I can't find it in me to finish The Art of Persuasion. It wasn't really intended to be a multi-chapter story, anyway. Maybe this summer I'll be able to find the inspiration I need. Buuut, as a gift I give you this! An angst-filled, smells like death multi-chapter (maybe) Genma/Sakura and ??/Sakura story. The second pairing will be revealed all in good time, but feel free to tell me whom you think it is. Read and Review s'il vous plaît! Love, K-chan. :)
It had been a year since a certain sharingan user's body was discovered outside of Konoha. Needless to say, his death shook the village, particularly, a certain pink-haired medic-nin. Her behaviour was contrary to what most people thought would happen. For example, they thought Sakura would be listless, lethargic, and more prone to delirious bouts. She'd probably cry quite a bit, too.
Yamanaka Ino knocked viciously at her partner-in-crime's apartment door.
"Forehead! Let's go get some drinks! And men!" She barked, already stepping away from sobriety.
This was what it had been like nearly every night. Ino and Sakura became even closer, spending each and every moment together. They'd party, they'd drink, they'd sleep around. Sakura's sudden change in lifestyle became a widely discussed topic. Tsunade ignored it at first, believing it to be a temporary sign of grief but as months went by, the Hokage became very worried about her apprentice. Her preachings were more motherly and demanding than she would have liked, though. Sakura ended up missing work and coming in late, completely ignoring the Godaime.
Sakura and Ino giggled the whole way to the bar. When they entered, several (male) eyes made silent approvals of their appearance. They made a b-line to the bar, instantly ordering the drinks that would get them drunker sooner. A few empty glasses later, they were cackling drunkly and falling all over the place. Ino found a man she thought suitable for tonight's entertainment and left her friend at the bar.
"Hey, Sakura?" A handsome hazel-eyed shinobi placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Aah Genma-kun!" She squeaked, turning around and tumbling into his chest.
"Kami, I've never seen you so plastered before. I'm sort of worried." He chuckled, awkwardly.
"Oh my gosh, not you too! I'm so si-" She paused to hiccup. "-ck of people saying that to me. There's nothing wrong with me. I just wanna have some fuuuuun!" She smiled that inebriated smile she's been throwing around lately.
"Come on, I'm walking you home." He said, laying down a tip for the bartender who gave him a worn look. He nodded in acknowledgement and picked up the petit kunoichi.
"Ne, Genma-kun! Do you have ulterior motives?" Sakura's drunken voice was really starting to annoy him. He didn't really understand why she was doing this to herself every day of the week.
"Sakura-chan, where is your house?" He asked. She looked up at him, confused. Oh shit.
"Uh, I don't really remember, Genma-kun." Sakura looked away avoiding his irritated gaze.
'I swear, I try to help someone in need and this is what I get!' Genma grumbled to himself.
"Well, I guess you can just spend the night at my house." He said, feigning calm.
"Okie dokie." Sakura said draping her tiny arms over his shoulders, twisting her body around him. They were so close he could feel her whole body heave whenever she took a breathe. Genma was now alerted to an entirely different problem he hadn't even (surprisingly) thought of. How the hell was he supposed to stop himself from sleeping with Sakura?! And then it him. There was obviously only one reason Sakura got so drunk tonight. She expected to be taken home by some man. Thank Kami he got to her first or who knows what could have happened. This girl was really something else.
The walk home went by pretty quickly without hassle. Every once in a while Sakura would blow into his ear or grab his butt, but other than that it went by completely hassle free. He gently switched Sakura onto his left arm, only having to using a small amount of chakra, while fiddling around to find his keys. He never really noticed just how small of a woman she was. Finding the keys, Genma unlocked his door and carried the kunoichi to his room. He plopped her down on the dark blue clad bed and stretched out his arms.
"Do you want coffee or something, Sakura-chan?" He asked, wiping the hair from her eyes. She turned and they locked gazes.
'I want you." He was tempted to take her up on her offer, but something was holding him back.
"No, I can't. Sakura, what happened to you? I know it's not just the alcohol so don't give me that shit." Her lower lip trembled and her eyes began to moisten, he knew that he would have been better off not asking.
"I just don't get why!" Sakura curled into a ball, fully breaking into tears now as her whole body shook. "I-I loved him so much. I would have gladly died in his place. I just want to die!"
"Sakura, it's natural to think that but it wouldn't change anything if you were dead. I can't even count all the people who would miss you if you took your life."
"That's the thing! I'm such a coward I can't even bring myself to take my life!" Genma wrapped his arms around her frail figure in attempt to stop her violent tremors.
"Shhh, shh. It's alright, you couldn't help it. It's okay, it's going to be okay. Shh." He whispered into her ear, nudging her neck with his forehead in order to calm her.
And this was why Genma couldn't bring himself to sleep with her. He was no stranger to the idea of fucking the pain away. About every shinobi goes through a similar grief phase. In a way, they were finally one in the same. That was almost enough for him to tilt back his head and laugh at the irony.
"Genma." She breathed out from under his embrace.
"Yes?" He said, lifting his body off of her, now conscious to the weight he had been putting on her small body.
"Don't leave me! Please!" She clawed at him, bringing him back into a tight hold. "Don't leave me alone, please, not like everyone else. I d-don't want to be alone again."
'Well, this will be my good deed,' He thought, getting into a more comfortable position on the bed, still cradling a now silent pinkette in his arms. 'My gift to humanity.'
I really don't see Genma as OOC in this story. Just because he's a womanizer doesn't mean he can't be nice to a friend's student when she needs help. I mean, you'll kinda understand why he's acting especially paternal to her soon. Everyone in Konoha basically (except Ino) acts like Sakura is a fragile doll who will break at any moment.
Oh and jeez, I always forget disclaimers. Isn't a little obvious I don't own Naruto?