Sakura watched on helplessly as her two comrades glowered at each other angrily. The morning of the last leg of the race had dawned with Naruto and Sasuke still in foul moods. Their pink haired companion was at a complete loss for the boys had gone to bed in good spirits but had seemingly awaked hating each other. When the boys were out of sight from each other, Sakura set off to solve their conflict.
"Hey, Naruto. You ok? You and Sasuke don't seem to get along today. Want to talk about it?" Naruto was sitting at a ramen stand when the girl approached him.
"Humph." The blonde pouted childishly.
"Seriously, Naruto. It couldn't have been that bad, I mean, Sasuke really cares for you. Why don't you just go over to him and try to resolve whatever it is you guys are fighting about?" Sakura placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"I will not talk to that bastard until he apologizes."
"FINE! Be that way. I bet Sasuke at least won't act like such a child."
The pink haired girl stomped off, leaving Naruto with a sad look in his eyes. Upon seeing the brunet, Sakura ran up to him, ready for whatever attitude the boy might have.
"What is it?" Sasuke growled in a venomous tone, not even having to turn around to tell that it was the girl.
"I want you two to stop this childish behavior! Naruto is over there sulking and you're here brooding like a kid who's been punished." The brunet turned his head away from Sakura, trying to hide exactly how bad he felt. Sure, he had caused Naruto to be angry, but the blonde then took it to the next level by wounding him as well. If Sasuke hadn't been so full of his Uchiha pride, he would have gone over to the blonde right away and apologized, but that wasn't the case.
"Just leave it Sakura. I'm not in the mood." Sakura didn't miss the slight hurt that resonated in the Uchiha's deep voice. A loud tone echoed from the speakers, interrupting anything Sakura might have said.
"All drivers please come to the starting line. The race will commence shortly." The announcement ended with a small click.
"Sasuke, let's go." Without another word, the two walked over to the start line, making last minute checks tot heir cars.
Sasuke quickly ducked into his car upon seeing a familiar mop of blonde hair approaching. Once everyone was settled and ready, they rolled up to the red line painted onto the road. The pink Honda sat between Sasuke's Red Ferrari and Naruto's yellow Cobra.
'Some team, huh?' Sakura thought as she watched her two friends glance back and forth at each other. 'God, I have a bad feeling about this.'
Engines revved as the checked flag was raised high into the air. When it dropped, a cloud of smoke filled the sky, making visibility all but impossible for the spectators. All that could be heard was the deafening thunder of dozens of cars racing into the morning sun.
Many hours passed as the contestants continued to race. The finish line was only another hour away, making the competition more and more fierce. Several cars had already succumbed to sabotage and dirty driving.
At the front of the pack, a red, yellow, and pink car led the way, never relenting their first place spots. The three drivers communicated with each other though walkie-talkies, although, the only one actually talking was Sakura. Neither boy would speak unless it was to Sakura.
"Hey, Sasuke. Do you see that car that's gaining on us? It's speeding up to us like a mad man." The walkie-talkie beeped once the pink haired girl was done speaking.
Sasuke glanced quickly at his rear view mirror only to notice that a silver and green Mitsubishi Eclipse was indeed gaining on them.
"Shit," picking up his communicator, Sasuke held down the talk button, "Sakura, I think that might be our little snake friend, Orochimaru. Tell Naruto to be careful, and you too."
