Genma had planned to just go home, pass out and try to forget how badly he had messed up the night before. How he had messed up. There was….a lot to unpack with what happened at that flower shop.
Instead, he had found himself on Kurenai's front step. The hour of night could only be described as ungodly, and he could imagine how pissed off she was going to be when she opened the door. He had half a mind to go home, but it was too late now. He had already rung the doorbell.
Kurenai opened the door with a sharp yank, mouth already opened to undoubtedly throw insults at whomever had decided to wake the sleeping dragon. He wondered if he looked as awful as he felt though, because her jaw snapped shut with an audible click of her teeth and she stepped to the side to let him in.
"I'm sorry I woke you. I don't know why I came here." He murmured, scrubbing his face.
"What did you do?" She asked, her voice still hoarse with sleep. She led him to the kitchen, switching on the dimmer switch to illuminate her path to the tea.
"I may have….had foreplay in a supply closet."
The sound of a mug crashing to the floor had his head whipping towards Kurenai.
"Jesus, let me help you clean this up." He said, moving around the counter and stooping down to pick up the large pieces.
"I don't think I heard you correctly, Genma Shiranui. Foreplay? In the closet?"
"Look I didn't mean for it to happen! She just. She wanted help getting a box and then suddenly-" Kurenai's hand in his face made him stop that train of thought.
"I don't need details like that Genma. That's Ino Yamanaka we are talking about, not some random woman at the bar." She said, turning on her heel and going to get the broom from the closet. They were silent as she swept the shards of ceramic into a dust pan.
"I've ruined everything, haven't I?" He murmured as she dumped the broken mug into the trash.
"I wouldn't say that, necessarily. More like an unexpected detour on the path to love." She teased, and Genma let out an audible groan.
"I'm not-"
"In love, yeah, whatever." She said, waving her hand dismissively before getting another two mugs out. "But if sex wasn't the destination on this little Ino trip, then what was?"
"Sex was the destination." He insisted as she filled the kettle and put it on the stove. She threw him a look, unconvinced.
"Then why are you so upset about getting what you wanted?"
That made Genma stop. Why was he so upset? Maybe it was because he could still feel her curves under his fingers. And he wanted more already.
"What if she never wants to talk to me again?" He asked, adjusting his bandana. He didn't think he left the best impression at that flower shop. There was a pensive silence between the two of them for a moment before Kurenai took a deep breath.
"Asuma was never the best with his words either." She murmured, standing as the kettle began to whistle. "He asked me before he went out on a mission if I would be interested in having tea with him. After I said yes, he was gone for 5 weeks." She chuckled as she took her box of green tea out of the drawer.
"I think I'm going to wait to talk to her until I know what to say." He said. He caught the eye roll Kurenai gave at his decision.
"I've come to realize that Shinobi have no idea how to express their emotions." She said simply, pushing a mug of steeping tea across the counter to him. She picked her mug up, giving him a lazy wave. "I'm going to bed. Feel free to sleep on the couch, Genma." She said as she disappeared down the hallway.
Genma took his tea to the couch, setting it on the coffee table to just stare at it for a while as he decided what he would do next. He could avoid Ino until he figured out his brain. How hard could it be?
The answer was very hard, much to Genma's surprise. He only managed three months of narrowly avoiding her before she caught him in the middle of the market place. He froze as a purple peacoat and blue eyes caught his vision. She looked rather unhappy with him as she walked up to him, groceries in hand.
"Long time no see, Shiranui." Ino said, popping her hip out to rest a hand. He shifted the senbon in his mouth, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Started to think you had been sent on a top-secret mission."
If only. S-Ranked missions sounded like a vacation compared to the disappointment in her eyes. He let out a soft sigh.
"Hello Ino. No mission, just been…busy." He finished lamely, looking past her to the pavement. He really had no excuse for what he had done.
"I see."
"It's not like that, Ino." He said, furrowing his brows. It wasn't. He wanted to talk to her, he really did. He just didn't know what to say about what happened in the summer.
"It sure feels that way." She retorted icily, and he flinched. He deserved her cold demeanor, but people had started to watch them from the corner of his eye.
"Can we move somewhere more private, please?" He asked, only barely containing the urge to make it into a plea. He needed to talk to her. Just not here.
"There's no need. The last few months I've come to realize you don't want a repeat performance. I get it." She said, looking up at him.
Genma's mind short-circuited. Again? That was an option? By the time he pulled himself from the daze those words threw him into, she had already disappeared into the crowd of civilians. The only way to get her attention now would be to cause a scene. He was tempted by the idea, but he felt a hand on his shoulder as he watched her blonde ponytail round the corner and disappear behind a building.
"Kakashi-sama needs you in his office, Shiranui-san." Genma let out a low groan. He really didn't have time for this.
"Like…right now? Or can I do something really qu-" Genma snapped his mouth shut as the Anbu threw daggers with their glare. He let out a long-suffering sigh and nodded. "I'll be right there." He grumbled, moving to a side alley before hopping to the rooftops.
What in the world would Kakashi want with him now? He had just gotten back from guard duty not too long ago, and he had been a good boy for a long while in regard to sexual harassment complaints. He slipped through the window of his Hokage's office, looking at his old friend.
Kakashi was staring at him with what Genma could only describe as supreme irritation. He looked to his assistant, who had the same look plastered on his usually aloof face.
"….Hokage-sama?" He asked after a long moment of silence. That usually stirred up some response from Kakashi.
"Sit." The Rokudaime said, pointing to the wooden chair across the desk from him. Genma did as he was told, eying his friend cautiously. He was pissed about something.
"What's this about? I put in my last mission report, I swear."
He watched Kakashi take a deep breath and rub the bridge of his nose in annoyance before speaking. "Do you know how often I get to see my fiancée outside of these four walls?"
Fiancée? What did that have to do anything? He had nothing to do with Sa…ku..ra.
Ah.
"No, sir, I don't." Genma said dutifully, already knowing where this conversation was going.
"2 hours a day. If I'm lucky, she gets home before I collapse into bed. I don't need to tell you how I would rather spend those two hours, do I?" Kakashi said, and Genma grinned lightly.
"No, Kakashi-sama."
"Do you know how I've been spending those hours?" Kakashi asked, though by the tone of his voice Genma knew he was going to tell him anyway.
"Considering I am in here, I can only guess that it's not how you want to."
"I've been listening to her complain. For three months. Every day. And she has been complaining about you." Genma felt the heat of anger and embarrassment rise to his face.
"I'm trying to-" Was all he managed to get out before a shadow curled around his hand, sending needle sharp pains briefly up his arm. He looked at Shikamaru, who had his hands in his pockets.
"Your actions are starting to become troublesome for everyone. Fix them."
Genma narrowed his eyes. "And what inconvenience has this caused you, Nara?" He spat, watching the shadow slither further up his forearm as Shikamaru leaned in.
"You're ruining my night out with my friends. Ino does nothing but complain about you now a days. I just want things to return to normal. So fix it." Shikamaru's voice left no room for argument, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to. He looked to Kakashi.
"You used Anbu to summon me just to tell me to stop cock blocking you? That's an extreme abuse of power, Hatake." He accused, his tongue flicking his senbon in annoyance.
"It sure is. You know what else is an extreme abuse of power? Telling you that if you don't get this fixed soon, you'll be on D-ranked mission until I feel like giving you something else." Kakashi warned, the rise of his brow the only indication that he was completely serious.
Genma shuddered. D-rank meant chasing cats and babysitting toddlers with twelve-year olds.
"Understood." He grumbled, and the inky black shadow on his arm retreated.
"Good. Dismissed." Genma narrowed his eyes at his friend before walking through the door to his office.
He needed to talk to Kurenai.
"Kurenai-sensei!" Ino exclaimed as her friend came through the door, a baby sling across her chest and an all too familiar red wagon trailing behind her. It was late autumn, which meant harvest time. "How did your garden do this year?" She asked, coming around the counter to peek into the bundle of wool on her chest.
"I lost my helper, but thankfully this one sleeps long enough to get everything picked. I did quite well, thanks to your advice."
"You'll have to throw a party with all that food….May I hold her?" Ino asked. Mirai was the one of the last connections she had to her teacher.
"Of course. You know, Shikamaru already held her." Kurenai teased as she unwound the infant from her little cocoon. Ino gingerly took her, holding her close to her chest. She looked so much like Kurenai, with her wild black hair and red eyes. She did have Asuma's skin tone. She pushed back tears as Mirai wrapped a tiny hand around her finger.
"That doesn't surprise me. He's not big on children, but she's…"
"Different. Shikamaru said that too." The woman laughed, taking a step back and looking around the store. "Speaking of helpers." Ino looked up from the baby.
"What about helpers?" Ino rolled her eyes, gently rocking the cubby bundle in her arms. "If you are talking about yours, I haven't seen him in a month. He's been noticeably avoiding this block of Konoha."
"So, you've noticed he was gone?" Kurenai said, and Ino snorted at her sly tone.
"Not in the way you hoped, probably."
"You know, I've known Genma for a long time. He's an emotionally stunted man." Kurenai said from her spot next to some peace lilies, and the irony of the scene wasn't lost on her. Kurenai being peace bringer between the two of them. Not that there was much to bring peace to.
"And your point is?" She asked, turning her attention to Mirai once more.
"He isn't entirely sure on how to handle you."
"I'm not entirely sure how to handle him either, Kurenai. All he needed to do was tell me it was a one-time deal and it could have left out a lot of bitter feelings." She said, stroking the black fuzz on the top of the baby's head.
"He was busy trying to figure out what he was doing." Kurenai said. "Also, you make it sound like you wouldn't have minded if he wanted more."
"Perhaps, but there's no use dwelling on what could have been, now is there?" Ino admitted, pressing a small kiss to Mirai's forehead before looking up to Kurenai. She had taken a small potted plant under her arm. "I spent half of my life chasing a man who wanted nothing to do with me. I've come to the conclusion that I don't have much time anymore to play games." Her cool blue eyes watched as Kurenai slid the plant onto the checkout area before she leaned against the counter. It was silent between them for a moment.
"I can understand that." Kurenai said simply, and they were quiet as the woman gathered the rest of her supplies. Ino begrudgingly handed Mirai back to her before moving back to her rightful place behind the counter. She watched as they left after they paid, slumping against the counter in a huff as they disappeared from view. She didn't care about him anymore.
She couldn't.
