title: forever friends

genre: friendship/humor/hurt/comfort

pairing: none

word count: 889

prompt: "SHUT UP, NARUTO, I AM NOT CRYING." "Oh, are you...sweating through your eyes? I do that all the time, when no-one's looking. And when they are looking, I just sweat through my armpits." (For Demi)

dedication: tea and sleep and recovering from the various illnesses which caused this late update. sorry :( blame it on the germs.

disclaimer: don't own. makes me feel even more clogged. (the snot clogs my brain, I tell yah.)

"…I hate this."

"Eh? Sakura-chan, what's wrong? Why is your face all droopy and tired like and old lady's? You've even got dark circles and everything. It's like-"

"…"

"…ITAI! What the hell was that for, Sakura-chan?"

"…You were being an idiot, dobe. That's why she whacked you."

"…But on my head? Of all places to whack? I mean, I might get massive brain damage! And lose my memory! Or go loony! Or…or…TURN INTO TEME!"

"…I am not saying anything."

"Shut up, teme. Nobody asked YOU."

"…Hn."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Sakura-chan? Are you…crying?"

"SHUT UP, NARUTO, I AM NOT CRYING."

"Oh, are you...sweating through your eyes? I do that all the time, when no-one's looking. And when they are looking, I just sweat through my armpits."

"…Naruto, that's disgusting."

"…Dobe…"

"What? Don't look at me like that! It works! I swear! It's effective! And since there's a lot of breeze at this time of year, whenever I raise my arms, the sweat dries off!"

"…Naruto…you…"

"And when it evaporates, there's not a trace of it left!-"

"-Except the odor."

"-Urusai, teme. I'm trying to explain this to Sakura-chan here! So anyway, there's no trace of it left, unlike the tear-er, beads of sweat that stream from your eyes! 'Cause they leave tear-I mean, sweat tracks and stuff. They're have salt and all in them-the tears-um, sweat, right Sakura-chan?"

"…I refuse to answer that."

"…Hn. Dobe, how the hell does that Hyuuga girl love you? It's strange..."

"Hyuuga girl? You mean Hanabi, Hinata's little sister? She's in love with me?"

"…Sakura. After six, long years, the idiot still hasn't figured it out?"

"…Nope. Not a thing. Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. You didn't miss much in that department."

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean? I'm no idiot! I'm smart! I'm so smart, I can save LIVES with…with…um…a TOOTHPICK! Yeah, a toothpick! Betcha didn't learn that when you were with the pedo-snake-man, teme! Or when you were with the undead-super-old-Konoha-hater-creepy-swirly-mask-relative-dude of yours. I CAN SAVE LIVES, DATTEBAYO! TAKE THAT!"

"…Save…lives…"

"…Sakura-chan, are you sweating through your eyes again? Isn't that unhealthy-OW! Teme! How dare you try and damage my precious brain!"

"Dobe. Can't you see she's crying?"

"…But she said she wasn't! And that means she was sweating from her eyes!"

"SHUT UP, NARUTO. LET ME CRY IN PEACE, FOR KAMI'S SAKE."

"Oh, so you are crying!"

"…"

"…TEME! The next time you hit me, I'm gonna Rasengan your girly ass!"

"…Dobe, this is not the time for this."

"…Whaddya mean, 'it isn't the time for this'? …Oh…yeah…ne, Sakura-chan, why is it that you're all sad in the first place?"

"…"

"…Sakura."

"…A patient. A little boy."

"…How old?"

"Eh? Guys? What are we talking about? And what patient?"

"…Four. Severe case of leukemia."

"…It's not your fault, Sakura."

"OH! It's about a patient! Of yours! A kid! The kid died, huh?"

"…"

"…Way to go, dobe. Now she's crying harder than ever."

"Aw, crap. Hey, Sakura-chan, c'mere. It's okay. You can't save everyone, you know. Hey, hey! You're getting my shirt wet! …Uh, no, no, no, Sakura-chan! It's okay, this shirt is old anyway…"

"…Sakura. It's all right. It was the boy's time to go."

"…"

"Here, teme. Hold her for a while. I gotta pee…"

"…Dobe…"

"…"

"…Sakura. The dobe's right for once. Sometimes, things have to expire."

"…Expire?"

"…Hn. Expire."

"...Really, Sasuke-kun? Expire?"

"...Hn. Shut up and go back to being sad."

"…But Sasuke-kun…he was so young…"

"…Let me rephrase that. Sometimes, people have to go, even if the time they spent on earth was very short. We can't control it. We just have to let it go."

"…"

"…What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"That's the most we've heard you say all day, teme. It's an accomplishment! You're learning!"

"…Dobe. When did you get back? And what do you and Sakura mean, learning?"

"TEME! Just now. We mean that you have a vocal handicap. And Sakura-chan and I were right, you conversationally retarded ass!"

"Hn. Dobe."

"AARGH, DAMMIT, TEME! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?"

"…Um, guys…?"

"YOU IDIOT TEME IMMA GO AND-oh, Sakura-chan! I know what you want to say! You want a big, steaming bowl of RAMEN! Am I right?"

"…Actually, yes. I would. Call it comfort food from eating it all the time."

"…Fine. But the dobe's paying."

"Aw man! Oh well. At least it's for Sakura-chan."

"Let's just go, guys. Come on. I'm a bit hungry…"

"Dobe, you'd better not eat sixteen bowls like last time."

"TEME! At least I can eat sixteen bowls! No way is my stomach fragile like yours!"

"Since when was this about the strength of our stomachs, dobe?"

"SINCE-oh hey! Sakura-chan, you're not crying anymore! You're smiling!"

And I am not happy with this. :( Only the ending was satisfying..oh well. Tell me what you think of it! Review and you get a muffin and medicine if you somehow catch my cold. Oh, and Itachi will be the delivery boy in either case.