7am Tuesday morning.

Sakura dropped her bookbag on the bleachers and yawned. She had practically sleepwalked to the track that morning and the comfort and warmth of her bed still called to her. Sakura shook her head and jumped up and down in the thinning mist to finish waking up.

She stretched her arms over her and pulled herself, from fingertips to toes, as far as she could go. Then she dropped and spread her feet outside each shoulder and pulled herself over the outside of each calf slowly and deliberately. She loved the feel of getting to know every muscle anew and feeling the tension and flexing in her tendons. She put a foot far forward and dropped into a lunge. Then she repeated on the other side.

Sakura continued stretching and smiled when a lock of pink hair flopped into her face. She had tied it back for her workout but her hair was too short to keep it all back. She tucked it behind an ear and fondly remembered the night before when Dr Tsunade had done the same. She had worn an amused face and Sakura believed it helped keep her in the doctor's good graces after showing up to the clinic an hour later than usual. Man, I'm going to have work all day on Saturday to make up for the time in detention.

Sakura felt caught between a groan and a giggle. Despite her irritation at having to open herself to Naruto and Sasuke she had enough time to reflect on how strange and how strangely fun the hour had been. Naruto was so informal and friendly, if a bit pesky with his curiosity. The few people Sakura dared call friends rarely showed so much interest in her life. She had realized as she rode the bus the night before that she wanted to talk about her mother with someone but it never seemed appropriate. And then there was Naruto and an hour where she wasn't allowed to go anywhere. It would be fine if she told him, right? He didn't know her so it couldn't change his opinion. Just as long as he didn't push her. Sakura hated being pushed.

Footsteps on the gravel let her know she was not alone. She had been sitting on the ground, bent double over straight legs and reaching for and past her toes. She sat up and look around. A groan issued from her mouth before she could stop it. She would not have minded – or perhaps would have minded it less – seeing Naruto and Sasuke again at detention, but she wasn't ready to deal with them this early in the morning. Naturally, Mr Hatake was no where to be seen. But Sakura knew better than to expect him any earlier than 30 minutes into her routine, assuming he came by at all.

Sakura grunted as she pushed herself to her feet. She smacked loose gravel from her butt as the boys approached. Naruto grinned as if he were meeting an old friend and Sasuke looked as bored as ever. "What're you doing here?" Sakura had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer but had to ask anyway.

"We came to cheer you on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto bounced in his eye-searing orange jacket as he tossed his book bag next to hers. "You're gonna be better today than you were yesterday and make better time this year than you did last year! Believe it!"

Sakura smacked her forehead. "You really are annoying at all hours."

A few feet away Sasuke, again in head-to-toe black with matching eyeliner, snickered. "You should see the loser in the middle of the night after we watched a horror movie."

Naruto yelped and Sakura had to bite down a laugh at imagining that tortured squeak coming from the same boy scared of the dark. "Oi! Bastard! Don't go saying things like that!"

"Like what," Sasuke challenged. "Like how every loose floorboard makes you start crying and you make me sleep in your room to make sure the resurrected killer doesn't come out of your closet?" He shook his head and added a "tch" for good measure.

"Hey, bastard, I don't talk about all the stupid stuff you do when you see a movie with vampires!"

That got a severe look from Sasuke. "I don't do stupid things."

"Yeah-hah! I saw you, bastard! I saw you practicing your brooding look in the mirror!"

"WHAT! I never-!" Sasuke grabbed for Naruto and tried to put him in a head lock. Naruto dodged his arm with a surprising grace and twisted around Sasuke to grab him from behind. Before his hands could lock in front of Sasuke's chest, Sasuke stepped back and swept a leg up under one of Naruto's, knocking him back and sending him crashing to the ground. Naruto scrambled up to wrap his arms around Sasuke's legs, tumbling him to the ground as well.

The boys only stopped when they heard giggles. Sakura had clapped a hand over her mouth but she couldn't stop laughing at the sight. The two young men rolled in the dirt with no sense of propriety and certainly no interest in really hurting each other and it made her think. Just like brothers with an argument a decade old.

Sasuke released Naruto with a "hmph" and set about patting the dirt from his clothes. Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned at Sakura. Sakura shook her head again and turned her focus to the track. A few sprints and then I'll time myself on a 200m.

She walked to the track and worked to shut out the fact that the boys were watching her intently. It was just her and the track. Her feet would push off the ground. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction; the ground would push back against her. She would bounce off the earth and the earth would bounce off her, she would dig into the ground and the ground would drive her forward. She selected a track in the red clay and jumped up and down, pulling her knees to her chest. Then she jumped with twists in the middle. When she was satisfied that her body was warm, she crouched into starting position.

"WOOOHOOO SAKURA-CHAN! YEAH YOU CAN DO IT! BELIEVE IT! YOU'RE SUPERFAST! YOU'RE AMAZING! YEAAHHHHH SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sakura nearly toppled over at the sudden noise. She stood upright, glaring daggers at the blond who had chosen a crucial moment to become one hundred times more annoying than she previously thought possible. Her eyes slid to slits as she noted in a fury that Sasuke merely stood to one side with both hands over his hears. He was smirking ever so slightly.

A fist with torn skin over the knuckles formed itself at her side. Her lips pressed together as his yelling finally wound down.

"Hm? Sakura-chan? Aren't you going to run?"

"Na-ru-TO!" She growled as she advanced to his position. At his wide-eyed look she all but screamed, "shut the fuck up!"

The boy blanched and he managed to look almost scandalized. "Sakura-chan, I was cheering you up!"

"Cheering on, you idiot." Corrected Sasuke.

"Oh yeah. Sakura-chan-"

"Shut. Up." She glared at each boy in turn.

"But-"

"Quiet!"

Naruto gave a little "eek" and quivered, looking like he was trying to be ready to defend himself from a blow. To be fair, Sakura was strongly considering hitting him.

Sakura gritted her teeth. "I'm just training so I don't need any cheering. And no one likes cheering that just sounds like an idiot screaming, ok? Besides it's way too early to be that loud. So just keep quiet and let me work." She glowered at him, hoping that she wouldn't have to repeat herself.

Sakura turned her glare to Sasuke who returned it with a bold, blank face. What the hell is his problem, anyway?

With a final grump Sakura returned to the track. She felt warm enough to peel off her jacket, which she dropped in the lane beside hers. With no further prep she dropped into the starting position.

Sakura felt the breath she drew flow into her lungs and then out. Her heart beat and the pulse echoed in her hands and feet. Her skin softly rippled with anticipation. At the second exhalation her lips curved into a grin. She pulled in one more breath and shot forward, pulling herself over her feet, tearing at the clay with the rubber, demanding the earth spin in the direction she desired.

Her arms pumped and her toes worked inside her shoes to grip the ground and fire over it. Sakura loved the feel of her whole body moving as one strong element through the air.

Sakura loved to feel like no one could catch her.

In a moment she crossed the 50m mark and let herself slow down to a pause. She wheeled around and regarded the track. Not bad for the first run. She bounced on her toes and started thinking about a run back to start.

But again, Naruto started his damned shouting. "Sakura-chan! Woo!" He jogged down the sidelines toward her, trailed by Sasuke. Hands on her hips, Sakura groaned.

Naruto approached her, holding up the discarded jacket. "Wow, Sakura-chan, that was amazing! You were like...like a gazelle! No, wait, you were like a cheetah! You totally ran like crazy! No wonder Kakashi says you're the best on the team!"

Sakura gave Naruto a confused, slightly annoyed look. "Coach wouldn't say that."

"Well he said you're the best woman in the state! Didn't he, Sasuke?"

"Loser, he said she took all-women's in hurdles. She won a competition." Sasuke's face was intent but unreadable.

"Well there, see! She's the fastest in the state!" Naruto offered her jacket.

Sakura waved off the jacket and rolled her eyes. "Calm down, I'm not even the fastest in this school. But I'm ok on hurdles."

"But-"

"Just be quiet and let me get this done, already. Gah!"

Sakura crossed her arms and looked down the length of the track. This next run should be to pay attention to her heels, she decided.

Beside her Naruto twittered about who knew what. To the side of track Sasuke looked on with a bored expression, hands in his pockets.

Sakura decided if Naruto was going to talk her ear off he may as well give her information that made some sense. "So does Sasuke sleep over a lot? Your bed must be big for the both of you." She loaded meaning into the second option. It was juvenile, and only funny if the two were friends and nothing more. For all I know Sasuke really is gay and Naruto is a special kind of flamboyant.

It worked. Naruto gave a little scream and fell back step, waving his hands. "No way, Sakura-chan! We're not together-together! The house me and the bastard live in...I mean, we..." he seemed to lose steam.

Sasuke had angled away from Sakura with a scowl. She frowned. The sensitive subject wasn't their relationship, she guessed, but their living arrangement?

"I don't understand. You live together?" She asked.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Uh yeah, I guess we do."

"Tch" was Sasuke's contribution.

For a moment Sakura forgot the track and looked directly at Naruto. "You...guess?"

"Uh, well technically he," Naruto indicated Sasuke with a jerk of a thumb, "still lives at the boy's home." Naruto paused and Sasuke scuffed his boots in the gravel. Sakura waited. "But it's just better for everyone if he just stays at the house where I am." Naruto finished his speech in an uncomfortable tone.

Something about his his choice of words – and how his antics had completely disappeared – struck Sakura as strange. His attitude toward his house was very odd. Turning back to the track Sakura asked, "Did you two meet at the boy's home"

"Oh yeah. Well the bastard was at the home for a couple of years before we really got to know each other. We saw each other often but it wasn't till junior high when Kakashi came to teach us that we got to know each other. You should have seen us then, Sakura-chan! We fought all the time and totally hated each other!"

Sakura had been listening with half an ear as she stooped to pick up some of the red clay gravel from the track and let it sift through her fingers. There was barely a breeze though the morning air was still thick, a low pressure that would lighten as the day gained heat.

The last comment, however, caught her attention. "You met Coach back in sixth grade?"

Naruto grinned as he inhaled to begin his answer. Sakura realized she was losing the time to do what she had gotten up so early to do.

"Wait," she said, just as Naruto was about to speak. "Let me do another run and then answer me."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke smirk as Naruto stepped over to him and off the track.

"And don't cheer me!" Sakura interrupted Naruto again just before he was about to open his mouth. "Just let me concentrate."

Naruto clapped both hands over his mouth. Really, she couldn't make heads or tails out of him. One minute he was a loud dufus with no understanding of boundaries and the next minute he spoke straight from the heart, expressing more pain and love than any high school boy she'd ever known would ever care to admit. Was he an idiot child with the emotional insight of a saint? Or a very mature 17-year old who played at having the mentality of a grade schooler?

Sakura shook her head lightly, reminding herself that the mystery didn't rate against any of her priorities. She had things to get done.

She ground her shoes into the clay and then kicked off loose dust. She hopped and twisted at the waist to loosen her hips. She chose a lane and putting her awareness in the soles of her feet, she dropped into a ready position. Inhale – to her marks, exhale – get set. A soft, sharp push with her breath – go!

Sakura worked to keep her feet in line the way Coach had instructed. Discipline in her heels would help her control her steps (and her leaps) and keep energy waste to a minimum. Of course, attention so attuned would let it slip in other places and she became aware that her balance didn't lean over her feet, but a bit behind them. At the end of the run she slowed to a halt with a frown.

"What's the matter, Sakura-chan? That wasn't as fast as your last run!" Naruto bounced on his toes only a few feet away. Had he run with her? "Me and the bastard could almost keep up with you!" Well that answered that. Much further back Sasuke strolled along with hands in pockets.

Shoving down the urge to grumble at him, Sakura just gave him a dirty look for startling her. "I didn't run as hard as I could this time because-" a car engine roaring up to the gate at the track cut her off. She and Naruto looked up to see an old Pontiac GT – with a refurbished and souped up engine if the noise was any indication – coming to a stop at the curb.

Sakura cursed softly. Two boys – well, high school seniors just a few months shy of 18 – climbed out of the little red sports car. Kimichi Akashima and Shinichiro Ito, basketball stars and unabashed members of Root. She watched as they strode onto the track field like they owned the place.

Beside her Naruto whispered, "do you know these guys?"

Sakura answered quietly, "yeah." Distantly she marveled at how Naruto could go without knowing Konoha High's star forward and the point guard for the state All Star team two years running. At the forefront of her mind was the thought that she had better not turn her back on them.

Naruto raked fingers across the back of his head, an expression Sakura was coming to realize that indicated uncertainty. "Are they on the track team?"

Sakura wanted to laugh. They were certainly not built like track runners. Kimichi had even put in a season as second string running back on the football team before concentrating on basketball. The two were walking toward the track as if they didn't have a care in the world, but she spied their eyes and carefully took note of how they flickered to her. Sakura had no illusions. They weren't here to train.

"Well how do you know them, Sakura-chan?"

She was formulating just how to explain to Naruto that they probably only knew they were looking for a girl with pink hair but Kimichi spoke first.

"Hey Shinichiro, looks like the track is already in use."

"Right, Kimichi, and it's Sakura-chan!" The way Shinichiro said her name made Sakura want to snarl. It held so much disgust she hated him for spoiling it.

"You don't mind, do you Sakura-chan? We just want to warm up."

"Hey, I know, Kimichi! How about a race! We can test ourselves against a total track star." He walked up to Sakura and smacked her on the arm with the back of his hand. It was common enough among guys on the same team, but Sakura had to force herself to keep from flinching or dodging, knowing full well that either move would just encourage them.

Sakura didn't dare look them in the face and just held still and tried to think. Nothing came to mind. Beside her Naruto was becoming increasingly antsy, switching his weight between his feet and looking from her to the boys and back again.

"Sakura-chan?" he began to ask.

"Yeah, Saku-CHAN. Don't you want to race us?" Kimichi's voice was part sneer and part sugary begging, like she was being mean for not agreeing to it immediately. "Maybe you're too good for us?"

"Oi!" interjected Naruto. "Don't make Sakura-chan sound like-"

"It's ok, Naruto," Sakura cut in. She raised her eyes to Kimichi's and leveled all the disgust she had for him in one look. "We can run a quick race."

Naruto made a face like he smelled something bad. "But, Sakura-chan, it's not-"

"I said it's ok. Go wait on the sidelines." Without looking she pointed off the track.

Naruto grumbled and walked off. Sakura spared a small smile for his back; it was sweet that he tried to defend her.

Sakura chose the outermost lane on the track but Shinichiro stepped into it ahead of her. She tried to step into the lane two over from him but Kimichi cut her off there forcing her into the lane exactly in between them. She felt the tension ratchet up and guessed if she tried an inside lane the boys would shuffle again to sandwich her. Nerves started to strum, but it wasn't the sort that came with racing, but rather those that came from a mosh pit about to explode onto the entire floor.

She took long breaths even as her hands twitched. Each of the boys was nearly a foot taller than her and it wasn't a stretch to imagine they were more than 100 pounds heavier. In the right circumstances she could take on one and hope for even odds, but these were not those circumstances and she'd never be able to fight two. Her palms were sweaty, she realized. She rubbed red clay into to them.

Kimichi can run, he's the bait for me to race against. Shinichiro can block, he'll try to knock me down. Sakura settled her feet into her marks as if it were a real race and quietly took in Shinichiro's stance. He could strike with his arm and hit her head or shoulder. She should pull back if she saw that coming. Or he could kick out and knock her feet out from under her, in which case her best defense would be to shoot forward ahead of it.

Nerves were jumping and her heart was slamming in her chest and outlining every detail of the experience was the broad black line of fury. How she hated their nonchalance, their determination to ruin her work, how she despised everything that brought this moment about, their stupid friend Taro, her short temper, their incidental cruelty, the whole damned world was at fault for this moment. Sakura seethed and grit her teeth as Kimichi dug into a pocket.

He held out a flat silver disc. It was a student-athlete medal, awarded the previous year. "We'll use this." He announced.

Sakura gave a short nod and got into position. Her stomach clenched awfully. She had missed earning a student-athlete medal by one grade; she had earned only a B- in her English class. And Kimichi would throw his to the ground as a way of calling the race.

Shinichiro dipped into a crouch, ready to run. Kimichi got to his marks and held up the disc. He tossed it up, flipping end over end. The second the rim touched clay Sakura stepped off with a grunt and propelled herself forward. If she could get past the boys she would have nothing to fear.

Four steps in and Sakura edged past Shinichiro. But Kimichi was excellent at scrambling and he remained pegged to her side. At six steps she almost felt him twist and understood a the back of a fist was coming her way before she saw it. She tried to haul her weight back and dodge but everything had been given to diving her forward, toward the finish line. A foot hit something – she realized Shinichiro was in her blind spot.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-chan!"

She was going to fall. Arms wrapped around her waist as her hands shot out to protect herself from the ground, her feet stopped touching the track and for a moment all she saw was sky. The clouds were thinning.

In confusion Sakura kicked and wriggled, held off the ground by someone. But the moment resolved itself and Sakura was amazed when her feet stopped swinging like she was a rag doll and instead dropped to the ground. For a second she had tried to tear the arms off her midsection but now held on, not trusting her legs to bear her weight.

In front of her Kimichi had whirled around and had a look of fury on his face. Shinichiro had lost his balance and fallen to his knees. With a snarl he climbed to his feet.

Sakura's eyes widened as she realized the arms around her, still holding her fast, were covered in fishnet, fingernails were painted black. She could feel Sasuke pressed behind her, breathing lightly. How the hell did he grab me so fast?

Kimichi took a step forward but out of the corner of Sakura's eye there was an orange spark. Suddenly Naruto stood between, the image of righteous indignation. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he bellowed.

Kimichi shouted around him. "You're fucking dead, bitch!" He and Shinichiro stepped forward again, silently driving Naruto out of their way.

"NO DAMNED WAY, YOU JERKS! You hurt my friend, you-"

Friend?

Shinichiro focused on Naruto with a sneer. "Get the hell out of the way, punk."

Naruto drew himself up to full height and Sakura realized with a start that he was almost as tall as Shinichiro and half again as broad. "I'm not a punk! I'm Naruto Uzumaki and you're the jerk who's going to apologize to Sakura-chan for trying to hurt her!"

Sakura tensed all over again. Behind her Sasuke adjusted his weight, the better to leap into action.

Kimichi's face contorted. "You fucking little-"

"Why what a beautiful display of youthful passion so early in the morning! Rivals challenging each other is is always so inspiring!"

Sakura's eyes went wide as the teens' heads slowly swiveled to the opposite side of the track. Might Guy was one of the unlikeliest people for any task other than making people laugh at his ridiculous ways, from how he spoke to what he wore. Today was no different as he bounded toward them in a skin-tight green body suit, a fanny pack hanging in just the right spot to leave at least something to the imagination. She made a noise that was both a laugh and a groan. Coach Guy assisted both the football and track teams. He was quite an expert on "youthful passions" and more than ready to deflate them.

"What is this?" continued Coach Guy as he neared them. "Kimichi Akashima and Shinichiro Ito and Sakura Haruno? You can't all be here for football training, though I long wished you would return to us, Kimichi-kun! Sakura, are these boys recruits to the track team, perhaps?"

The tension ebbed from the scene as Coach Guy blatantly ignored what had been about to be an out and out fight. Sakura tapped Sasuke's arm so he would release her. "N-no, coach. Um, I just came out to train and..." Shinichiro was giving her a murderous look. Telling on them would just invite worse repercussions. "Uh, they came out to cheer me on." It was such a lame explanation, Sakura felt like an idiot using Naruto's own reasoning. She desperately tried to think of something else.

Kimichi made an aggravated noise. "We're done, coach. We just wanted a race, that's all." With a nod to Shinichiro, he added, "we'll test ourselves against Sakura some other time."

Without looking at Naruto or Sasuke, Kimichi and Shinichiro turned toward the gate and Kimichi's GT. Kimichi easily swung a hand to the ground and picked up his student-athlete medal from the ground before proceeding on. Only a twist of Shinichiro's eye turning back toward her let her know this wasn't over, not by a long shot. She felt herself heat up again.

But a few feet away someone burned even hotter. "Damn right, you better walk away!" Naruto shouted. "You better leave-"

"Naruto," Sakura groaned, "you're making it worse."

Coach Guy cleared his throat and the trio looked to him again. "Sakura, are you going to continue to train? First period will begin soon."

"Oh, no, Coach. I'm done for today."

He looked at Naruto and Sasuke in turn. "And your cheerleaders?"

"Uh, I don't...know?" Naruto looked quite pleased with himself while Sasuke looked peeved at being called a cheerleader.

"Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, right?" Guy addressed them. "Kakashi mentioned you to me. If you are truly eager to aid Sakura then I suggest you don't help to complicate her predicament." Then he threw his head back and laughed, "though your determination reminds me of when I was young and full of fire to protect my friends!"

Sakura stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. Just when I start to think I understand Coach Guy he always goes and says weird things. "Thanks, Coach Guy. I'm going to go wash up and go to class. See you later."

She walked back to where her jacket had last been and then to her bookbag. Her heart still shuddered and her breath was unsteady. Abruptly she realized Naruto and Sasuke were still flanking her, but with enough space so she wouldn't feel crowded. She wheeled on them.

Sakura felt angry...yes, angry, that was it. And a little confused...and...something almost like sadness? But mostly angry. She was used to anger. "You guys didn't come here to cheer me on," she accused. "You thought you had to protect me!"

Naruto had the grace to blush and scratch at the back of his head. Sasuke looked placid, like he was contemplating the weather.

"Well knock it off, I don't need any help from you!" She turned around sharply and stomped into the girl's locker room and showers to rinse off the sweat and grit from training.

It never occurred to Sakura to thank them. She also didn't think to ask Sasuke the question she murmured to herself as ran fingers over the area where his arms had been, "what was that all about?"

I always wonder why people make extensive apologies when it takes a while to get to the next update. It's not like anyone owes any updating... And life is a real thing, that takes real time and energy. But then I go and take months between updates and I feel *so* guilty that I don't have the time to write. Ok, I get it. Though I feel I owe my apology to my story. It's just a lovely little thing in my head and I've promised I would take it out to play... Well, little story, I'm very sorry. I'll get you out and into the sunshine, no matter how long it takes!