Not much to say this time, other than it's hiliday time for me soon so I'll be taking a couple of days off soon, but I'll work on the story in my head I promise! Oh, thanks to Kunoichi 008 for the idea. It's alot better like this!

Disclaimer; No I don't own Naruto or the other characters, I just write about them because they are so cool.

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Genius' in all but love.

Genius' fighting it out

The Shuriken, Konoha

"Prepare to lose, bastard."

"Whatever idiot."

"Right, it's decided. This competition will be in three parts." Sakura said standing infront of them. "Naruto, Sasuke, you're first. Remember highest score wins. Fight fairly, go!"

She hit the start button and the machine lit up.

"DANCEMANIA!" The machine called, a techno beat pouring out.

Behind them everyone sat in a semi-circle watching the two boys desperately trying to keep up with the flashing lights.

"Who decided on this test?" Sakura asked sitting down a smile jerking at her lips.

"We did." Tenten said grinning. "Leadership requires grace and strength, and seeing as it's a darts club, skill with darts."

Lee nodded, another glass of water in his hand.

"And you just happened to have one of these things lying around." Sakura said dryly.

Tenten grinned wider.

"My Dad's place is a favourite with local Japanese, he does a full out Japanese night once a month. Karaoke, Dancemania, sushi, japanese beer, sake, japanese music."

"So I guess you've played this alot then?" Sakura asked shrewdly.

Tenten nodded, leaning back in her chair hands behind her head. Sakura chuckled and shook her head. They were in a second room, one dedicated to gaming. There were pool tables, dart boards, a table football game, an air hockey game, a karaoke machine, even a jukebox.

Hinata sat, her eyes glued onto the backs of the dancing boys. Sakura chuckled again, it was so obvious that Hinata was crushing on Naruto.

I guess it must be true love, afterall, it's not every girl who can look at their crush with pink hair and not bat an eyelash.

Sakura's brow furrowed in thought.

This is going to become more complicated if I have to keep, 'crushing' on Sasuke, 24/7. Sakura sighed. Itachi, where are you?

Lee touched her hand, Sakura glanced up at him.

"Sakura? If there's anything bothering you, just tell me and I will do my utmost to solve it." He promised solemnly.

That made the third time he'd promised to solve her life's problems today.

"It's okay Lee, it's not really a problem that another person can solve." She said truthfully.

Slipping into her 'I adore Sasuke' mode, she leaned her chin onto one hand gazing rapturously at Sasuke's back, imaging it was Itachi.

Eventually the two boys fell to the platform floor gasping.

"Hah!" Naruto said. "You fell first, I win!"

"Look at the scores idiot." Sasuke said pulling himself upright and walking off the platform.

The scores were indeed in Sasuke's favour.

"Bastard." Naruto said dragging himself off.

Hinata offered him a glass of water and scooched over so he could sit next to her. She blushed and started tapping her fingers together when he accepted. Unfortunately Naruto was more interested in ignoring Sasuke than in acknowledging the blushing girl. Sakura imitated her with Sasuke.

This is cool, all I have to do is copy Hinata, but be louder and pushier, and this crushing thing is in the bag!

"Well we're next Lee, are you ready to show these guys what dancing is all about?" Tenten asked hopping to her feet.

"Yosh! Let's do it Tenten, let the flames of our youth burn up the dance floor!" He said running for the machine.

"Lee! You don't mean?" Tenten said a cross look on her face.

Lee turned pleading eyes on her.

"Please Tenten, let me choose the style." His eyes slipped over to Sakura.

Noticing Lee's look Tenten sighed and made and okay sign with her hand. Lee clenched his fist in triumph.

"Sakura! Watch me as I dance the steps of our love!" Lee yelled back to her.

Sakura felt herself pull a face, beside her she saw Sasuke's face twitch and his hand clench on his glass.

She opened her mouth to yell at Lee when the music started. Disco music drowned out her yell.

DISCO! These are the steps of our love? Sakura felt physically sick.

Lee and Tenten immediately started grooving to the beat, she had to admit they were really good. Techinally Tenten was scoring higher, but it was Lee who was moving with the groove, so to speak, with his arms and everything. Every now and then he would glance over his shoulder to see the effect his dancing was having on Sakura. Though it was unsure if he understood the real cause of Sakura's wide-eyed stare.

"Feh, what an idiot." Sasuke muttered. "Right Sakura?"

When Sakura didn't respond he repeated the question, it wasn't until he pushed her that she broke out of her stupor.

"Gaah, the horror." She said dizzily.

Smirking Sasuke settled back in his chair.

Finishing the song, Tenten stepped gracefully down and indicated the scores.

She was even higher than Sasuke. Lee had equalled Sasuke. He wiped the sweat from his brow and slid into a seat next to Sakura giving her a thumbs up. Sakura smiled weakly back.

"Well I give up." Sakura said, her stomach still queasy.

"M-me too." Hinata said.

"How can you just give up?" Naruto asked breaking out of his concentrated 'ignoring of Sasuke' pose.

"I don't want to be president." Sakura said.

Hinata nodded her agreement.

"Well there's still the strength test to come and the darts test." Naruto said counting them off on his fingers. "If I win both of those I'll be president. Then I'll make Sasuke my slave."

Sasuke muttered something along the lines of 'what an idiot' and went back to ignoring everyone.

"Right well onto the second test." Tenten said cheerfully pulling out a jar.

Turning the jar around they saw the label, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Sakura was suddenly glad she'd stepped out of the race. Naruto showed only surprise on his face.

"What kind of strength test is that?" He asked crossing his arms squinting his eyes almost shut.

"The best, strength of will." Tenten said setting the jar down between them all.

Everyone gazed at the jar. Tenten opened it slowly.

"Right, everyone who's backing out, better do so now." She said cheerfully.

"No way, I'm going to be president!" Naruto said fixing Sasuke with a glare.

"I already beat you idiot, I've got no reason to keep going." Sasuke said arrogantly.

"Chicken?" Naruto asked a smirk on his face.

Sasuke turned his head away. Sakura felt the germ of an evil idea.

"Wow, Naruto if you can eat those you must be really strong!" Sakura said enthusiastically.

"Heh, yep! It takes alot of strength, strength the bastard doesn't have!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Sakura sighed looking dissapointed. "I really thought Sasuke was cooler than that, wait until Kakashi-sensei hears about this."

Sasuke took a chilli pepper out.

"Great!" Tenten said happily pulling one out herself.

Lee and Naruto followed her. As one they gulped them down. Naruto started pounding the table coughing, almost reaching for his glass of water. Sasuke hissed, his face turning red, but made no move for his glass. Tenten fanned herself, sweat popping out on her forehead. Lee munched happily his cheeks turned faintly pink. Everyone took out a second.

By the fourth, Naruto's body was spasming in pain on the floor but he refused to stop. Sasuke was almost fuschia, his face was so red. He'd dropped the unaffected act and panted his mouth open. Sakura had to giggle at his undignified expression. He shot her a look and pulled himself together, Sakura could only guess how much it cost him to shut his mouth and sit up straighter. Tenten was gulping down water, standing up she ran out of the room.

Lee looked around the table, he was sweating a little but otherwise seemed fine. He pulled out a fifth and popped it into his mouth. Sasuke's shaking hand reached out for a fifth aswell, Naruto's trembling hand appeared at the table edge. Their hands met over the jar.

"Get off idiot," Sasuke said weirdly as if it hurt to speak.

"I'm not done yet." Naruto said in the same strange way.

"I said, get off!" Sasuke said louder.

"No! Make me!" Naruto retorted his head appearing over the edge.

Their hands fought back and forth each trying to grab the jar, until typically Naruto gave it one good sweep and Sasuke batted his hand down only to knock the jar over the edge of the table, where it shattered.

"Lee wins!" Sakura crowed looking at the two faces of the devasted boys.

As one the two boys dashed after Tenten. Lee swallowed his fifth and grinned.

"My Foster Dad cooks real spicy things all the time." He explained.

Sakura had a moment to register the words 'foster dad', when Tenten appeared a box of darts under her arm. Her face was still pink.

"Well I guess Lee won?" She asked.

"Do you need to ask?" Sakura said with a laugh, "You planned it that way."

Tenten grinned.

"A good strategist leaves nothing to chance and counts no eggs before they're hatched."

She set down the box and the three girls started looking through the darts choosing the ones with the prettiest colours.

Hinata chose three that were blue and soft grey. Sakura choose pink and sparkly gold.

Still a little girl I guess. Sakura thought to herself.

Tenten picked out a set that were black and white. Lee picked out a set that were green and red.

While they were waiting for the other two Sakura took a couple of warm up shots. She found she wasn't half bad, if she said so herself. Hinata took a couple of shots, and when she wasn't shaking from nerves she was good. Calming down as she worked, Hinata had a look of concentration on her face. Working her darts closer and closer to the centre she finally succeeded at scoring a bulleye. Smiling proudly she jumped when a round of applause burst out from behind her.

"Not bad." Naruto said clapping her on the back as she scurried back into the group.

Hinata blushed hard and tapped her fingers together. The boys chose their colours. Naruto orange and yellow like his t-shirt, which clashed horribly with his still hidden hair, Sasuke chose blue and red. Sakura thrust her darts out towards Sasuke pretending shyness.

"You could use mine Sasuke." She said, batting her eyelashes.

"Uh, no thanks, these are fine." He mumbled turning away.

He moved towards the target and Tenten started explaining the rules. Hinata and Sakura were the only ones left at the table.

"He must really like you." Hinata whispered.

"Who? Lee?" Sakura whispered back, watching Lee make his attempt.

"No. S-sasuke."

"Gah!" Sakura said loudly staring at Hinata.

Turning to look at the challenge she saw that Lee had missed his first shot due to her outburst. The dart quivered in the wall beside the target.

"Sorry Lee!"

He gave a thumbs up and resighted the board.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked trying to put a hopeful look on her face.

"He's never so nice to the other girls."

"Nice? You call that nice? He snaps at me all the time. He has a terrible temper." Sakura whispered.

"He doesn't even speak to the others in class. Only to you and Naruto. He has reputation for being a loner."

"That doesn't mean anything." Sakura whispered with more surety than she felt.

But on watching Sasuke, watching Naruto take his turn, she noticed the number of times Sasuke would glance in her direction.

No way!

Sakura could feel a headache coming on. Naruto missed spectacularly, in fact he threw his darts so hard they simply rebounded off the board and fell to the floor. Scowling he sat down next to Hinata, who immediately shut up and found her hands very interesting.

Watching Sasuke, Sakura noted how similary Sasuke moved to Itachi. The same grace, but Itachi moved softly as if afraid to break the world, or as if he didn't want to be noticed. Sasuke moved like he was stalking something. Imaging Sasuke slightly older, with slightly longer hair, slightly more Itachi-like, Sakura felt her heart squeeze.

It's been a week and he hasn't even called me.

Sasuke scored near the centre, smirking, he sat down next to Sakura. Sakura moved uneasily slightly away from him. If he noticed it he made no sign.

Tenten didn't even bother to sight properly she let all three fly, and all three fought for the centre position. Two entered the bulls eye, and the third stuck a little to the left.

Naruto's mouth dropped open.

"How, but that's..." He started.

Before he could continue they heard the outer door open and a voice called out.

"Is anyone here?"

Running back through Tenten returned quickly, a strange look on her face.

"Sasuke, it's your brother."

They all exited the room and stood looking at Itachi.

Sakura couldn't help the smile that climbed onto her face when she saw him there.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked petulant again.

"Father sent me to send you home. You're going to be late for your lesson with Kakashi."

Itachi hadn't even looked at the others. Sakura felt a little desperate.

Don't say this is all I'll be able to see of him. She pleaded silently.

"Sakura, do you want to come?" Sasuke asked not looking at her.

"Uh, I-" Sakura started, unsure.

"Father doesn't want her there for these Saturday lessons." Itachi said shortly.

"Then we can drive her home in the limo with us." Sasuke said stubbornly.

"No, you are going straight back to the house with Naruto. I'll take the girl home if she needs it." Itachi said a hint of temper in his voice.

"But-" Sasuke started.

"Those are father's orders Sasuke."

Falling silent Sasuke glared at the ground.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh, I think I'd better do what your father wants and go home with Itachi." She said desperately trying to keep the joy out of her voice.

Sasuke clenched his fists.

"C'mon idiot." He growled, stomping out of the bar.

Sakura gathered her things a happy feeling climbing inside her stomach. Without even saying goodbye she was swept out of the bar by Itachi.

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Well life couldn't stay easy for long could it? How will Sakura deal with this new developement? For the next few chapters no new characters, we'll let the characters we have develope a little. I'm interested in your opinions of my Tenten. I always kinda pictured her like this, y'know, when she wasn't training Neji until all hours of the night.