A/N: Re-post of a fic that was originally part of a set of drabbles.

Disclaimer: I do not own.

Street Brawl

- xrosepetalsx –

Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka had a rivalry fiercer than that of Caesar and Brutus themselves. The only difference was that theirs hadn't ended in death. Yet.

The two of them had once been best friends, back when they were younger, but that was back before the young Sasuke Uchiha had caught their eye. They'd swooned over him together for a while, giggling and talking in whispers in the back of the classroom as they stole glances at the dark, raven haired boy, but soon they were separated by their teachers and kept apart from one another, and that was when things began to change.

Somehow, miraculously, Sakura had been seated next to the object of their interest himself, while Ino had been seated next to Choji Akamichi, and Sakura had instantaneously traded in their friendship for that of the life of just another Uchiha fangirl. Honestly, Ino couldn't blame the pinkette for not being able to resist a chance with the man of their dreams, but she sure as hell could hate her for it.

They hadn't been friends since that seat change.

Now, instead of trying to stop the girls from gossiping every chance they got, their teachers had to keep them from beating each other's brains out on the playground – which was a quite challenge considering how irrationally strong the two were.

Ino, who was sitting on one of the table's in the cafeteria, glared as she watched her ex-best friend Sakura flirt with Sasuke, all the while ignoring Naruto who was quite obviously begging for her attention. Ino couldn't understand why Sakura couldn't just give up on her man when there was another very willing male she could hook up with flirting with her as often as she flirted with Sasuke.

Of course, Ino didn't really want Sakura with Naruto either, but she wasn't sure why. It would be the perfect way to get the other teen out of her way.

To Ino's happiness, on the other hand, Sasuke seemed very disinterested in Sakura's attempts at seduction, and continued eating his lunch in silence as Sakura prattled on and stroked his arm in what she thought was a seductive manner, but was, in Ino's opinion, a whorish manner.

Sakura peered over at her then, seemingly aware of Ino's stare on her, and flashed her an overconfident grin, before boldly stroking Sasuke's thigh. Ino glared. The Uchiha growled, loud enough that it carried all the way across the cafeteria, and knocked Sakura's hands off of him before getting up with his lunch tray, and stalking away.

Appeased, Ino went back to her own lunch with Tenten, quietly planning her own revenge for the arrogant bitch's attempts to make her jealous, and thought of the long walk home the two of them usually enjoyed by shouting insults at each other from opposite sides of the street.

"Ino-pig," Sakura greeted when the blonde finally caught up with her after school. She was a little hesitant, and a little scared, that the other teenager was on the same side of the street as her, but she hid it behind her own cocky manner. "What took you so long. Trying to outdo the progress I made with Sasuke at lunch today?"

"As if, Billboard-brow. You didn't get anywhere with him. If anything, you put even more distance between the two of you. At this rate, I'll have him in my grasp long before you even make it onto his radar."

"Bitch!" Sakura growled, whirling on her ex-best friend. "Take that back!"

"You know it's true," Ino answered smugly, and before Sakura could even pull her arm all the way back to throw a punch, Ino had grabbed said arm and thrown her into the street.

A very painful street brawl then ensued, where Sakura threw punches and Ino pulled hair, cars honked and swerved around them, and the two of them begin scratching at each other's faces, leaving long, red gashes in soft skin.

Soon enough, Sakura couldn't breathe because Ino was on top of her with her hands wrapped tightly around her throat, and Sakura tried to swing at the other woman's face, but her body was quickly going numb.

Ino was screaming, "How dare you touch him like that, you stupid whore! You'll never be his, you bitch!" and Sakura was continuing to struggle to breathe. With the last ounce of her willpower, Sakura managed to roll them over, and thrust her knee up into Ino's crotch. The blonde girl hissed and let go, tears pricking her eyes, and Sakura collapsed next to her on the street, trying to catch her breath.

"You…bitch…" Sakura eventually said when she'd gotten some air back into her lungs, and turned her head to glare at Ino.

"Fuck you," Ino replied, turning her head as well, only there were fresh tears in her eyes that Sakura was almost certain weren't from the hit to her crotch. "I hate you, I hate you!" Ino sobbed, and then she had Sakura's face in her hands and she was kissing her so fiercely, Sakura couldn't breathe again.

She broke away, eyes wide open in surprise, Ino's filled with tears and so angry Sakura couldn't match the look with the kiss she'd just received. She continued to stare, awe struck at the younger teen, and then she reached forward and wiped her tears away, softly, with the tips of her fingers.

Sakura thought, I think I made a mistake picking Sasuke over Ino, and kissed her again.

Ino sobbed into her mouth.

"I'll never leave you again," Sakura whispered.