Title: Knock Out
Rating: PG-13 for some language
Summary: Sakura's not going down without a fight and Sasuke learns this the hard way.

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto… but I figured this was the next best thing.

Prompt 2- manipulate

There was no way around it. She had to go in for the killing blow. It was now or never.

Oh why oh WHY did the hospital staff always have these stupid Challenge Tournament!

...okay. Getting too far ahead of our story. Perhaps some much-needed foreshadowing is in order...

Knock Out

Sakura's day turned out to be one of those tricky car accidents people saw in movies, read in the news, and even witnessed in front of their own lawns.

It was the sort of thing you saw coming a mile away... yet when you were faced with screeching breaks and ear-splitting screams (more than not your own), you can do nothing but brace yourself for impact.

And a long road to recovery. If you were lucky, that is.

More like unlucky. Because if you were really lucky, the impact would kill instantly, Sakura, a twenty-five year old well-respected doctor at Konoha Hospital, thought irritably, hand tightening just a bit around her coffee cup, as she walked out of the on-call room after her disturbing phone conversation with her boyfriend... and walked straight into a disaster zone that was the doctor's lounge.

Sakura blinked, looked back at the doorway entrance she had just walked through to make sure she hadn't missed yellow cop tape with black letters that read 'CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS' or something along those lines, was relieved (concerned?) to find none, and turned back at the scene, which she could only describe as something out of a CSI: NY episode.

Disturbing was putting it lightly, she decided, as she witnessed the body of Kia Tanaka, first year intern, on the floor, breathing (wait, was he breathing? Leaning forward to inspect...yes, he was) faintly (barely) with June Lee looming over his presumably dead body.

Sakura knew she would regret saying anything, but she did so anyway, just to forget the last half hour of her life. "I assume you won the latest Challenge, Lee."

Lee gave her mentor a wide smile showing off her straight pearly-whites. Her glasses were askew, and her hair stood in all directions. The third-year intern tried fixing both as she informed Sakura, "It wasn't much of a Challenge, really."

Sakura nodded, already knowing it hadn't been, and sipped her coffee.

June Lee, like Sakura, was a ninja first and a doctor second.

The group of medic ninja that made up less than half of the hospital staff always had these weekly tasks known as the Challenge Tournament or CT or Gauntlet, as it was more commonly known down in the autopsy room (Sakura thought it was appropriately called this because most of the times...well, you know). It was thought up one night when Ino Yamanaka was trying hard to stay alert and focused for her upcoming on-call shift that night. She came up with the CT and then pitched her idea to Sakura...

"Think about it! Once a week there will be a Challenge for a lucky someone. Then one of the residents will present a Challenge that would need to be executed, or else! And by residents I of course mean just you and me."

...to which she thought stupid...

"Ino, that's stupid."

...but that never deterred Ino from having her cake and eating it too.

"You suck! It'll be a lot of fun, you'll see!"

It was the same each week: a name would be pulled out, and Ino would name the Challenge because Sakura thought the whole thing was still lame.

It varied from asking out the local intern hottie, to humiliating said hottie in front of the whole hospital, to having an all out fight in the doctor's lounge, as seen here with Lee her victim- er, opponent.

This was supposedly established to keep a ninja's skills top notch when not out performing on ninja missions.

Sakura knew the real reason was so someone had something to do and keep from dying from boredom. Also, to entertain Ino, who had the attention span of a flea.

"Since my Challenge is over, I guess it's someone else's turn this week," said Lee, all nicely groomed once more, not at all looking like someone who just walked off victorious from the battlefield.

It was then Sakura realized that it was a new week... and that meant fresh meat.

Just as Sakura was about to comment, though, Ino Yamanaka, loud blonde and first-class gossip extraordinaire, paused at the doorway, nodded down at the mess on the floor with a nod of approval and said, "Okay, Sakura, looks like you're up this week! Waddya say?"

The pink-haired doctor briefly looked at her friend, then at Tanaka, up at Lee, back to Ino, and said, "I don't think so," then walked out the room, already knowing her (obnoxious) friend was dogging her heels.

"So then you forfeit!"

"Forget it, Ino. I'm not playing your stupid game."

"It's not stupid!"

"Ino, seriously. I have enough on my plate without some lame game threatening to leave me jobless."

"You know that would never happen, Sakura," Ino reminded her friend.

Yes, Sakura did know that. No matter how mad Tsunade was at Sakura (not that it ever happened) she would never fire her number one pupil. It was a well known fact. Sakura just didn't want Ino to know that she knew that already.

So instead, Sakura said, "I said no, Blondie. I have other things to focus on." 'Like how to convince him to give it a rest already!'

As if Ino read her mind, she cooed, "Ohhh! Trouble in paradise? Already? And you're not even married yet."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks, shoulders tense. They were at the cafeteria where only a few people were mingling around loading up their trays with food. Perhaps she should talk this through with her best friend? Maybe get her take on it? It would certainly help Sakura get some of her stress off her chest?

Or become the laughing stock of the entire hospital in ten seconds flat, countered Sakura sourly.

Ino, who had been friends with Sakura since they were children, right away noticed her pink haired friends' change in attitude. Calmly, she placed a perfectly manicured hand on said friend's shoulder and asked, "Not yet, anyway, right?"

Sakura, too, shocked beyond words, simply nodded stiffly.

And just as Ino sucked in air to let out a piercing scream that could shatter glass to congratulate her friend, Sakura broke out of her shellshock state and came back to life to prevent a natural disaster. Ino's lungs were really not something someone should take lightly.

"This is neither the time nor place, pig," Sakura hissed at the blonde girl, already feeling eyes on them for the scene. And the saliva from the girl's mouth. Ick.

"Now," Sakura continued in a deathly low voice so as to not attract more attention than they already had. "I'm going to get my hand back because your slobber is really gross, if not concerning, and I want you to stay as quiet as if you know nothing, which isn't really hard for you, really. You get that, Ino? Do you understand? Nod once for yes."

Nodding once, the hand came off and was quickly wiped on her pleaded trousers. "Honestly, Sakura," Ino said, wiping her mouth on her arm sleeve while following her friend through the cafeteria. "I think it's great that Sasuke-" and that's all she could say on the subject as Sakura rounded on her.

"First of all, it's not going to happen."

Ino blinked. "It's not?"

"No. And you want to know why, don't you?"

Tiny nod of the head.

"Well it's because I…I'm…not…" Sakura stalled. Maybe telling Ino wasn't a good idea. Instead she said, "It's just not going to happen. Not for a long, long time, anyway."

"But he cares for you. And you care for him. At least, I think so. The way you two act, I'd have thought you didn't want anything to do with the other."

Ino was (dammit) possibly right on this. Whenever Sasuke and Sakura took time off from their busy schedules, their whole demeanor changed in public. They acted like strangers in the night. Could this mean she really didn't feel anything for him? Or vise versa?

Sakura rubbed her temple in annoyance. The day had barely started and already she had a headache. This could not bode well for the rest of the day.

"Come on, Sakura."

Sakura turned to look at her friend in surprise. Ino was always loud, daring. But never calm and caring. Sakura knew her friend cared, but never showed it in the way other "normal" people expressed that emotion. Come to think of it, Naruto was the same as well. Perhaps it was a 'blond' thing?

"I know what will take your mind off this," Ino confidently said.

"Decapitating me in one swift blow?"

"No, silly. The Challenge!"

Sakura groaned and, not for the first time that day, regretted getting up in the morning. "I already told you, you obnoxious hussy, that I'm not going through with-!"

Suddenly Sakura was pulled into a vacant patient's room. As Ino locked shut the door behind her, Sakura looked over at her friend in disdain. "Really have seriously lost it, Ino. Look at you. You're sick!"

Undeterred by the comments, Ino said, in a voice so firm, it didn't sound like the Ino Sakura knew. It was scary. "You either except, or forfeit." An evil smirk slowly grew as she added, "You'll see. After a few round, you'll be soooo determined to do a peds rotation in the years to come."

That did it. "Pediatrics?" Fresh horror swept over her like an icy bath. All thoughts about upcoming weddings be damn! She had other things to worry about. Big time. "Never! I will never stock suckers! I will never give out stickers! And I will never say, 'My, how big you've grown!'"

"Maybe that's it."

"What is!"

"That."

"What?"

"That."

"WHAT?"

"You're getting shrill again, Sakura."

Resisting the urge to bang her head against the wall, and possibly blacking out in the process, Sakura simply leaned against it and said monotonously, "I hate everyone and everything. But you most of all, you vile, disturbing-"

"Aw, I love you, too," Ino beamed. "But if we can be serious for a moment-"

"HA!"

"-I'd like to discuss my new observation-"

"-horrible, terrible, twisted, wretched-"

"-that just so happens to-"

"-liked to suffocate until you turn blue in the face and then-"

"-involves you and-"

"-see to it you die horribly."

"-children."

Sakura paused and blinked. "Come again?"

"Yes. You have issues with kids."

"Where did this come from?"

"You don't want to marry Sasuke because he want's kids, and you don't."

Opening her mouth to deny the blonde's accusations were cut off as said blonde continued: "I see your point, too. Don't think I don't. Too much responsibility, all the crying, feeding, protecting, caring, shitting. And don't get me started on the stretch marks from hell!"

"Ino-"

"Okay, I'll tell you anyway. They're disgusting! Like soggy balloons after someone released all the air in them."

"Ino," Sakura tried again.

"Like wrinkled wet paper. Or pruny raisins. Or old man balls-"

"INO! STOP TALKING!"

"I didn't hear a 'please.'" The blonde pretended to wipe her face. "And say it, don't spray it."

Sakura exhaled loudly through her mouth, sending strands of her pink bangs to brush away from her eyes. "Please stop talking. And I do like children. That's not the problem."

"So then, what is?

Sakura bit on her lip. She really didn't want to have this conversation. "I don't think we're ready, that's all." It was a lame-ass excuse, but a very real lame-ass issue she had been thinking about ever since Sasuke had asked her to think over marriage just this morning on the phone.

It didn't come as a surprise as Ino reminded her friend that she and Sasuke had been dating well over a year now and that maybe it was about time they both settled down to start a family together.

Sakura exhaled. Again. She should have known her friend would be on his side.

Ino witnessed her friend growing tired of her pushing ways. It was time to put her plan into action.

"So," Ino said, becoming suddenly interested in her nails. "I've come up with a Challenge for you."

"God you irritate the living shit out of me. Why the hell am I even friends with-"

"Your Challenge will be a one-on-one face-off with your boyfriend/fiancé."

Whatever Sakura thought her friend would say, it defiantly wasn't that. Still, she was tired, and wanted nothing more than to get the day well and over with as fast as possible so she could go home and hide from her boyfriend.

Slumping forward so her face smushed against the wall, Sakura muttered, "You've come to kill me, haven't you? But in order to do that you have to bug me to death first, right? Just remember your oath, doctor, and summon the decency to do it quick."

And that's where she currently was in now: a whole lot of trouble.

Faking to the left, to the right, ducking, swinging, kicking, punching, scratching; nothing, it was all useless. Sakura could find no way to get around Sasuke.

Problem was, he knew that, too.

And smirked.

"Best you give up before you hurt yourself, Sa-ku-ra."

Ohhhh! How it infuriated her when he mocked her name with that voice. That voice said, 'I got the upper hand, weakling, so just bow down to me. But I still love you so can we have tons of sex later?'

Jerk.

If she didn't love him so much, she'd slug him.

Actually, she'd love him more if she could do that very thing right. NOW.

'But unfortunately for me, Sasuke isn't the captain on his ANBU squad for nothing,' Sakura thought sourly. 'There's no real way to get around him. He's like damn Alcatraz in reverse!'

Dodging a right hook that nearly left her blind, she retreated a short distance to come up with a new strategy.

For his part, Sasuke seemed to enjoy his girlfriend's slowly-approaching defeat that he didn't mind when she put some distance between them. That's what she was doing with their relationship, after all, wasn't she? A few more minutes, and he would put a stop to all this. But for now, he loved to see her squirm.

Sakura clenched her teeth so hard, she could hear a crack. Failure wasn't an option. The only thing running through her head: Peds rotation. Lollipops. Jungle animal stickers. I cannot lose!

Her determination to never have to face the horror of the terrible toddlers was enough to cry out in desperation, "YES, FINE! I'LL MARRY YOU, DAMMIT!"

Sasuke's entire body froze.

Sakura didn't slow down for a second.

He had been trying to get her to say those words. Well, he got his wish.

'Now it's time I get mine.'

Wasting no time, Sakura landed a punch hard enough that if it were anyone else, it would've killed them. It hit him squarely on his jaw when he stood to look at her with wide, shocked eyes. Those eyes held...relief? Happiness? Doom? Sakura couldn't guess. Or rather, she didn't have time to decipher her boyfriends' emotions.

He was knocked unconscious.

Applause erupted in the small doctor's lounge. And as Sakura came up to nudged Sasuke's shoulder with the tip of her boot, Ino bounded up to her best friend to yell, "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!" as if Sakura hadn't just been in the same room with her.

Sakura supposed if it were anyone else, they would be leaping for joy! Praising the heavens!

But she wasn't. Therefore she didn't.

What had she just got herself into?