「FALLING」

By: Uzumaki Addiction

Genre: Angst . Yaoi . Romance

Rating: T or M… depends.

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. If he was… I wouldn't waste my time writing FAN-fictions now would I?

Pairings: SasuNaru . KakaIru . SakuNaru . SakuSasu

This is a four chapter story, tried to keep everybody in character except Naruto when he's depressed, but even then I hope he's semi-Narutoish. Please read and review, and criticism is awesome! –wink wink- I wanna get better!

"Sakura-chan!" the blonde screamed, rushing towards the pink-haired girl. He leapt into the air and flung his arms open, ready to give her the hug of her life.

THUD!

Sakura smiled triumphantly at the face-planted boy, moaning from the pain of rejection—and gravity. The boy hopped up and pointed accusingly at his other teammate, a pale boy with charcoal-black hair. "SASUKE-TEME! THAT WAS YOUR FAULT YOU COCKY BASTARD!"

The pink haired girl glared at her cat-like admirer. She was ready for another sparring match where her boy in black, Uchiha Sasuke, would beat the blonde within inches of his life. She was almost disappointed when Naruto landed the first hit.

Sasuke didn't punch back and Naruto glared at him with squinted eyes and annoyed puckered lips. "You coward! Fight me!"

"…Do you ever stop screeching, you blonde banshee?" Sasuke said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Naruto stood trying to understand what 'banshee' meant, while Sakura showered compliments which just washed right off the raven-haired boy.

Soon their sensei arrived, and made them tend the garden belonging to their Hokage. Naruto griped and moaned and smashed into pots. Sakura tended the flowers lightly and carefully, having watched her blonde friends Ino's work in the Konoha flower shop. Sasuke leaned up against the gardening shed and watched his sensei, Hatake Kakashi, giggle stupidly about his immature porn book.

After blessing his genins with two days off of missions, Kakashi was awarded the honour of carrying Naruto back home. Sasuke told him he was too busy to help, and informed his grey-haired sensei the directions to Naruto's home. Sakura was suspicious about how the raven-haired boy knew, but she didn't ask. Her mother needed her and she couldn't help her sensei anyways, she had no clue where the blonde boy lived.

When Kakashi came upon Naruto's small house (if you could even call it that) he grimaced. The lawn was surprisingly well-kept, and he supposed Iruka-sensei had pruned it recently. He set Naruto on his porch, seeing that Iruka-sensei had also locked the door for the boy. He knew there was no way Naruto could remember to do that with the excitement of a possible mission. He chuckled to himself as he stood back to watch his pupil sleep. It was a wonder that Naruto even remembered to wear his hiate-ate every day!

"Naruto's never late to practice," Sakura remarked absently, watching the road for her less-than punctual teacher. Sasuke grunted and looked into the river, as he did every morning she came across him.

Kakashi arrived, late and full of excuses. "Yo! I had to help a snake with his ingrown toenail, gomen ne!" He said, smiling his 'I-think-you're-stupid' smile he always gave his students. "Oh, where's Naruto-kun? no da…"

Sasuke shrugged, "haven't seen him in a few days, Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura looked to her sensei, then back to Sasuke. "Aren't you worried, nii?"

Kakashi didn't answer, and Sasuke grunted. As if waiting for a dramatic time to enter, Naruto walked up, his eyes a little greyer than usual, and his usual perky personality were completely eradicated from him this morning.

"Sorry I'm late."

Sakura glared at him and wiggled her finger at him in a warning manner. "Don't make a habit of it or you'll end up as bad as Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi smiled, he could take a joke. "I guess you've learned something after all, Sakura-chan."

Sakura suddenly noticed something. "Naruto! Where's your hiate-ate!"

Naruto looked up, as if he could see his forehead and rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. "I guess I lost it…"

Sakura looked shocked, Naruto treasured his hiate-ate even more than his life! Her gothic crush spoke up now, sounding colder than usual. "Dobe, I knew you were too immature to be a genin." Sakura wanted to slap Sasuke for his unkind words. He wasn't usually that cold with Naruto; he didn't like the blonde, no, but he was never cruel. She decided to agree with him, just to stay on the Uchiha's good side. "You idiot. You're worse, you can't even fight."

Kakashi laughed uncomfortably before dismissing everybody and suggesting that Naruto rest. "I'll get you another hiate-ate, I'm sure Iruka-sensei can spare one, Naruto-kun."

"Don't bother, a monster like me doesn't belong with ninja," said Naruto quietly as he dragged himself back in the direction of his home. His sensei and team seven stared in shock at Naruto's words. Kakashi, disgusted, knew that the villagers had said something. Naruto's teammates weren't sure what to make of his comment.