest..." Sasuke wrapped his arms around her, "swimming freestyle with you has really..."

"What?"

"Turned me on."

Sakura shoved him away, "that's it."

Sasuke laughed as he caught her waist and kissed her forehead, "it's made me realize how much I missed you, and that without you, my swimming has really gone to hell."

"Me too, but..." Sakura grabbed the back of his neck, "you missed."

She rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"Well then..." The two parted and watched as Kakashi Hatake grinned at the couple, "lovely having you back, Sasuke... The pool just got 25% hotter and 52% dirtier..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes then rested his chin on Sakura's head, "it's good to be back..." 

~~~

Written by xX_Fang_Xx