Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

They were training. Again.

Naruto normally liked training, normally he was up and ready for anything. But something was different about him lately. Lately he had been doing a lot of deep thinking, which was unusual for him. He was, after all, Naruto, the number-one knuckle-head ninja.

Lately, Naruto had been moody, and kind of depressed. He wasn't sure why. It's probably just some teenage adolescent thing, he thought with a frown.

It wasn't just Naruto, though, oh no. Far from it. Sakura was way off her game today. She was doing much worse than usual, and she was getting pretty upset rather quickly. Finally, after blundering again, she burst into tears. Kakashi, who seemed unusually frustrated today, slid a hand down his face. Clearly visible dark rings stood out from under his eyes, and Naruto wondered if they were from worry, frustration, or loss of sleep. Kakashi sighed and pulled Sakura aside, pairing Naruto up with Sasuke and telling the two rivals in a weary voice to behave.

Naruto half grinned at the irony. As if circumstances aren't bad enough already, he thought as he turned to the raven-haired boy. Sasuke Uchiha was being more of an ass hole than usual lately, and his cool, calm, and collective self was slipping quickly today.

"Well, you heard Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said with a sneer. "Are we going to do this or what??" Even as he challenged Sasuke, Naruto still kept his arms folded behind his head, as if relaxed and not preparing at all for a fight.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto sideways, the corners of his eyes tightening in annoyance. Finally, with his hands still in his pockets as if also unprepared for a fight, he turned toward Naruto and sighed. "I suppose," is all he said.

In a flash, Sasuke was standing before Naruto, kunai against kunai. Sasuke seemed unsurprised that Naruto had blocked him, as if he had expected nothing less.

Naruto and Sasuke weren't really trying as much as they normally might have. They definitely weren't trying as hard as they would have if they were really fighting. Today it was all about repetition. Sasuke and Naruto were like little blurs, moving in and out, from side to side, among the trees and across the grass. They took turns attacking each other with randomly chosen weapons. Both of them were too... out of it... to really pay attention and actually try to hurt each other.

Soon, their little sport even became like a kind of game. Often when Sasuke attacked Naruto, Naruto found himself grinning, though he wasn't really sure why. And even Sasuke was smiling. Well, actually it was more like a snicker, but it was smiling all the same.

Naruto thought that things were going rather well until he tripped. Sasuke sped forward to attack him again, and Naruto was paying more attention to the other boy than to where he was going. So, of course, with Sasuke coming right at him, Naruto fell forward.

Naruto's eyes froze on the weapon in Sasuke's hand, the brandished kunai. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he realized, in that millisecond that seemed to stretch on forever, that Naruto was falling. It all happened so fast, and yet, so slowly. Naruto would remember the minute gestures in that little space of time even days later.

Sasuke moved his arm out of the way just in time, but couldn't stop his body completely. The two crashed into each other and fell the short distance to the ground.

It took them both an awkward moment to realize the position they were in. Naruto had fallen, and Sasuke had run into him, thus Naruto was on top of Sasuke, with his lips pressed to his. When they both realized this, they jumped up and scrambled away from each other. Naruto clutched his throat while Sasuke turned and did a very good impression of vomiting.

Finally, they stood and faced each other, each of them equally disgusted. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve - again - Sasuke said snidely, "You know, this is the second time I will have to tell you not to kiss me and I'm starting to get kind of suspicious."

"Oh yeah, cuz you know how bad I want you, Sasuke," Naruto sneered sarcastically. Then, kind of ashamed, he added, "Let's not say anything about this to anyone, okay?"

Sasuke nodded. "Agreed."

Sasuke, that jerk. Naruto thought. He had somehow found a way to blame Sasuke for what had happened, though he knew that it was really his own fault. No, it's all Sasuke's fault, he thought again with some lame excuse in mind. If he hadn't attacked me again...

But that's the game you were playing, another voice in his mind said.

So? If he hadn't done it right at that moment we wouldn't be in this mess.

What mess?

With Sasuke! Now he's going to be even more of an ass hole!

But you like it when Sasuke's an ass hole, the voice said smugly.

"Do not!!" Naruto shouted out loud.

"Talking to yourself, dobe?" Sasuke asked as he passed Naruto by. Naruto was so surprised that he stopped walking altogether. "Sasuke," he exclaimed, "I didn't know you were there." Then he remembered to move his feet forward.

"A good ninja would have known," Sasuke said with a glance over his shoulder at the other boy. "And you better not come any closer." Naruto stopped in surprise again. He had been going to walk next to Sasuke.

"Or what?" Naruto demanded.

"Or you might accidentally trip again, Naruto."

"Hey! That was an accident!"

"Whatever." And with that, he was gone.

Naruto sighed. Great, he's gone.

You shouldn't have run him off like that, the other voice commented.

I didn't run him off, Naruto thought defensively. I was just telling him the truth! It really was an accident.

Perhaps, but in any case, you know you liked it.

Naruto squirmed for a moment. Then he burst, "Bull shit!"

The voice seemed to shrug it off. Sooner or later you'll figure it out. As much as people think you're stupid, I know how smart you can be. And the voice was gone.