Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Spark

My day just keeps on getting better and better – just like my sarcasm. Sakura glared daggers at the back of Sasuke's head, hoping it would produce heat ray and drill holes in that inflated head of his.

Not even halfway to the gym pavilion, another argument was incited between her and Sasuke. Sure, it was her fault this time, but it's not like she did anything major like degrade his person and skills because of gender differences.

All she did was mention the g-word – the one that is supposedly pertaining to her species – and he imploded; literally imploded as if there was this inner turmoil going on with him for the past ten hundred years that just– snapped; like, his whole body just caved in for a second before it started oozing off white hot anger.

Of course he started seething and scowling at her. So she started seething and scowling at him in return. This seemed to be the only type of interaction they're capable of having.

Sasuke didn't bother keeping his hold on her wrist and was now walking ahead of her by five feet, which Sakura was grateful for. She refused to be dragged like a child by a guy who she was supposed to be superior over.

If only he'd acknowledge her authority.

"I'm still your coach," she said firmly in response to his remark about her unreliable leadership abilities.

"Fine," he answered. "You're my coach – just my coach. Keep your nose out of my personal business."

"All I did was ask you what the hell your problem was with girls," Sakura ranted with her hands flailing exasperatedly at her sides. "You didn't have to be a bitch about it!"

"It was a stupid question."

"Which still doesn't validate your being a bitch."

"Stop that."

"Stop being a bitch, first."

His movements were so sudden that Sakura nearly got a whiplash. In less than a second, he had stopped in his long strides and turned around to face her with a glare – which would have scared her if her temper wasn't getting the best of her, so she matched it instead. It would've even been as effective as his if she didn't stumble awkwardly in an attempt to refrain from bumping into him.

"Stop that." It seemed like the words tried too hard to escape from his gritted teeth.

Sasuke had been trying to appear indifferent for the past ten minutes since she opened up that damned subject. He thought that maybe it would aggravate this annoying pink chatterbox more. Getting her all crimson-cheeked in anger was a consolation from this unbelievable arrangement Coach Kizashi had set up. What was that old man thinking, anyway?

Unfortunately, as time lengthened on, he was the one fighting the rush of blood that's threatening to stain the whole of his face in frustration.

This girl held the fuse to every one of his nerves, and she could blow them all up with as little as a breath. She knew it, too.

Sakura whistled. "See," she began again. "You're being a bitch again."

She fucking knew it.

Sasuke brought his hands to his face and exhaled loudly. Then, he brought them to his inky hair and raked through it before turning around to keep walking.

She smirked. It's satisfying to see his tense shoulders and his even more unruly hair. The annoying apathy he displayed a while ago was now completely gone.

She didn't offer a change of topic – she didn't talk at all – in the remaining time they walked together. It's best she leave it off the way she did because doing otherwise might turn the tables, and she did not want that. She'd rather bask in her victory while it lasted.

It lasted until they're by the pavilion walkway.

"If I didn't know better," Sasuke started in a surprisingly calm, and haughty, tone. "I'd think you're interested in me."

His hands were back in the pockets of his jeans. In the brief moment that he turned his head, Sakura saw the handsome smirk that lingered on his lips – and immediately wanted to wipe it off.

She laughed sardonically. "Get over yourself, Pretty Boy."

"Aww, you even think I'm pretty." The hilarity in his tone was very much obvious.

"Guys who look like girls aren't my type. That's why I'd never like you." The first statement was a lie. Sasuke didn't look like a girl. He was gorgeous, but he definitely didn't look like a girl.

The second statement was speaking too soon.

They were inside the pavilion then. How they fell into step together, Sakura couldn't remember.

He turned to her again, eyebrows raised in inquiry, and a corner of his mouth quirking upward.

"Never?" His voice seemed to have dropped an octave lower.

Before she could squeak an answer, the gym doors burst open and a blur of orange came tackling her in a bear hug.

"Oomf!"

"I knew I heard you, Sakura-chan! I was worried you weren't gonna show up for training today. Got me thinking that Coach Kizashi might be back already. I like you better, Sakura-chan! No offense to him, though. He's awesome, but he's just so manly that I'd be dead before he'd let me hug him like this, believe it!" Naruto ranted on and on, oblivious to Sakura's pink head being squished in his towering form. She didn't mind, though. At least the other team members liked her. But wait–did he just say he wanted to jump her dad?

"Oi, Naruto," a voice called from inside. She recognized it as Suigetsu's. "Share Sakura-chan with us. She's our coach, too you know." He was pouting from the bleachers.

Sakura couldn't help the smile that took over her features. My babies missed me!

Naruto released her, but didn't let her go. He caught her wrist and dragged her inside the gym. A few hadn't arrived yet, and those who were already there were situated by the bleachers and going on about their businesses. And by business, it meant some stretching accompanied by constant bantering and yelling profanities at each other. Sakura guessed they just finished eating, too because there was a cluster of disposable plates and water bottles in the area.

"Hello, Sakura-chan!" Kyou and Takumi Nakamura, the twins of the team, greeted and even bowed simultaneously.

Sakura smiled at them. "Hey."

It seemed like everyone had a good day. The ambiance was really light and, so far, no one was frowning. Even Neji's smirk didn't falter like it would usually when he saw Sasuke – Sakura discovered their self-imposed rivalry from none other than Ino – and vice versa, despite the latter's foul mood moments ago.

Kiba walked over to Sakura and offered her some dango, which she took gratefully. "They're as sweet as I am," he'd said with a wink.

Kakashi, then, gave her a briefing on their games last season. Some of the guys would butt in with a few jokes up their sleeves regarding the teams they defeated.

"They weren't even as good as everyone says," Suigetsu said. "That Fugushima bastard was so bad that I bet he can't even shoot his pee in the toilet!"

Naruto, Kiba and the Nakamura twins burst out laughing while the more serious guys like Neji and Shikamaru simply smirked. Sakura's face soured at the unsanitary reference.

"Yeah, yeah – and remember that time Hitohiro accidentally passed the ball to Sasuke-teme? His teammate hit him so hard he must've forgotten how to play!" Naruto was practically rolling on the floor, all red and teary-eyed from laughing.

Hanging out with the guys certainly had a different vibe. Their humor was dirty and they were brusque – but only with each other. Luckily for Sakura, they seemed to have been taught to respect women. They knew what they shouldn't do or say in front of her, for the most part at least. Maybe her girlfriends would love their company as well.

Speaking of the girls, Sakura wondered if her friends were coming today. Ino did arrange their grant in the gym during training, so she'd probably planned on coming regularly. She didn't get a text from her best friend though, and the last time she saw any of them was during Sociology, with Hinata.

As if on cue, a blonde head popped through one of the doors. When Ino spotted Sakura, she pushed the barrier and fully entered with Hinata, Tenten, and Temari following suit. Temari was carrying two grocery bags with what Sakura guessed were chips.

It didn't surprise Sakura when Kiba was instantly hovering Ino. She even gave a knowing smirk when she caught Ino's eye. What did surprise her – and apparently Temari, too – was Shikamaru, of all people, getting up and taking the grocery bags from the sandy-blonde beauty.

Sakura wasn't up to malicious and accusatory thinking, but she couldn't help the curiosity. Shikamaru was a nice guy, but he was so dead-in-his-ass lazy.

"We brought chips!" Tenten beamed, taking a stray basketball from the ground and dribbling it.

"Also," Ino continued, distractedly unwinding Kiba's arm around her. "Who's up for a movie night?"

Sakura paled at the thought. Twelve colossal men inside their humble home, causing trouble the way they did in training. Imagining the cleaning Sakura would have to do was already making her muscles hurt. Their parents wouldn't even approve of this!

"What – no! Ino," Sakura hissed. "Are we even allowed to have guys over?"

"Find your chill, Forehead. I'm sure our parents know how old we are."

"Yeah, movie night!" Naruto bellowed, followed by the rest of the guys whooping and fists punching the air.

Ino turned to her with a smile that said she didn't have any choice in the matter. Sakura sighed.

"Fine, but no one is leaving this gym until you satisfy me with your daily stats. This is supposed to be training. Now move!"

Her command was followed by a couple of groans and Naruto muttering 'scary,' but they all complied nonetheless.

They scattered inside the court and began running laps. The girls, excluding Sakura, rested on the bleachers and watched quietly, much to Sasuke's approval. He was so quiet since they got here that Sakura almost forgot he was there – except she couldn't. She doubted anyone could ignore Sasuke Uchiha's presence.

She constantly felt his eyes on her and it made her want to be swallowed by the ground. It didn't help that their previous interaction almost left her with dysfunctional knees.

Before Sasuke's lowered voice could replay for the nth time in her head, Sakura shook it away and focused on recording the team's performance a while ago.

She was not letting him have the last laugh.

When they reached the fiftieth lap, Sakura blew her whistle. "Water break for five, then team up."

"Hey, you two, take a break." She called on Sasuke and Neji when they continued running. Neji grunted before slowing down and taking his water like everyone else did. Sasuke kept his pace and his eyes on the pinkette. "I said take a break, Uchiha," she repeated stiffly.

He smirked. "Say please,"

She rolled her eyes. "If don't want to, then don't."

He shrugged before going back to sprinting.

"Show off," Sakura muttered.

"Well – there is plenty to show." Sakura jumped and swiftly swung her head to find Ino behind her. The blonde wiggled her eyebrows at her best friend.

When she regained her composure, she glared at the blonde. "There will also be plenty to clean after that movie night you pulled off," Sakura retaliated before walking past Ino. She needed a drink of her own to deal with all this.

When the five minute mark was up, Sakura split them up into two teams with one player to officiate the game. But since one team only needed five players at a time, one had to be vacant.

"Sasuke, Shikamaru, Juugo, and the twins on team one. Neji, Chouji, Suigetsu, Shino and Kiba, you're on two. Sai, you be the ref."

"What about me, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, feigning hurt. "You forgot about the best guy in the court."

"No, she didn't. I'm here." Kiba butted in.

"Shut up, Dog Boy." Naruto threw a basketball at him.

Sakura laughed. "Cut it out. Naruto, you sit here with me, first," she said, patting the seat beside her.

Naruto's eyes brightened. "Alright!"

"No."

Both Naruto and Sakura turned to the owner of the voice, not the Sakura had to turn to know who it was. Why was he objecting to everything she did!

She ignored Sasuke and motioned for Naruto again, "What are you waiting for, Naruto? Sit with me."

Naruto glanced back and forth between his captain and his coach before hesitantly approaching Sakura again.

"I said no, Dead-last. Officiate the game with Sai." Sasuke was glaring at them by now.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Ano–I think I'll be a referee on this one, Sakura-chan."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Are you defying my orders?"

"N-no, Sakura-chan, i-it's just that Sasuke-teme is captain –"

"And I'm your coach,"

"R-right. Okay."

"So you'll sit pretty while the rest of the team works their ass off? Is that how you'll get to the top of your game, Dobe?"

"Hey, hey," Sakura spoke before Naruto could respond. She was already up in her seat and was walking over to Sasuke. "What the hell's your problem?"

"This is team talk. What the hell are you exploding there for? Hot-tempered minx."

"For keeping on challenging my authority!"

"I was completely obedient to you the whole time, Princess."

"Stop calling me Princess, you twat!"

"You're right. You look more like a body-builder. Hey, what protein supplements do you take?"

"I am no such thing, you pathetic excuse for a basketball player!"

"Uh-huh, try explaining that to my twenty-four trophies."

"You and your swelling ego."

"You and your machine-gun of a mouth."

It's been about eight minutes since Sakura and Sasuke started wallowing in each other's insults. Ino and the rest of the people in the gym were smart enough not to interfere, so they just continued to watch them, forgetting the whole practice game agenda.

She did tell her of the effects of a pent-up sexual frustration, but her best friend just did what she does best, and that was to deny. Deny, deny, and deny some more.

Ino clicked her tongue in amusement. If only you listened to me, Forehead.

"When will these two get over their sexual frustration and just get on with it?" she said, voicing her concern aloud to no one in particular.

Kiba, who happened to be closest to her, stopped snickering. There was a thoughtful look that fell over his strong features. He whistled before flashing a half-smile that showed his canines. "Thinking of it now, Sakura-chan's the only one who can do that to Sasuke."

"It's been a long time since Uchiha's resolve was last shaken," Hinata's cousin, Neji, added with a smirk.

Ino smiled, knowing all too well that a fire like this wouldn't have started without a spark.

A/N: Merry Christmas! Thank you to all those who reviewed because you're really encouraging me to continue on with the story. It really means a lot that you took the time to tell me what you think of my fic. I appreciate all the new favorites and follows as well! Oh, oh, and thanks to those who reviewed/faved/followed my other fics. I hope everyone's enjoying the holidays :)