Too Close for Comfort
A/N: Sorry if Genma acts a little OOC, but I think that under the chauvinism and arrogance is a sweet human being. Please R&R, and as I have stated in previous stories, you flame me, I flame you back. That's all. Have fun reading! KakaSaku. No lemon, but rated M for adult themes.
Chapter One
"Genma?" The pink haired kunoichi glared at the senbon-chewing shinobi, who looked down at her lazily.
"Yes?"
"Get your arm from around my waist."
"Would you prefer it up or down?" Genma enquired, watching her flush deep crimson.
"I would prefer it not at all."
"Simply creating a sibling-like illusion, sweetheart." He grinned. "Tsunade wouldn't be pleased if we wrecked our covers before we even got to the house, would she?"
"There is no one around for miles, numbskull." Sakura grumbled, but she didn't punch him, like she had been threatening to do for the last two miles of their journey. Only three and a half miles to go. The kunoichi thought to herself, before snapping to her full height when she heard a rustling in the trees behind them.
Genma, who had evidently heard the noise as well, threw a shuriken in the general direction of the disturbance, and Sakura felt sure she heard a sigh of annoyance from something – or someone in the bushes.
"Just an animal." Genma said, and Sakura turned uneasily, wanting to believe him. They continued walking, and heard no more noises.
My stupid imagination. Hey, I'm not stupid! Yes you are. Well I'm you, so you're calling yourself stupid. That makes sense. Okay, you aren't stupid. I know. And, hey, you might want to answer Genma, he sounds a little worried.
Sakura blinked.
"Oh, back to Earth, Sakura?" Genma asked sarcastically.
"What did you say?" She asked, blushing at her slip-up.
"We're here." Genma wheeled Sakura around to face an imposing mansion, the place they would be staying for the next week or so. Sakura blinked at the grandeur of the place. That anyone would be able to afford living in such a house was a source of amazement for the young kunoichi, who lived in one of the most modest apartments in the whole of Konoha.
"Oh my…" She breathed, ignoring Genma's amused look at her reaction.
"So, are we going, or do you want to say staring at the place all day, sweetheart?" The senbon-chewer enquired. Sakura glared at the 'sweetheart' part of the seemingly innocent question. The idiot had been propositioning her ever since she turned sixteen, but he was pretty harmless, really.
"Come on." She said, like it was him gawping at the house like he'd never seen one before. He grinned, and followed her silently, knowing any more words would result in the mission being cancelled due to his injuries, something Tsunade would doubtlessly hold against him rather than her quick-tempered apprentice.
Sakura stared at the grand door, hardly knowing how to announce their presence at the mansion. Genma reached over her, some might say inappropriately, and used the door knocker.
"Handy things, these." Genma smirked, dodged an attempted smack around the head from the girl who, for the purpose of the upcoming mission, was to be his sister. Wife would have suited me better, but hey, you can't have everything, I guess. Genma thought to himself.
The imperious oak door swung open to reveal a hunchbacked servant, who introduced himself as Kinshõ Jiyuu.
"Hello, I am Kobayashi Hisaku, and this is Shikibu Idomu, my brother." Sakura was surprised she had remembered the names so well with Genma breathing down her neck annoyingly. The cover Tsunade had given them said that Sakura was married, but travelling with her brother, which explained the difference in surnames.
Jiyuu bowed politely, and murmured:
"If you would step this way, Lady Kobayashi, Shikibu-san." Sakura was about to laugh at the fact someone had called her 'Lady', but settled for glaring at an unwitting Genma instead. The servant led them along a lengthy corridor, and knocked on another grand door. Sakura felt overwhelmed once more at the grandeur of the property, and that feeling was only heightened when Jiyuu opened the door.
"Lady Kobayashi Hisaku and her brother Shikibu Idomu." Sakura took a glance at Genma, who was looking distinctly unimpressed at being ranked below her. She smiled slightly. He could be so sensitive sometimes.
"Good day, Lady Kobayashi, Shikibu-san." Their hostess, Lady Hoshi, a dark haired woman in a royal blue kimono stepped forwards, and Sakura immediately felt inferior in her plain white yukata, but she politely replied:
"Good day Lady Hoshi. It is kind of you to allow us to stay."
"Think nothing of it, Lady Kobayashi. Your husband is a ninja, no?"
"Yes, he is. Kobayashi Nijito. He is on a mission." Sakura and Lady Hoshi struck up a conversation, whilst Genma stood around, bored. Finally, Lady Hoshi looked across the room, and exclaimed:
"Of course, you must be introduced to my husband, Lord Hoshi!" Sakura and Genma looked at a chair in the corner, where a previously unnoticed man sat, smoking a pipe. He was evidently shadowed by his overbearing wife.
"How do you do." He said quietly, before paling back into insignificance when Lady Hoshi announced that lunch would be in half an hour, and Jiyuu, standing by the door dutifully, would show them to their room.
"Thank you, Lady Hoshi." Sakura said, before she and Genma were ushered from the room by Jiyuu.
"You are most welcome. We will send your suitcases up shortly." Lady Hoshi replied courteously. Sakura didn't have time to reply to that, as she was swept away by the impatient servant. They hurried along a corridor, and up four flights of marble stairs. Even Genma was impressed, but he was trying not to let on to an awestruck Sakura.
"Here you go, Lady Kobayashi. You and your brother are sharing this suite." Jiyuu explained to the pink haired kunoichi, barely acknowledging Genma. Sakura nodded, and thanked him.
"Goodbye, Jiyuu." She said pointedly, and the servant bowed.
"Goodbye, Lady Kobayashi, and please just ask if you need anything." He grinned. Genma put a hand on Sakura's shoulder to remind her killing the hostess' servant wasn't the best idea.
Sakura slammed the door closed instead, making it reverberate on its hinges. Genma shuddered. It wasn't a good idea to get on the wrong side of Sakura. She had always ignored his propositions, knowing they were jokingly made, but suggestive comments from almost total strangers was usually frowned upon by the quick-tempered kunoichi.
Slowly, Sakura turned to regard the room they had been given. Genma sensed a screaming tantrum threatening to erupt from the seemingly delicate cherry blossom beside him.
"It isn't that bad." He said lamely.
"It is!" Sakura wailed back.
"Okay, it is." He conceded.
"Do they think because we're siblings it's okay to give us one bed between us?" She howled relatively quietly. Genma sighed.
"I'll sleep on the floor." This was a big sacrifice, considering the floor was marble like the stairs. This mission was going to hurt.
"Too right you will!" Sakura cried, obviously close to tears. "It's bad enough we have to share a room, without this…insult!"
"It'll be okay, Sakura." Genma wasn't really good with women's emotions, a possible reason for his notorious phobia of commitment. He couldn't think of much to say that wouldn't get him kicked in a painful place.
"You can say that, you're a man, you idiot! You don't care, do you? I bet you're pleased we got this mission, aren't you?" Genma tried his best to look unpleased, supportive, understanding and manly at the same time. Sakura just looked unimpressed. She went to answer a knock on the door, missing Genma's sudden look of intense concentration.
"Thank you for bringing them." Sakura turned to Genma again. "Suitcases – what are you doing?" Genma's senbon was in his hand, and he was looking out of the window suspiciously.
"Oh, oh, nothing, don't worry." He turned back to face her.
"We have twenty minutes to kill. What are we going to do?" She looked at the senbon chewing shinobi as if he was going to have any constructive ideas. He frowned.
"We could ask your sensei to join us for a cup of tea." He said. Sakura stared at him as though he were crazy.
"Wha-" She began, but broke off as a masked man casually opened the French windows and walked into the room.
"I was wondering when you were going to ask me in. It's freezing out there."
So! First chapter. Please review; tell me what you think, where I could improve, what, if anything, you think is good about it.
Thanks to Shikari The welsh ninja, as always, and to all my friends off Fanfiction who are so kind to me, and give me hope that I might one day succeed in becoming an author. Yes, that means you Shikamaru, Naruto, Anko and Iruka.
(All my friends and teachers were named by me and Shikari as Naruto characters their personalities suit).
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, but I do own the idea for this fanfiction, so there we are. On to the second chapter (gallops away on her metaphorical pony)!