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A/N: Okay, so now I remember why it takes me so long to update. I've been working on this chapter for the last month, basically staring at it for a few hours everytime I get a day off and adding all of a hundred words at a time. yeah, I suck. Anyways, atleast I got it out in a within a month, that's at least better than waiting another year. oh yeah, speakin of which, holy f'n shit over 1000 reviews! I never dreamed my last chapter would hit that, let alone over 20 more! wtf, where'd y'all come from? and thank you so very very much. I think it's every ff'ers dream to hit that magical number. wow, seriously, wow.

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Well Meant

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Sai stood in a secluded corner of the bookstore, quietly researching more about relationships and how to interpret them. Sakura seemed to need all the help she could get, and as her friend he wanted to do all he could to support her. He turned the page just as a shadow cast over him. Looking up, Sai smiled, instantly recognizing the man before him. Perhaps he was here for Sakura too?

"Excuse me, but you're Sakura's teammate, correct?" Ebisu asked, frowning curiously at the boy who smiled oddly back.

"Yes," Sai replied. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I need- " The man paused, momentarily uncertain. "Advice. As Sakura's friend, I was hoping you could help me."

"Of course." The pale boy snapped shut the book he was holding, to show he was giving his full attention.

Ebisu hesitated for a moment and then stood straighter. "Yes well, as you know, Sakura and I have a, relationship." When Sai continued to smile, rather then question him, the man proceeded in his request. "Well, the lady at times, requires a little, coaxing. If you know how to, persuade her, from her shyness, I would be greatly obliged."

Sai was happy to know that someone would come to him because he was friends with Sakura, but he wasn't really sure how to help this man. He thought back over the books he'd been reading, knowing the man wished to engage in a relationship with his teammate. "Expensive gifts," he said after a moments contemplation.

"Expensive gifts?" the man repeated questionably.

"Yes," Sai emphasized. "Girls like it when you buy them gifts."

"Anything else? I came here because I thought perhaps a book. The girl has a passion for learning and knowledge, I had hoped to find something that showed how much I supported her interests and how highly I valued her intelligence."

"Hmm, I see." Sai paused as the realization hit him. He had the answer right there in his hands. "Here, take this," he said, passing the Jounin the book he'd been holding. "It's exactly what you're looking for."

"This?" Ebisu asked before turning the book over to read the cover.

"Oh, yes," Sai assured. "I actually picked it up for my own learning, since I kept walking in on her." The boy looked up to see the man's face turning red. "When you see her, tell her, I say hi."

Sai then decided it was best to leave the Jounin, as he seemed thoroughly engrossed by his new book. Finally he had done something to help one of his friends. It felt good, he observed. This positive feeling of accomplishment, it was no wonder friends enjoyed helping each other out. And for once, the smile that graced his face, was not forced at all. Sai left the erotica section of the bookstore, well and truly happy.

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The sun shone brightly, causing the man's eyes to squint while the two sat on their usual stoop atop the Hokage tower steps. "You're staring," Raidou commented as a particularly leggy brunette skipped by.

Genma shrugged, his eyes following as she passed . "A man can look," he said with no particular concern.

Raidou shook his head. "Not getting any, huh?"

"Shut up," Genma muttered. Silence followed with only the birds to be heard in the distance. And then after a moment, he turned to face his friend. "I mean, I knew I'd have to take things slow with her, but there's slow, and then there's slow. You know?" He shuddered. "I'm starting to feel like a teen fresh back from mission."

Raidou rolled his eyes, holding back any surprise at the sudden confession. "You know there's very simple answer to that?"

"Let me guess; don't da-"

"Don't date sixteen year olds!" Raidou finished loudly and obviously exasperated. It was one thing, he conceded, to just have a good time with a girl who may be of the less than smart/chaste/committed/at least nineteen or older variety, but pursuing an actual relationship with one? That was a whole other matter all together.

"Yeah, well it's not even that," Genma explained, oblivious to the actual issue. "We haven't even kissed yet."

Raidou stared at him levelly. "I don't believe you."

"Oh, I'm serious-"

"No, I mean, I really don't believe you. I've seen the hickey," he told him. Hell, it was probably still there! Raidou grimaced as the mental image of it's inception crossed his mind.

Genma snorted. "That doesn't count. What I mean is, I haven't kissed her on the mouth."

"Oh wow, you're kissing them on the mouth now?" Raidou sarcastically replied. "Are you really sure you're ready for that kind of commitment?"

"Ha, ha," the freshly made Jounin mocked. "But you see my problem? Tenten mentioned something about her wanting it to be special, but I don't know what else I can do. It's so frustrating. She's like right there, but she keeps turning away from me."

Raidou gave him a weird look, obviously not understanding the seriousness of his friend's plight. The way his brow pinched upward, eyes wide and lost, it made the senbon sucking Jounin look like an abandoned puppy. It was no wonder the man never had an issue finding a date before. The fact that even with all his charms at work, he still couldn't fully land the Hyuuga girl must have really been grating him. "So then take her by the shoulders and kiss her. The girl's shy. Don't give her the choice."

"You just don't get it." Genma leaned back on the steps, eyes suddenly catching sight and following a short skirted civilian. "I shouldn't have to force it."

Raidou laughed. "Why? Because you're just so darned adorable?"

"Well... yeah," Genma answered with a frown, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He swished of his senbon. "Why doesn't she want to kiss me?"

"Probably doesn't want to catch something." His friend commented, unable to hold back.

"Will you quit it, I'm trying to be serious."

Which is what made this all that much more amusing to the Special Jounin.

"Okay," Raidou said, sitting a little straighter. "I'll be serious."

"Thank you."

So Raidou gave him his serious face. "Get her drunk."

And with that, Genma nearly pierced himself with the needle between his lips. "Excuse me?"

"Get her drunk," Raidou repeated, still blank faced. "It seemed to be working well the other night. She's just shy."

"She could barely stand the other night," Genma pointed out. "And even then, she wouldn't kiss me."

Raidou let out a loud breath and shook his head. "You really are an idiot sometimes."

Genma made a face. "What?"

"She was in front of all us idiots that night." Raidou waved his hands, trying to find his words. "What I'm saying is, invite her back to your place, get a few drinks in her, and it should be smooth sailing from there."

Genma continued to gawk as if he'd just proclaimed himself Hokage.

"Congratulations, I bet she's a wild cat. I wish you many fat babies. We done now?" The man rested back on the steps, tilting his head back causing his eyes to close slightly under the sun. Genma continued to stare in open contempt. Raidou frowned. "What?"

His friend smacked him hard in the shoulder. "I am not getting Hinata liquored up just to get laid!" Genma exclaimed.

"Why not?" he questioned as his hand rubbed his arm, absently. "When has a girl being drunk ever stopped you before?"

Genma made a noise in the back of his throat. "That's different..."

"Why? Because they weren't oh so sweet and innocent?" Raidou scowled in annoyance. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"It's not because she's sixteen," Genma answered flatly, more than a little fed up with that particular card being played. "Age isn't the same as experience. Hell, look at Ino! Would we be having this conversation if I were dating her?"

"No, I'd probably be standing over your gravestone while Asuma picked his nails with that needle you keep chewing on."

"You know what I mean," the man grumbled peevishly.

"Fine," Raidou gave in, more than a little tired of these circular conversations constantly coming up. "From now on I will no longer bitch about the girl's age-"

"Thank you."

"Instead, you should no longer be entrusted within a fifteen foot radius of virgins." Raidou smiled smuggly. "Happy?"

Genma did not return the expression. "Fuck you."

"Ironically, don't you wish." The man leanned back once more as Genma continued to glare. "Seriously," he continued in a jovial voice. "A guy like you should come with a warning label."

"You know, you're being a real asshole right now. I actually wanted some advice."

He snorted. "Yes, the serious issue of how to convince your teenaged girlfriend to let you bang her. Sorry if I'm having trouble mustering up the appropriate sympathy." A pause. "Get her drunk."

"I'm not getting her drunk!" Genma snapped, openly frustrated.

"Well then my friend, it's either that, or thank the good lord for creating hand lotion." And with a twinkle to the eye and one last clap on the shoulder, Raidou got up and walked back into the building.

For just a fraction of a second Genma glanced down at his right hand, then shook his head. No, he thought to himself. No, he was just going about this the wrong way. That had to be it, right?

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"Oh, hey dad," Ino called, skipping into the flower shop with her ever present bright smile on her face.

"Good morning, princess," her father replied. "Haven't seen you around much lately."

"Oh, well, you know. I've been busy with training and all that," Ino answered, going over to the same plants she'd been cultivating for the past couple weeks. "Hey, we're running a bit low on these lilies. Can we order a bit more?"

"We just had a fresh batch come it. Did they sell already?" Inoichi asked, coming to stand beside his daughter.

"Yeah, well... I've kinda been using them to feed a peculiar kind of beetle Shino's been breeding. The things won't eat anything else," the girl explained while picking out a few stems.

"Oh, well you tell Shino he's welcome in here any time he needs. We'll give him the employee discount."

Ino looked up with wide, blinking eyes. "Wow, thanks dad. I'm sure he'll really appreciate that."

Inoichi looked down at his daughter's sparkling, toothy smile, going through some sort of internal struggle before saying, "You know, Ino, as your father, I do like to know what's going on with you every now and then."

"Uh... right," she replied, not really knowing where he was going with this.

"It's okay to tell me somethings, you know." The man sighed. He really didn't know how to talk to teenage girls. "You know I respect you and your decisions regarding your... career, even if it is a little different from the expected." The man made a small wave towards her green a purple spandex uniform, thankful she had kept the purple skirt over the cut green shorts, though the top was something else all together. When she'd first showed up with the green spandex, he'd thought at least it would be modest... apparently not. And then there was that turtle... He grimaced. "But you're my little girl. At least keep me up to date with your new relationships?"

Ino frowned, still oblivious. "Sure."

He stood there, smiling patiently, waiting for her to say more.

Ino's expression turned queer. "Anything else?"

"Alright then, off with you," Inoichi sighed while shaking his head and realizing he probably wasn't going to be getting anything more out of her today. "Don't forget your flowers."

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"So are you going to tell us where you've been?" Kiba asked, coming to flank the girl's left while Shino took the right.

"I've been training with Genma," Hinata told them while fiddling with her hands. She knew they disapproved whenever Genma's name came up. But surely they'd be in favour of anything that helped her to become stronger? "Did you not receive my message?"

"We did," Shino answered crisply.

"We also received your message saying you were 'sick'," Kiba added with a side glance and sounding suspicious. "Strange, you seemed perfectly fine when we saw you that afternoon."

Hinata felt her face grow hot. She didn't want to lie to them, and what really was there to gain by it? "I may, I may have over did it that night. I'm still not very good at drinking-"

"He got you drunk!" Kiba cried, suddenly coming to a stop. He then grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her to face him. "Hinata, did he, do anything we should be aware of?"

"N-no," she replied, shocked at his concern. "There was a big group of us. Neji took me home."

"Neji was with you?" Shino inquired, his voice giving the slightest inflection of question.

"Not with us, but he was in the bar," the girl corrected, looking wearily between the two.

Kiba huffed. "Yeah, well I still don't like the idea of Genma forcing you to drink-"

"He didn't force me to," Hinata defended, feeling irritated by his words. "I wanted to. It was fun." Kiba's mouth dropped. "And I'd do it again," she finished, proud that she stunned her brash teammate into silence.

"Hinata," Shino said, forcing her to look at him. "We are just concerned. Alcohol is known to impair judgment."

Hinata couldn't believe it. Maybe from Neji, but for her own teammates to think so little of her? She'd expected for them at least to acknowledge her ability to make her own decisions. "Tenten was with me the whole time. And along with Genma, there was Raidou, Anko, Aoba, and Kakashi sensei while Neji kept an eye on us. Even if you don't trust me, surely you trust one of them?"

Kiba's mouth shut though his frown was still in place. It wasn't often Hinata talked back to them. It was likely very disconcerting for them to see, and over a guy no less.

"It's not that we don't trust you," Kiba finally said after a moment. "But I sure as hell don't trust Genma. My sister told me a few things. He's not someone you want to get involved with."

Hinata frowned. "Like what?"

"Like, well..." Kiba hesitated, taking a quick glance around. "Look, you can't tell anyone this, okay?" Hinata nodded, crowding in boy. "Apparently she had a, a-" He then lowered his voice. "Pregnancy scare." Hinata's eyebrows shot up while Shino's pinched. "And he totally bailed on her, calling her a liar and some shit. Real dependable guy you've got there, Hinata. Nice piece of work."

Hinata gasped bring her hand to her mouth. "And what, what happened to Hana? And the baby?"

Kiba frowned. "Well there wasn't a baby. That's why I said scare. Doesn't change what he did."

"I don't understand," she said quietly. From what she knew of Hana, she was an extremely talented veterinarian and that a lot of shinobi medical techniques crossed over. Being able to detect a pregnancy would be basic training. "How could she make that sort of mistake?"

"I don't know," Kiba exasperated angrily. "Because she was scared or something. Probably was looking for support! My sister's going to take over the clan. Hinata, you of all people should know what an unexpected baby could mean."

"Yes but," the girl continued, not wanting to upset him further yet still not understanding. If it were her, god forbid, she'd discreetly see every doctor she could before telling anyone. "She's a skilled veterinarian. Surely she could check without a doubt whether or not she was. Someone like her wouldn't even need to see a doctor, though she still should have. Why would she do that?"

"Are you calling my sister a liar?" Kiba suddenly yelled. Hinata took a step back, not used to seeing Kiba's anger ever fully directed at her before. Even Akumaru was growling quietly at his side.

"Kiba-" Shino attempted to placate.

"I don't believe it!" the boy went on. "You're taking his side in this, aren't you? You think she was making it up!"

"I never said that," she quickly replied with wide eyes and taking another step. She bit her lip nervously. "A-all I'm saying is, if it seems- off to me, then, then maybe Genma had a reason for whatever he did."

Hinata didn't like this. Her eyes darted between her two friends as she worried her hands together. This wasn't right, this wasn't fair. She wasn't trying to take sides.

Kiba snarled at her. "I can't believe this. So I'm a liar then. Fine. You know what, fine." He took an angry step forward, causing her to flinch. "Have fun with your boyfriend then. But don't come crying to us when he's decided he's done with you." Hinata's mouth dropped in a gasp. "I'm out. Come on Akumaru."

The dog barked and followed his master as he turned and stormed away, leaving the girl staring after him, trembling.

"He'll calm down."

Hinata's head turned to see Shino standing at her side. "Shino..."

"As with most things, I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle." He cocked his head. "But you can't fight family."

Hinata looked down at her clasped hands. This was all her fault. If she could take care of herself, they wouldn't always be so concerned with looking out for her. "I'm sorry Shino. I don't want anyone to be angry over me."

The boy shrugged. "I still don't understand where you stand in all of this. The girls put you up to it, dating Genma, the same as they put Ino up to trying to seduce Gai sensei."

Hinata's eyes shot up. "She told you?"

"No."

Hinata paled, realising she'd likely just confirmed it for him.

"Is Sakura targeting Kakashi sensei, or is that Tenten's objective?"

"I, uh..." This was not good.

The boy turned to her. "You are going through a lot of trouble to date a man you have no interest in."

That gave her pause. He thought she didn't care, that she was indifferent? Is that how she looked to the others? "No, I do! I mean, at first I didn't know him, but now I do. I... like him," she finished lamely, feeling her face heat up.

"Like?"

The girl nodded. Perhaps she wasn't sure before, but now she knew, there was definitely something. A tingling she felt whenever she thought of him, a smile that came at the sound of his voice. It was almost the same as she felt when she thought about Naruto, except where the prospect seeing Naruto left her feeling anxious and nervous, with Genma... It was almost like she were giddy. It was excitement, anticipation.

"Hinata, Genma is interested in far more than just liking you."

"I like him," Hinata said, as though confirming it for herself. "I really like him. I- I like being around him, being with him. I-" she shrugged not knowing what else to call it. "Like him."

"You have feelings for him?"

Hinata blushed, never expecting to have this sort of conversation with Shino of all people. But it was okay. Shino, more than anyone, she knew she could trust. "I do."

"And if Naruto approached you tomorrow, confessing his love and asking you to be his girlfriend, what would you do?" the boy asked, watching her intently.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise. How could he ask her such a thing? "That's not going to happen."

"What if it did?" he questioned, his tone growing hard.

"B-but it won't." Her eyes shifted away while a heavy lump settled upon her chest. Guilt. She was sure that was what this was.

Shino let out a loud breath. "If you can't answer, then perhaps you should rethink your relationship with Genma."

"That's not fair," she answered quietly. The situation was completely different. Naruto... she loved him, but- "I can't- I can't..." She swallowed hard, feeling like she was loosing something, she saw it slip through her fingers. "Keep waiting."

The boy's mouth twitched. "I'm not asking about waiting. What will you do?"

She hated that he was asking her this, it wasn't fair. He had no idea how she felt, how confusing it all was. 'It's possible to have feelings for more than one guy, you know.' Hadn't Tenten told her that? It was true, wasn't it?

"I won't betray Genma," the girl mumbled. "I won't. And I won't leave him either. He cares about me. Wants to help me. Wants to be with me. Na-Naruto... it's hard to explain. It's just different. I still... love him. But it's different."

Different.

She thought about spending her life with Naruto, had dreamed about it often. In all those times, she'd vision herself cooking dinner, keeping his household, standing at his side, smiling while he was finally granted his dream of becoming Hokage. Of him kissing her on the forehead, saying 'Thank you, Hinata,' as she had always been there. It made her blush, set the butterflies in her stomach into a flurry, and her heart racing.

She thought of Genma, of their future, and her face turned red for a very different reason. She could see him carrying her into a bedroom, could imagine waking up in his arms. If she cooked him dinner, he would be right there beside her, his teasing hands never giving her peace while she attempted to work. And when he kissed her, she knew it wouldn't be sweet or innocent. Hinata's face burned as well as somewhere lower as she thought about it. Unconsciously she sucked on her lips, wetting them.

"Alright. If that's what you want, then I won't say anything against you seeing him."

Shino's voice broke her from her thoughts. Immediately her eyes refocused and she realised she must have completely spaced out on him.

"Thank you, Shino," she said, still embarrassed. But this was great! If she already had his blessing, then surely Kiba would come around, too? And then also- "Will you then stop sending your bugs after Kurenai sensei when ever he's around?"

"No."

She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard him laugh. That made her smile. "What about you? What's going on between you and Ino?" she asked, feeling turnabout was fair play.

Shino tilted his head. "Nothing."

Her smile grew. "Now who's lying?"

"You were there-"

"But why are you still pretending?" she cut in quickly. She could see him start to fidget uncomfortably. It was so slight that most wouldn't notice at all, but she knew her teammate well enough to know she was definitely on to something.

"Ino-"

"Likes you," Hinata finished for him. Shino's eyebrow raised. It was becoming obvious to everyone that Ino was keeping closer to Shino than she did anyone else. Whispers of the two being spotted walking together were becoming common amongst the former rookies. "Why else is she doing this?"

The boy shrugged. "She wishes my friendship, but thinks she needs a pretence for doing so."

"That doesn't make sense," Hinata told him. It sounded more like he was grasping for any excuse but the obvious.

"It does. It does for Ino," he explained, suddenly sounding tired.

The shift in tone made Hinata's brow pinch. It was Shino, but he sounded almost, depressed? "You do like her." The boy stared at her, only causing her smile to grow. "You do, and she likes you. You should ask her out, Shino, this time for real. I bet she'll say yes."

Her teammate shook his head. "No, she won't."

"But- "

"She won't," he told her. "Not yet."

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As Sakura entered the academy, she headed straight to the teachers lounge, bagged lunch in hand. She was only there for a half day and figured she'd eat lunch with a few of her colleagues while the brats had their midday break.

"Oh, there you are Sakura," a female voice called out from behind her. "I was hoping I'd run into you."

Sakura turned to see Suzume, the academy level kunoichi specialist. The woman had often joined her and the other staff in the lounge during down time. Sakura waved, giving her a bright smile. "What's up, Suzume sensei? Did you need something?"

The woman bristled, looking somewhat agitated while pushing a pair of glasses up the bridge of her noes. "Yes, well, your male friend stopped by looking for you."

Male friend? Sakura wondered skeptically. With the way Suzume seemed flustered, it sounded like she was referring to a boyfriend. The woman did have a tendency to act more formal than necessary - 'Civilian women take far less liberties than kunoichi, one mustn't forget to be a lady.' Sakura suppressed a shiver. Thank goodness she was wholly unsuited to infiltration work. Perhaps Sai had stopped by? It certainly couldn't have been Naruto, not even Suzume would make that connection. And the Kakashi rumour had already been cleared up when she'd taken Sakura aside and refreshed her on the lesson about child grooming and how to spot and report such disgusting practices. Now that had been embarrassing.

"I know it's not my place to say, dear, but look, I've known him for a long time and... Well, there really is more to him than meets the eye." Sakura stared, completely lost. "When I was younger, well..." The woman flushed. "But he was always going off with Raidou and his gang, they were such rascals back then. I mean, I'd tag along sometimes too, but it eventually became all too much for me and plus they all moved on up the ranks while I became an academy Chunin."

Sakura blinked. Okay, obviously they weren't talking about Sai, who else did they both know? Iruka? He was a Chunin too. "Uh, I'm not really sure I know what you're getting at."

"I admit I still wonder, what if, and I don't want you to do the same. Ebisu can come off quite intimidating, but he means well." Sakura immediately stilled. "He just doesn't realise how his strength and confedance can appear sometimes. Anyways, I wish you two luck. He's waiting for you in the prep room."

The woman once again straightened her glasses before turning back to her own classroom.

Sakura felt the blood drain from her face. Maybe she could make a run for it? But they were expecting her, and Suzume already knew she was there. But that meant her only other option was ahead of her.

...fuck

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A/N: so, do you ever reread your stories and think to yourself 'this is such crap'? I'm kind of having that, i feel like half of this desprately needs rewriting and I have no idea why half of you still read it. so yes, as i'm sure i'm probably a lot harder on myself than you guys i'd still like a little bit of direction, basically what bits don't work and what bits do? i'm not talking pairing preferences, but more just areas of the story so i don't repeat any mistakes or try to focus more on one thing than another. i don't know, i just feel this fic is all over the place sometimes.

anyways, thanks again for reading and for taking this into the 1000+ territory. it's seriously amazing.

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