"Kakashi-sensei! Are you hurt?"

"Wha…?" Kakashi looked up to see Sakura running toward him.

"Are you alright?"

He lowered his book a little.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

She slowed and stopped, resting her hands on her knees as she panted from the hard sprint. She didn't seem to notice Genma's presence or his amused expression in the tree above them.

"You…your shirt. You never take your shirt off, even on missions!"

"I'm not allowed to do something different now and then?"

She glanced between his face and his vest and long sleeved shirt lying on the ground beside him, clearly confused.

"Well, I guess, but…the only time I ever see you without the vest is when you're in the hospital or when I treat you in the field!" She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips while her eyes searched his body for anything visibly wrong. "So are you hurt?"

His eye creased upward, revealing one of his friendly grins. "I'm fine."

"Then why aren't you wearing those?" She gestured to the discarded garments lying a few inches from his right hand.

"Cut a guy some slack." Genma dropped gracefully down out of the tree, startling Sakura and making Kakashi raise an amused eyebrow. "It's the hottest day of the year, and we trained hard this morning."

"That still doesn't answer the question." She crossed her arms over her chest and pinned a glare on Kakashi. "Are you or are you not injured?"

Genma grinned as Kakashi slumped. "Yeah, did I hurt you too bad?"

"I'm fine."

"Would you admit it if you weren't?"

He shrugged. "Probably not."

"So you're not going to tell her I cracked your rib?"

Sakura frowned at her former sensei. "Is that true, Kakashi-sensei?"

He returned his eyes to the page of his book and gave a noncommittal grunt, and Sakura looked to Genma. He nodded, and Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Okay. Kakashi-sensei, you know I'm not just going to let you go around with a broken rib. Are you going to go to the hospital now or am I going to heal you here?"

"Sakura, I'm fine." He glared at Genma.

"I don't believe you."

Kakashi smiled at her with his visible eye. "Not my problem."

"That's what you think. We have a mission tomorrow, and if you won't go to the hospital or let me check you here, then I'm going to advise Tsunade-shishou to suspend you from duty pending a full physical." Genma whistled his sympathy and Sakura shifted her weight onto one foot. "So what's it gonna be, Sensei?"

"Who taught you to be so cruel?"

Sakura crossed her arms. "You did."

Genma laughed, and Kakashi's eye narrowed. "I did not."

"What did you think I was learning when you gave Naruto and me extra laps for messing up in our teamwork? Or when you gave Naruto extra pushups for not noticing when I fell behind?"

He sighed. "Well…damn."

"So. Here or the hospital?"

"You know I hate the hospital."

Sakura turned to Genma, and Kakashi went back to reading. "Are you hurt too?"

He lifted the senbon in his mouth. "If I say yes, do I get a kiss?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, I'm fine."

Kakashi coughed out something that sounded like a 'bullshit,' then winced at the pain it caused in his side. Sakura got the message anyway and pinned the senbon-wielder with an icy stare. He raised his hands in front of him. "Fine, you win. I wrenched my shoulder." She waited and he scowled. "I guess I'm heading to the clinic. Kakashi, you suck."

Once Genma started heading away toward Konoha's hospital, Sakura knelt beside Kakashi where he was sitting against the tree. He lifted his eye to meet hers, lowering his book an inch or two.

"You know he's not really going to the clinic, right?"

She shrugged. "I figured." She gave him a pointed look. "But he's not my team leader, and I don't have a mission with him tomorrow. Now where does it hurt?"

He sighed again and he pointed to a spot on his chest, just under his pectoral muscle on the side furthest from Sakura. Her eyes followed his fingers, and her hand followed her eyes.

"Does that hurt?" She pressed gently under the spot.

"No." She moved her fingers until she found a slightly swollen spot that made him flinch.

"He was right; it's probably broken."

"Hn."

Her hand started glowing green and she flattened her palm over the injury, bracing her other hand against his shoulder for support as she healed him.

"I knew there was a reason you took off your vest and shirt."

As always, R&R!