Ding.
Ino looked up from her work desk, ready to greet her newest customer of the day. The window she had installed six months ago had been the best decision she had made thus far. The open view allowed her to work on specialty flower orders while still being able to see what was going on in the front of the store. She furrowed her brows, recognizing that bandana anywhere. What in the world would bring Genma Shiranui into her store?
She wiped her hands and stood in the doorway, her masterfully crafted customer service smile covering any suspicions she had. "Welcome! What brings you to my neck of the woods?" She greeted warmly.
Genma was a regular at the bar she also frequented, and by his boisterous talk about his love life, she never thought he would be seen in her flower shop. Through the grapevine, she learned quickly that he bounced between women like a pinball. Not that it was any of her business.
He turned his usual mischievous eye to her before giving her a slow once over. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as he dug into his uniform pocket and pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper.
"I'm helping a friend with her garden." He said, handing her the note. She recognized the feminine handwriting on the page immediately.
"Why didn't Kurenai-sensei just come in herself?" She asked, nearly missing the giant fake belly motion Genma did in response as she turned away. She rolled her eyes again at his antics before beginning to gather what was on the list. He was so…crude, sometimes.
"She said she had a few things she needed to get done on top of this, so I offered to help." He added, and she looked of her shoulder to see him motioning to the wagon outside.
"Well, it's nice of you to offer to help. With no ulterior motives." She said, voice full of doubt and her eyebrow raised.
"You make it sound like you don't believe me." He said, the senbon in his mouth hanging precariously in his mouth as he pouted.
"I believe there's more to the story than that. You're a good friend, but you also don't just do things from the kindness of your heart." She countered, putting the first armload of goods onto the counter, ticking off the items on the list as she got them. "How is she settling into her new home?"
"She seems to be adjusting well. The baby is due in the next couple of months. We got the crib set up last weekend." Genma answered as she put a stack of clay pots next to the plant feed. She felt a bit of guilt settle into her gut. She hadn't visited her late sensei's love in a while. She needed to catch up with her.
"I didn't peg you as a man to help with babies, Shiranui." She teased, pulling two bags of soil to the wagon.
"Normally I'm not. But this one is…"
"Different." She offered, and Genma nodded.
"Exactly. What would you even know about my disposition on babies anyway?" He shot back, and she giggled.
"Your drunken ramblings every Saturday night made it pretty clear to me. You don't even want a relationship, let alone a family." She chuckled out, tallying the price of everything in a small notebook.
"People like you and me don't do well with families." He said, scratching the back of his head. She frowned at the statement.
"I think my parents did alright." She said, tapping the screen of the register.
"Maybe when I'm older." Genma said, and she couldn't help but snicker at the statement. How old was old for Genma?
It was unnaturally silent for a few moments and when Ino looked up she say him frowning. "What?"
"What are you snickering at?" Genma said, and from the tone of his voice she could tell he had been offended by her reaction.
"I'm not entirely sure how old you are, but if you graduated with Asuma-sensei-"
"Asuma graduated after me." Genma cut in, and Ino narrowed her eyes at the man for a moment.
"Even worse, that means you're at least mid-thirties now-"
"I'm 33." Ino felt the niggling of irritation blossom in the back of her head from all his interruptions.
"Which means if you don't want them by now, you probably never will." She finished her statement, entering amounts much harder than necessary on the touch pad.
"Men mature slower than women." He said simply over the harsh clicking of her nails on the glass screen.
"Your brain stopped developing at 25, Shiranui. You are as mature as you're ever going to be." Ino dead panned, mercifully entering the last of the items and swiveled the display in his direction. "That'll be 850 ryou."
"You know men don't emotionally mature until like…43." Genma said, smirking at her as he fished his wallet from his pocket.
"You'll be dead before 43, Shiranui." Ino retorted, counting out the money before opening the register.
"Glad to know you have such faith in my skills as a shinobi." He pouted as she gave him his change. She lifted a perfectly groomed eyebrow at him.
"No matter how perverted you are, a Legendary Sannin you are not, Genma." She said, stuffing the receipt in one of the bags and watched as he moved the bags into the wagon. He looked back at her and rolled his eyes at her words. She tapped her chin. "Though your flagrant attitude towards women is the same."
Her face broke out in a grin at the affronted look Genma gave her. He held the expression for a moment before it melted into one of sheepish agreement.
"Have a good rest of your day, Ino." He said, throwing her a lazy three finger salute.
"Tell Kurenai-sensei I'm here for her if she needs anything." She called as he made his way out of the store. The door clattered awkwardly against the wheel of the wagon. His response of a curse wasn't missed and Ino giggled as he yanked it over the threshold of the entrance.
She shook her head and made her way back to her workbench. She had orders to fill.
Genma felt a little lighter as he walked through the streets of Konoha, his interaction with Ino having went well, all things considered. He didn't get to talk to her much. Even at the bar he tended to just watch her when he wasn't pursuing other potential suitors. She was loud and outgoing most of the time in the nightlife. He had tended to ignore her when she first started showing up at the watering hole. She had been Asuma's student, powerful but still naive enough about the world to make her annoying.
The first time he had seen Ino as anything other than Asuma's snot-nosed student was the first time she had come into the bar. She had come back from a mission, hands still bandaged and out of her usual purple outfit for a practical shorts and tank top combo. Her hair had been up in her clan's signature ponytail, but she looked drained. She had quietly drunk herself stupid that night and had to be carried home by her pink haired friend and Hatake.
He was familiar with rough missions, with the need to drown them, and the more she came into the bar he found more similarities between the two of them. Shameless flirts, lush drinkers, bad coping mechanisms yet still functional. It also didn't hurt that she was ridiculously beautiful. He has realized that day that most of her boisterous attitude was a front.
Genma came through the back gate of Kurenai's estate, waving at his friend as she stood to help him get the wagon through the gate. He gave her a quick one-armed hug as he moved the wagon to a small patch of grass.
"So how did it go?" She asked, sitting on the lawn to look through her bags. Kurenai was looking radiant, like she always did these days. She had put a sunhat on to ward off the scorching rays of the mid-summer sun.
"She thinks I'm a non-committal old man." He grunted, unloading the bags of soil next to the box where the garden was going to go. "She also thinks I'm a lecherous playboy." Dusting his hands off, he joined her to look through the bags and sort things out. Not the best first impression to go by, but it may be something he could work on.
"All those things are true, though." Kurenai commented, as he leaned back into the grass, glaring at her.
"Words hurt, Kurenai." He said, twirling his senbon around his mouth in irritation.
"Truth hurts, Genma. I'm just glad you got everything I wanted." She said, casting red eyes over his haul. Her eyes slid to his, and she raised her eyebrow. "Did you get what you wanted?"
Genma rolled his eyes. "All I wanted was information on what she thought of me. You could have done that for me." He said, watching Kurenai's face morn into a smirk.
"I could have, but I like to see you squirm."
"Pregnancy has turned you into a real sadist, did you know that?" He grumbled, sitting up to get them started on setting up the garden. Kurenai laughed and shifted herself, standing and making her way the box. He sliced open one of the bags of soil and began pouring as Kurenai spread it out evenly.
"You also don't need me to wingman for you, especially when it comes to Ino Yamanaka. If she likes you, she likes you. If she doesn't, all this will be for nothing." Kurenai stated, and Genma emptied the bag before moving to the next bag.
"It's not like I'm looking for anything long term here, Kurenai. You could have gotten all this for yourself."
"If you thought that then why did you offer to get it for me?" She teased and Genma bit back the truth for a simple shrug. He just wanted an excuse to see her. Ever since that somber night in the bar she had captivated him
A quiet fell over them as they finished prepping the garden box. Kurenai sat back after they were finished, her hands filthy but a satisfied smile on her face. "So, what's your next step of this mission, Shiranui?" She huffed, wiping the sweat from her brow.
He could only shrug his shoulders at this point. He hasn't thought this far ahead. He wanted to see her again, but he didn't have much of an excuse to. "Not sure, really. Maybe I'll see her at the bar this weekend." He said, pulling the nursery pod of plants closer to the box.
"I'm going to figure out what I want in these pots before I go back to the store next week." She said, and the intention in her words not lost on him. He let the silence settle between them as he weighed his options. The bar was sooner than next week, but maybe meeting in the daytime was for the best.
"Yeah, sure. Write down what you want and I'll go for you again." He said, scrubbing his face with his hand before he turned his attention back to the plants.
Ino was once again making flower arrangements when Genma walked through the door. She looked up, smiling at the familiar blue bandana and peeked her head through the back entryway.
"Welcome back, what can I help with?" She greeted, setting the flowers on the counter before holding her hand out. He placed the list in her hand.
"Peace lilies, huh? Succulents, Dahlias...Kurenai-sensei always had good taste in plants." She said, motioning him to follow her.
"She also wanted to grow...tuberoses, I think?" The man said, juggling the plastic pots she put into his arms.
"I have some tuberose bulbs. Any particular color she wanted?" Ino asked, flitting over to her container that held all her tuberose bulbs. She sighed happily as she glanced at the identifier card. Tuberoses were some of her favorites.
"A...All? All of them?" He suggested, and he looked positively clueless as to what the right answer could have possibly been. She chuckled and nodded, putting a few of the netted bags into a box before moving on to the vegetable seed display.
"Did Kurenai-sensei get her set up all finished for the most part then?" She asked, cherry picking some of the packages off the racks and tossing them in with the bulbs.
"Yeah, she got most of it done last weekend. She wanted me to get the rest of this before I go on mission next week." He said, and Ino looked back at him as he placed the pots in the wagon.
"Leaving for a long one I take it?" She inquired, and he just shrugged as a response.
"Nothing too long, I don't think. Very dangerous stuff though." He said, but the sarcasm that laced through his voice told her it was anything but. Probably an escort mission then. She personally hated them. All that walking and pretending to actually enjoy the company of their charges.
"Well in that case, stay safe Shiranui. I know a few women who would be very disappointed if you died in action." She teased, shifting to get a few items from the shelf next to the seeds.
"Would you happen to be one of those women?" He asked, and Ino froze on her tip toes at the question. Would she be sad if Genma disappeared in duty?
"I would be sad if you died." She said lightly, scooting a hard to reach bottle of feed closer to the edge. She felt a sudden warmth on her back, and she watched as Genma's arm appeared above her, easily plucking the bottle off the shelf. She fought off a blush, the sudden invasion of her personal space making her heart race.
"Speaking of women who would miss me, you weren't at the bar this weekend. Everything ok?" He asked, and she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as he stepped away. She cleared her throat, regaining her composure before turning to look at him.
"Why, you miss me that much?" She asked, leaning against the shelf. He noticed when she wasn't at the bar. What a curious development. She watched as his eyes widened and he shook his head almost too vigorously.
"The...um...the owner asked about it, is all. You're a regular." He said, and she didn't have to probe his mind to know he was lying. Her fingers tapped against the counter, and she sucked her teeth in thought.
"I've been pulling late nights trying to make sure everything is ready for a wedding this weekend. My dad gave me the responsibility for it. It's my first one without any guidance, so it's been a lot of work." Ino said, sliding past him to go to the counter and ring everything up.
"Can't your friend help you? The, um...pink haired one?" He asked, and she snickered at how his voice went higher at his uncertainty of the detail. What a horrible ninja, not even able to keep his details straight in his own mind.
"Sakura." She provided, entering a few totals before continuing. "And she has a whole hospital to run. Not much time to help with baby's breath and flower arrangements." She turned to look at all the flowers scattered around the back room. She still had so much to do.
"I can...help? If you need it?" Her head whipped around, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Why would you want to do that? You hate weddings." She said, crossing her arms and giving him a once over. Helping Kurenai was a completely different situation to helping her. They barely knew each other.
Genma rolled his eyes, his shoulders sagging at the comment.
"Everything drunk me says isn't always what I really think." He said, and Ino gave the most unladylike snort possible at the statement.
"That's literally the point of alcohol, Shiranui. It lowers inhibitions and makes people say what they really think." She said, turning her attention back to the till.
"Look, do you want help or not?" He asked, and her lips morphed into a small smirk at the exasperation in his voice.
"I have to have these done by tomorrow. Would you be able to come in tonight?" She asked, looking up at him expectantly. Friday was bar night.
"Yeah, I can do that." He said easily, and she raised a blonde brow at him. What kind of game was he playing, exactly?
"Alright. Come by at seven. You can help me then." She said, giving him the total and finishing the transaction. She handed him the box of supplies.
"It's a date." He said, grinning triumphantly at her past the needle in his mouth.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, old man. I'm just taking the free labor." She said, leaning against the counter and resting her head in her palm. Genma rolled his eyes and nodded.
"Keep that up and I won't be coming."
"Sounds like a lonely existence if you don't come." She quipped back, straightening herself as he nearly choked on the needle in his mouth. She made her way back to her workstation as the bell for the door chimed. If she added an extra sway to her hips, no one was the wiser.
Genma left the wagon abandoned on the back porch as he knocked on the door to Kurenai's house. He had no idea what he was doing anymore when it came from Ino, or even what he wanted from her. He greeted his friend silently before flopping onto her couch, burying his face into one of the cushions.
"I take it the visit didn't go well?" Kurenai guessed, and Genma listened to her footsteps move past the couch to the kitchen.
"She's going to be the death of me." He complained, his words muffled by the decorative pillow he was using to hide his face. Kurenai let out a non-committal noise.
"She's just a girl, Genma, get yourself together." She said. He looked up at her from his spot on the couch to glare at her.
"Normally, yeah but now it's..."
"You've got it so bad." Kurenai said, a delighted expression lighting up her face. Genma frowned.
"Got what bad?" He asked, standing to make his way to the kitchen.
"The love bug." Kurenai teased lightly, reaching out to tug at a stray hair. He waved her hand away before shooting his senbon into a corkboard hung next to the window. Kurenai had installed it so he wouldn't ruin her walls with his bad habit.
"I am not in love with her. I'm just...intrigued." He countered, looking around at the newly hung greenery Kurenai had hung around the space. She was supposed to wait for him to help her with that.
"Mm." She said, wholly unconvinced.
"I'm not!" He exclaimed, and the unimpressed look she gave him was beginning to get a small sparkle of humor in it.
"Mm."
"Stop that."
"Mm."
"I'm going home now." Genma said, furrowing his brows before going to retrieve his senbon from the wall.
"No, no. Stay. Tell me what happened." Kurenai said, putting a placating hand on his forearm. He sighed, looking at her before nodding. He sat on a bar stool as she put a cup of tea in front of him.
"I'm going to help her at the shop tonight." He said, taking a small sip of his tea as his friend got situated across the counter of him.
"Like a date?" She asked, and Genma just stared into his tea for a moment before shaking his head.
"Not according to her." He said, taking his trusty needle and using it to stir the contents of his mug absently.
"But you want it to be." It wasn't a question. She already knew the answer. Still he shrugged.
"I just don't...want to hurt her. She seems like a nice girl and I'm..."
"Ino Yamanaka can take care of herself, Genma. She's had a lot of bad luck when it comes to boys in her life. She is probably into you, she's just. Guarded. Like someone else I know." Her red eyes locked with his as she spoke, and he could only nod in response.
"I just want to take it slow, for once." He huffed, the soft tinkling of his senbon hitting the ceramic of the cup filling the silence that followed.
"Sounds a lot like you're in love." Kurenai said softly, pulling a basket of muffins between the two of them.
"I'm not. But I could be, eventually." He said, plucking a muffin out and peeling off the wrapper.
"Mm." Genma felt his jaw twitch in irritation.
"Could you please stop doing that?" He asked. Kurenai let out a soft giggle, shaking her head.
"Uh-uh. My house. I can make whatever noises I want." She said simply around a large bite of muffin.
Genma rolled his eyes, dumping the rest of his tea out into the sink before stretching.
"I'm going to head home and clean." He said, giving Kurenai a hug.
"Planning on taking her home?" Kurenai teased, and the groan Genma let out could have been heard in the next house over.
"Actually, no. I plan on just helping her." He said, walking to the door and waving goodbye. He ignored her exclamations of his love as he made his way down the front steps. He wasn't in love.