I Never Thought To Love You

Partners

Shorter than usual, but I feel like it's better off to not force 800+ words out of this one.

The second day of Anbu lecture was alright. It wasn't too boring, but it wasn't that interesting either. When I looked around the room, it was not surprising to see both Naruto and Shikamaru asleep.
Today is the first day of true training before the exams start tomorrow, though, and everyone was excited for how it would come about. I know the tradition of sparring, and I hope I get a good partner, but I have no idea who that could be. Shikamaru, probably. Or that weird kid with the sunglasses.
"Sasuke-kun!" I hear a shout and I flinch, looking for a place to escape whichever fangirl had noticed me.
There's a laugh right next to me and I realize that it was just Naruto, and my body relaxes.
Holding her sides, she laughs harder. "Oh, you should've seen the look on your face! God!" She wipes a tear from her eye before continuing. "I called your name, like, five times, but the second I say it like Sakura-chan, you get ready to bolt! Ah, that was priceless!"
I roll my eyes, trying to hide the blush from my cheeks at how cute her laughter is. Cute. Ok, I said it.
"Dobe."
"T-teme!"
I chuckle. "Cat got your tongue?"
"No! I've never heard you call me that before is all!" Naruto argues.
"Baka, you just wish you could come up with better comebacks."
"You think what you want, oh great and powerful Uchiha," Naruto jokes with a bow.
I shake my head and she laughs again. "Now who's got caught by the cat?"
"Dobe."
"So what were you thinking about? Something obviously serious, ne?"
"Just the training," I admit. "I'm thinking about who could possibly be my partner for the spar."
"We get to pick," she tells me. "Iruka-sensei let me in on that secret yesterday when we got ramen together."
"Oh? So who are you going to spar with?" I'd like to see her abilities. I hope she chose me.
"Kiba," she tells me, and I feel anger rise in my chest. Of course. She has a thing for him, doesn't she?
"Do you like him?" I laugh, trying to play the question off as a joke.
"I used to," she answers, and the look in her eye reveals that she'd rather not talk about why it is no longer, "but that's not why I chose him. I was talking to him about it yesterday when he came to practice with me in the woods, and we both agreed that it'd be cool to test our skills out for real today."
"He trains with you?" That was my only thought. Why hasn't she invited me to train with her?
"Sure thing," she says. "So does Choji, and Shikamaru when he feels like it."
"Who are you training with tonight?"
"Nobody. All the guys' parents are gonna train with them, and, you know..." Her voice drops significantly and I suddenly feel a pang in my chest. Of course. I forgot all about her parents.
"I can train with you if you want," I offer. "It's not like I've got anyone better."
Her face lights up. "Really?" she beams.
"Sure, dobe. Just don't make me regret it."