"All truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhaur
Chapter I
Shiranui Genma sufferd badly. His attention span was not great as it was, but with a certain person constantly in his thoughts, he was lost. Free afternoons were spent wandering through Konoha hoping to see her; hoping to catch a glimpse of her, maybe even talk to her if the fates smiled on him. Even when he was supposed to be working she would somehow manage to push her way to the front of his mind, not allowing herself to be forgotten.
Genma hadn't always known her, in fact, in comparison to how well some of his friends knew her, they were merely acquaintances. He hadn't even heard of her until she was promoted to jounin, but one fateful day, he heard her melodic voice while out with friends and had been captivated by her ever since, much to the amusement of his fellow jounin. It was none other than Hatake Kakashi who had introduced them and Genma was shocked to find out that the very woman he had been lusting after was Kakashi's former student. Yes, he lusted after Haruno Sakura, which was no surprise. He had merely joined the ranks of men in Konoha, shinobi and civilians alike, who vied for her attention; although he was more discreet about his infatuation.
Eight years his junior, the woman had amazed him with her maturity, intelligence and techniques. Rumour had it that after training with the Hokage, Sakura had inherited not only Tsunade's brute strength, but her fiery temper as well. However, when one looked at her, it seemed very unlikely that the rumours were true and Genma also joined the group of people sceptical about her abilities. Many times he had seen Kakashi appear looking as though he had just been through a war and each of those times, he refused to believe that Sakura had played a part in causing any of those injuries. His scepticism disappeared instantly when he had been assigned to accompany both Sakura and Kakashi on an escort mission. They were ambushed half way to their destination and Genma saw first hand how destructive the petite kunoichi could be.
After lusting after her for a month or two, he began to realise that it was something more than that. Sakura spent her free time with Kakashi and his friends when not training with her team or sensei and as he observed the girl, Genma found out that the saying about eyes being windows to the soul was perfectly true. It was those eyes he had fallen in love with. Sparkling emeralds that reflected her every emotion perfectly, the same eyes that could make a man weak at the knees with desire or want to turn tail and flee for fear of his life. He had thought he was in love with her eyes, but soon rethought the idea and deciding that it was her lips that he loved. Plump and pink they looked luscious and the urge to kiss them was sometimes overwhelming. Without even knowing it, he had taken to staring at her mouth whenever she spoke and he was near. The way they moved as she spoke fascinated him and he wondered what they would look like when trying to express her passion.
Eventually, Genma came to conclusion that he would stick with the old cliché and say that he loved her personality the most. Not only was she an amazing person in terms of appearances, but she was the most kind hearted person he had ever met. Her personality was multi-faceted and her demeanour changed so quickly that it left him in awe of her. After watching her interact with her team during recreational activities and training, he came to understand her behaviour. Her seemingly strict tones and gestures indicated worry for those around her and her harsh tones were frightening enough to send a man running when irked. The soft tones she used when dealing with the ill and injured were definitely the tones he liked the most. A gentle voice that seemed to promise to do everything within her power to make them well without words.
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The first time he had been truly alone with her was when he had been injured during a mission and was lucky enough to have her as his medic at the hospital. She had gently admonished him for not taking better care of himself, but had given him a dazzling smile indicating that everything was just fine. It was this encounter that had changed his life. This encounter had given him the courage to talk to her and the desire to confess his feelings for her.
"Sakura," he said quietly as he watched her bustle around the little hospital room he lay in.
"Mmm?" She clearly sounded distracted as she searched for the bandages for his wound.
"May I ask a favour?"
Sakura stood up as she heard the words, walking over to the bed with a frown. "Certainly, what is it?"
"Will you have dinner with me tonight?"
Sakura's jaw dropped at the question; it had been the last thing she expected to hear for the jounin. She eyed him, wondering if he was joking with her, but sighed softly when she saw no trace of humour in his eyes. There was no problem with going to dinner with him; she had no issues with the man. In fact, if she was being honest with herself, she found him rather attractive in a mysterious sort of way. His sultry looks had sent shivers down her spine on many occasions and there had been many times when she couldn't help but stare at him, wondering how a man as attractive as he could still remain single.
"There is something I wish to discuss with you," he elaborated with a small smile.
"Staying in or going out?" she asked, returning his smile.
"Staying in," he clarified, overjoyed that she had accepted his offer. "I'll collect you and we'll eat at my apartment."
"Alright."
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Hours later, Genma was standing in his kitchen, stirring the food in the pot absentmindedly as his thoughts drifted to the pink haired beauty currently sitting on his sofa. She looked exquisite; her hair tied up, exposing her back and slim shoulders, while her dress showed off her curves perfectly, showing just enough cleavage to be tantalising. She truly looked like the visions of her he had seen in his dreams.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Sakura asked, as she dried her hands after washing the very last plate.
You're the kind of woman, I've been dreaming of.
But I never thought I could say it good enough to win your love.
He paused, gathering his courage as he guided her back into the living room and topping up her glass as he wondered how to tell her all the thoughts spinning through his head. Genma had held back his feelings about the woman for so many months that he felt he would explode if he kept them to himself any longer.
You probably think I'm foolish, you'll tell me so.
I'll open up my heart and then you're probably going to tell me no,
But here I go…
She was the most amazing woman he had ever met and now that the time came to tell her how he felt, he felt himself paralysed for fear of her laughing at him and rejecting him. If she did reject him, it wouldn't surprise him. There were so many other men in Konoha who could offer her so much more than he could. But he still had to try and tell her regardless of the consequences.
"I want to give you all I've got inside," he said quietly, taking one of her hands in his. "I want to love you for the rest of my life."
There I've done it.
There I've said it.
There you have it.
I don't regret it.
Relief washed over him as the words came out with hesitation and without sounding awkward. It felt so good to have finally said it and even now as he waited for her reaction, he knew that he didn't regret telling her. Even if she rejected him, if felt so good to get it off his chest. Still holding her hand, he took her glass from her and took the other hand in his grasp as he looked into her eyes, his heart pounding against his chest as those incredible emerald orbs stared back at him.
This is confidential; I've never told a soul.
But every time I see you, I feel my heart begin to lose control.
"All I know is I'm feeling something I've never felt," Genma's voice dropped to almost a whisper and Sakura was forced to lean closer to hear him. "I want to be with you and nobody else."
There I've done it.
There I've said it.
There you have it.
I don't regret.
He felt empowered by the new feeling building up within him. He couldn't give it a name, but he found that as he told her how he felt, he was becoming increasingly aware of how much he cared for the woman. The feeling of her hands gripping his tightly softened and Genma's eyes lifted immediately to her face. Her eyes were wide and unshed tears glistened in them even though she smiled so happily. Shocked by her tears, he inched closer to her, taking her in his arms and holding her tight. He felt tears hit his shoulder and pulled her closer, desperately hoping the tears would stop. This wasn't the way he had hoped she would respond.
Sakura sat back after a moment, wiping her eyes as she did so. Genma took her hands in his, hoping she would not reject him. Smiling at him, she reached out to caress his face with a gentle hand and the smile grew wider when he leaned into her touch. Without even knowing it, they inched toward each other until their faces were mere inches apart. Wanting her to know that he meant every word he said, a large hand cupped her face and he looked earnestly into her eyes.
"I'd give you my love in a minute," he said huskily. "If you want it, come and get it."
Tears of joy spilled down her cheeks again and her smile grew as she heard the words. Without a second thought, she launched herself towards him, arms wrapping around his muscular shoulders as his wrapped possessively around her waist. When she raised her head from his shoulder, she smiled.
"I'm coming for it," she whispered before closing the distance between them.
He could only sigh happily as he responded to her lips; passion sparked between them like a match tossed into dry grass. The frown that creased his brow when she pulled away and rose to her feet was gone in an instant as she took his hand and pulled him in the direction of the bedroom. He followed without question and without hesitation, very glad he confessed to her.
There I've done it.
There I've said it.
There you have it.
I don't regret it.
AN: Inspired by Black Hawk's "There You Have It."