She eased into the water breathing in the thick steam and closing her eyes. Ah. She could feel the sweat being washed away, the throbbing in her side ease, and... a vaguely familiar presence appear on her left.
"Good evening, Tenten-san."
Oh, Sakura.
"Hello there," she said with a smile, opening one eye just wide enough to peer at her friend through the haze. Sakura sank into the water nearby letting out a sigh, and smiling wearily. "Tough day?"
"Ha, you don't know the half of it. You had the right idea, Tenten-san, avoid specializing in a career that requires you to interact with stuck-up, perverted old men. Naked old men."
They laughed.
"It could be worse," she replied. "You could be working with old men in spandex."
They laughed again, their giggles mixing with the fog, and the silence that ensued was comfortable. Until: "God, Tenten-san, who gave you that?"
She opened her eyes again, looking down at the spot Sakura's gaze was drawn to and rolled her eyes.
"Neji. That smug bastard, you should have seen him smirking afterward," The bruise still stung, along with the knowledge that he'd made it through her defense again. She didn't have his level of guard, but still, she was a long range fighter, she should have been able to dodge. The mark was just above her heart, and had he wished it, she would be dead. "That's not the worse one either, look at this monster,"
She stood, turning so Sakura could see the yellowing bruise on her side, just above her hip bone. "Now this one, this was was just cruel," He'd hit her there with enough chakra to numb her to the tips of her toes, and let out a small chuckle as she tripped, fell flat on her butt, and continued to glare at him from the ground.
"I had no idea that he was so rough..."
She furrowed her brows. "What? You've seen him fight before. Whoever called it the gentle fist was an ironic son-of-a-bitch."
Sakura's eyes widened. "That doesn't have anything to do with what happens off the battle grounds. I can't believe you put up with it."
"Why?" She said, titling her head to the side and grinning., "It's mutually beneficial, I help him with his Byakugan and-"
"What!"
"...What?"
"He uses his Byakugan!"
Tenten paused for a moment, giving her an incredulous look, then, snickering, added: "Of course, how else would he get any better? It's tough working with kekkei genkai, but it has it's rewards. I'm sure you already know that though. I mean before Sasuke left-"
"We never! Never. Oh God." A deep blush spread across her cheeks.
"Oh. Ok." and awkward silence ensued. 'No wonder she was so weak back then. Before she trained with Tsunade she didn't get a chance to train with anyone.'
The stiff silence that followed was anything but relaxing, so she stood, and nodded an uneasy goodbye towards Sakura before turning to leave.
"Wait... Tenten-san."
"Yes?"
The blush spread from Sakura's cheeks to the tips of her ears, deepening to a harsh red.
"Um, just make sure you, you-know use, um, protection."
Tenten turned, confusion evident on her face. "Protection?"
Sakura swallowed. "Yes, I know you are responsible and probably don't need to be told, but so many Kunoichi's careers end with pregnancy. It's so sad."
She paused. "Um, what the hell are you talking about? What in the world do you think we do while we're training."
A long pause.
"Training? ...but the, uh, hickeys..."
Tenten's eyes opened wide, she coughed once, twice, and then, with her resolve thoroughly depleted broke out into raucous laughter. It lasted for more than a minute, with Sakura looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment.
"Oh God, a hickey, that's a good one," she gasped, holding her sides. "A hickey!" She laughed again. "A hickey!"
Finally she composed herself biting her lip (hard) to control the giggle that were threatening to spill out. "Silly Sakura-chan, I would think you of all people would know the difference between a hickey and a bruise."
Sakura grunted, looking affronted. "Well, it's not like I've made a study the different types of skin blemishes. They are very similar."
Tenten laughed again. "Here, I'll give you a lesson." Sakura rolled her eyes. "This is a bruise," she pointed to her chest, then lifting her leg and exposing her inner thigh, gestured downward "and this is a hickey."
"Last Friday night...
Is this a hickey or a bruise?
Damn."
