Sakura didn't quite know why she was here. Tsunade had released her from the hospital late this afternoon with strict orders to 'take it easy' for a few days. So she'd gone home and had taken a shower before heading for the hot springs. It had been a pleasant evening including dinner with both Hinata and TenTen.
Although chatting with her two friends had left her feeling edgy. Maybe it was all the discussion about wedding planning and such. Goodness knows she was happy for her friends, but Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit 'off'. She wondered if she was jealous, but decided that was only part of it.
Uchiha Sasuke had been her dream man for so long that her crush had become a staple in her life. Eventually, she'd had to give up that crush under the pressures of reality although she still wanted him to come home. But if he did come back, he wouldn't recognize his two most ardent admirers. Former admirers.
Sakura and Ino had spoken at length over the years and Sakura knew that her friend would have a hard time welcoming Sasuke back with any real warmth. Not after Sasuke had turned to Orochimaru for help in gaining power. Ino's sensei had been the Third Hokage's son and the old man had almost been like a grandfather to the blond kunoichi. For Sasuke to take up with the Third's murderer, well that hadn't set well with any of them, but Asuma's team especially.
As for Sakura, well she knew Sasuke better than most and knew that the pull of gaining power was aimed at Itachi, rather than a need to get close to Orochimaru. Yet, like Ino, she too had moved on romantically speaking. She'd had a few dates over the years, but no one special. Lee was always there for her, but she only saw him as a dear friend. Naruto had been gone for a while, and although he was back now, she felt about him almost like a brother.
So she'd excused herself from dinner early on the pretext of fatigue and had headed back home. She wasn't jealous of her friend's happiness, she decided. But that they'd found someone to be happy with. Sakura had then readied herself for bed and had laid down.
But sleep wouldn't come.
Sakura tossed and turned for several hours before giving up entirely. She curled up by her window and stared out at the stars and wondered why she felt so depressed. The recent mission to save Gaara had been tough, both physically and emotionally, but the results had been good. Except ...Sakura sighed deeply, she missed Chiyo.
She'd only known the older woman a short time, but had come to admire her bravery and determination a great deal. As well as her twisted sense of humor. Then the thought of one puppeteer flowed to another puppeteer and Sakura frowned. Kankuro.
Sakura had been present when Inoichi had been able to perform the impossible and reunite his mind with the seat of his chakra. But something was missing. The pink-haired girl frowned and wondered if this was the source of her unease. Until he was awake and bitching at her, she knew she'd have a hard time accepting that he was alright.
Satisfied that she'd come to the source of her unease, she tried to sleep again. Another hour later found her up and dressed and sneaking into the sand puppeteer's hospital room.
She didn't even really know why she was there.
o.O.o.O.o.O
Baki wondered again why he was there. He was alone in a corner table at the bar drinking something that might once have been sake. It was awful stuff. It was late and he should be getting back to his new rooms, the old guest apartments having been destroyed in the attack on Kankuro and Sakura.
"Man shouldn't drink alone."
Baki looked up and his expression didn't change, even though he was a bit surprised to see Genma as he dropped down into a neighboring chair.
The Leaf shinobi picked up the sake bottle and poured a cup, then sniffed it and made a face. Baki watched as Genma threw the contents of the cup on the floor and called for a new bottle. His unexpected drinking partner then poured out a cup and tasted it, then nodded at the server. Baki threw out his own drink and poured a portion from the new bottle. He sipped it, and smiled appreciatively.
"Apparently they don't like you much here." Genma finally said after finishing the first cup, and pouring a second.
Baki shrugged. There were few places in this village he was liked, it didn't bother him overmuch. But he was glad to get a decent bottle of sake for a change.
"Why are you drinking?" Baki asked, still on his first cup as he watched Genma finish off his second and reach for the bottle again.
"Women." Genma groaned and downed his third cup of sake. Then he stopped and blinked foggily at Baki. "Did you know they thought you and I were gay?"
Baki scowled. "Don't remind me. Nearly turned my stomach."
"Why are you drinking, if I may ask?" Genma questioned, leaning back in his chair.
"Women." Baki answered and the two men chuckled, then saluted each other with their cups. "In fact, one of those problems I can lay at your feet."
"How so?" Genma asked, belching as he stretched happily.
"Aburame Koto."
"WHERE?" Genma stood, ready to flee before he realized that Baki didn't mean the girl had actually entered the bar. He sat back down with a sigh and poured himself another drink, then called for another bottle.
Baki scowled at him, shaking his finger as he pointed to the younger shinobi. "You weren't very nice to her."
"Well shit. The girl was nice enough, but too clingy." Genma shuddered. "She's too well bred to take to bed and too thick headed to take a suggestion and get lost."
"That's no way to treat a lady." Baki told him harshly, starting to get a bit angry on Koto's behalf.
"Lady? Hmph. That lady was the one who spread the rumors about you and I being gay." Genma laughed at Baki's pole-axed expression.
o.O.o.O.o.O
Sakura poked her head into Kankuro's room and nearly squeaked out loud when she spied Gaara, until she realized that the Sand Kazekage was sound asleep.
She should leave, but ...but she didn't, instead sneaking forward to look down at Kankuro's sleeping face.
"He's still out."
Sakura jumped nearly three feet in the air, her hands to her mouth as she turned to stare wide-eyed at Gaara.
"You were asleep!" She accused him, not realizing until after she said it that it was a completely inane thing to say.
Gaara snorted and turned to look down at his brother. "I know why I'm here. But why are you here?"
Sakura shrugged, not really having an answer. "Couldn't sleep." She finally mumbled.
The red-head nodded, as if that made sense to him and pulled up a second chair beside the bed. Sakura hesitated a moment, then sat down gratefully. Silence dragged out between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was actually kind of nice to sit with someone who understood her reasons for being there, even when she didn't.
"Where's Temari?" Sakura finally asked, kind of surprised the blond kunoichi wasn't still here.
"Committing murder most likely."
Sakura's head whipped around so she could gauge his expression. "Whose?" She asked curiously.
"Shikamarus."
Sakura laughed. "What, he's made her mad already? The betting pool has the best odds for a week. I wonder who won."
Now it was Gaara's turn to stare at her. "There's a betting pool?"
Sakura shrugged. "TenTen's idea, but Chouji was the one who set it up. It's a horrid thing to do and no one should have participated."
Gaara gave a small chuckle. "So, where did you put your money?"
Sakura grinned. "Five days."
Gaara shook his head in amazement. "I wish someone had told me."
"Nah, it was decided you'd have the inside tract so to speak. And there were some who thought you might manipulate the situation in order to win."
Gaara shook his head. "Of course I would have."
Sakura grinned and then turned to look down at Kankuro again. "Has he stirred?"
"You're the medic." He pointed out.
Sakura shrugged. "Oh, I can tell that his chakra is building up. He's almost at an eighth of capacity."
Gaara winced and Sakura rushed in to defend the puppeteer. "He was starting from scratch, it takes a while."
"I have yet to thank you properly." Gaara started, unsure how to go on.
"You just did. We'll leave it at that." Sakura said quietly, and smiled. "So, why is Temari upset with Shikamaru?"
Gaara actually laughed, it was a strange sound coming from him, yet it seemed right somehow. "He'd been so focused on being here for her and for us, that he'd not made arrangements for a new place to stay."
Sakura's lips twitched with amusement. "So where are they, or do I need to ask?"
"His parents."
"Oh, I'd want to kill him too." Sakura said, and they both laughed this time.
"Oi."
All laughter stopped as both of their eyes were pulled to a blinking pair of dark brown eyes looking back at them.
Sakura reached for Kankuro's hand, then flushed and changed direction to take his wrist instead, pretending to check his pulse.
Gaara leaned over his brother and frowned down at him. "Don't you know how to duck?"
"Quack." Kankuro muttered, then smacked his lips. "I'm thirsty."
Sakura bit her lip, blinking hard to keep from tearing up. The smart ass response could only mean that he was going to be alright.
o.O.o.O.o.O
It was past dawn, but still early when Baki staggered to his door to answer the summons. The knocking wasn't very loud, but it was beating painfully against his ears thanks to Genma.
Baki threw open his door and winced at the sudden light. Blinking hard, he squinted then groaned as he saw one Aburame standing on his doorstep.
"Koto? What are you doing here? It's not really appropriate that you visit me by yourself." He growled with more heat than he'd intended, then winced as pain lanced through his skull.
The brunette frowned up at him and tsked him under her tongue as she pushed past him. Baki looked around to see if anyone had seen her enter, then shrugged because there were quite a few people on the street and he had no idea if anyone had paid any attention or not.
"You shouldn't be here." He told her again as he followed her into the kitchen where she was bent over and peering into his refrigerator. "What are you doing?" He asked, trying pointedly not to stare appreciatively at her backside.
Baki watched her as she moved around the kitchen, completely baffled by what she was pulling out and mixing together. Whatever it was it looked vile.
Koto didn't bother to answer, just finished mixing her concoction and handed it to him.
"I'm not drinking that." He gagged and shoved it back at her.
"I can't make you, but it'll help." She assured him and reached out to pinch his nose closed and held the cup to his lips.
Baki considered his options, none of them appealed to him so he took the glass from her and slammed it down in two large gulps. Then coughed and hacked at the taste, glaring at her.
He watched her, her arms crossed and tapping one foot in irritation. "What are you doing in such a condition?" Her lovely voice was stern as she glared at him.
Baki shook his head, then winced as he waited for the pain, but this time it wasn't so bad. Relieved, he sighed. "You were seeing Genma, and he drinks far more than I do."
Koto shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "I expect that from a wastrel like him, but not you. I thought you were better than that."
Baki was amused to no end. She was trying her utmost to look stern and mean, and he should be mad that she was nagging him, but she looked so damned cute like that. And it flattered him a bit that she thought higher of him than she did of Genma.
Then he remembered what the other shinobi had told him last night, and his expression darkened.
Koto looked unsure for the first time and she backed up a step, not realizing that by backing into the kitchen she was cutting off her only means of escape.
"You spread those rumors about me being gay." He thundered at her, then winced as the pain returned. Her concoction was working, but he was still hung over.
Koto looked down at her feet, her fingers reaching absently for a dish towel which she used to wipe off the counter. "That's what I heard, it's not like I made it up or anything. And I only told one or two of my friends."
Baki groaned. "Look Koto, I know you're a woman and all, but you should get the facts straight before spreading false rumors."
Koto pouted and looked up at him. "But it was your friend Inuzuka Hana that I heard it from. She's not known for telling lies."
He sighed and nodded. "No, I don't suppose so. But she was mistaken."
"Yes, I know." Koto said quietly, and then bit her lip as her cheeks flushed bright red. "When I met you I realized it had to be wrong."
Slightly mollified, Baki sighed.
"I had a nice time at dinner last night." She told him in an effort to change the subject.
"So did I." He admitted before he could stop himself, then gritted his teeth. He needed to discourage her, not feed her hope that this could work out between them. He was too old and too set in his ways.
"I've come to offer an invitation to you to join us for dinner tonight."
Startled, Baki blinked. "Us?"
"The Aburame's. It'll be at the main house at seven. I trust you'll be able to come?"
Baki sighed. Politically it would be bad form to turn down an invitation from such a high placed clan. And how bad could it be with her family there along with Gaara, Temari and Shikamaru?
o.O.o.O.o.O
Temari woke pleasantly enough, warm arms wrapped around her and listening to her husband' heartbeat underneath her ear. She snuggled closer in appreciation, pressing a kiss to his bare chest.
"Morning." He murmured, his embrace tightening around her.
Temari grinned against his skin as she opened her mouth around one of his flat male nipples and bit the small nub, humming under her breath. She felt Shikamaru groan and she licked the nipple as if to apologize for the bite.
She trailed kisses down his body, her hands caressing him and digging into his hip bones as she disappeared underneath the sheet. Temari nosed aside his erection, making him moan and whimper in disappointment, before taking one of the heavy sacs into her mouth with a slight suction. Suddenly his morning wood was stiffer than a metal bar and he was arching up at her, his hands reaching down to tangle in her hair.
"BREAKFAST!" There was a pounding on the door and both went still as statues as Yoshino's voice called to them both. "Hurry up or it'll get cold!"
Temari felt like crying as she sat up wide eyed, watching her husband wilt before her very eyes. "I'm getting cold too." She hissed at him. "Find us somewhere today or else!"
Shikamaru nodded in abject horror. His mother's voice had been worse than a dip in an ice covered lake.
o.O.o.O.o.O
Aburame Kameyo was heading back from the kitchens where she'd been going over the menus for tonight's dinner. This was an important meeting and she wanted everything to be just so, she didn't want the Aburame's to look bad in comparison to Suna customs.
She was hurrying on back to her own rooms to look over the choices to wear tonight, when she had a sudden thought. Kameyo knocked on her son's door and opened it peeking inside.
"We're having guests tonight for dinner. Seven. Be sure to be here and find out if Hinata can make it too." She smiled at her sleepy son.
The door shut and Shino let out a breath before leaning over the side of the bed to look down at pale lilac eyes blinking up at him. Hinata blushed, lying on the floor where she'd slid down in a hurry at the first knock on the door.
"Can you come to dinner tonight?" He asked her with deep amusement, although his own heart was racing from the close call.
Hinata nodded, her face still heated. "Do you think she knew I was here?"
Shino shook his head 'no'.
Meanwhile, Kameyo was shaking her head as she entered her rooms to find Shibi there writing her a note. "I was just leaving you a message that I've got to go to the port town briefly today, but I'll be back in plenty of time for dinner."
Kameyo nodded. "On your way out, knock on Shino's door."
"Why?" Shibi looked up.
"It's fun to torture him?" She shrugged at her husband and winked. "I thought you fixed that broken window lock last week."
Shibi sighed. "I did. I suppose they found another way to sneak her into the house. I really should have a little talk with him. This isn't right and Hiashi would have a stroke if he found out."
o.O.o.O.o.O
Inoichi opened his daughter's door and poked his head inside. "Breakfast is served, come on down."
Ino sat up and groaned. She didn't want breakfast. She didn't want to get up. What she wanted wasn't here and hadn't been here all night. Kiba had left before they'd settled anything between them. Why was he avoiding being intimate with her, it made no sense. The boy was a walking hormone after all.
She got dressed and stomped downstairs obviously in a grouchy mood.
Inoichi sighed happily, Kiba was falling down on the job and as her father he couldn't be more pleased. He wondered what the problem was, then shrugged, they'd work it out eventually and in the meantime he could actually relax for a change.
o.O.o.O.o.O
Temari opened the door to her brother's room and caught her breath. Kankuro was sitting up against a bevy of pillows and poking at a bowl with deep suspicion.
He looked awful. Kankuro's dark hair was stringy and dirty and sticking out on one side and flat on the other. He'd lost weight, but not in a good way. His skin was pallid and he needed a bath. Temari smiled at him beatifically, he'd never looked better to her in his life.
"Oi." He said to her, his dark eyes still ringed with fatigue.
"Oi yourself, jerk. What were you doing playing at being a gentleman? Stick to what you know, jerks don't take blows for other people."
He snorted, amused then glanced to the side of the room and Temari smiled at Sakura as the pink-haired girl drew open the blinds to let a bit more light into the room.
"No offense, Sakura." Temari told her unabashed.
Sakura grinned and shook her head to show that she wasn't offended. "Gaara just left."
Temari nodded and took one of the seats beside Kankuro's bed. "What are you eating?"
Kankuro raised one brow and poked at the bowl again with one long finger. "I don't know. It defies description. I think they're trying to poison me."
"It's beef broth." Sakura frowned down at him and handed him a towel.
"What's this for?" He asked her.
"To keep food off of you." She told him matter-of-factly.
"A bib? Fuck that shit." He huffed and threw it at her, the towel hitting her in the chin.
Sakura pursed her lips. "You're right, you're so dirty right now a bit of broth couldn't make it worse. And the nastiest part of you is still your mouth, watch your language."
"Broth?" Kankuro huffed and grumbled. "Where's the real food? How is a man supposed to get better if you don't feed him?"
"If I see a man anywhere around here, I'll ask him. But for whiny children, broth does just fine." Sakura told him nastily and walked away, leaving him fuming and Temari laughing at his expense.
"Hey! Big help you are, letting her treat me that way!" Kankuro groused and swiped at his sister who dodged easily.
Temari picked up the warm bowl and handed it to him. "Eat this, prove you can handle it and I'll talk to the medics about getting you something more substantial."
"Are you trying to bribe me?" He asked, then growled as she nodded and pushed the bowl on him.
Kankuro accepted the bowl with ill grace and took a sip. "This stinks."
"You stink, that is broth." Sakura called out from the doorway as she turned away from the aide she was speaking with.
"What are you doing over there?" Kankuro called out, suspicion obviously lacing his voice. "Making plans for something nasty and intrusive I'll bet."
"You'd lose." Sakura glowered at him. "I was arranging a sponge bath for you with the prettiest nurse on the ward."
Kankuro looked deeply alarmed. He wondered how ugly this nurse was going to be, even if she was the prettiest. Then he watched as the door opened and a woman walked in carrying towels and a washcloth.
"I'll wait for you to finish eating and I'll get the hot water." The nurse told him.
Kankuro drank the rest of his broth in under a minute, a wide grin settling over his face as he watched her walk away. The blond nurse was stacked and curved and blessed with an angels face.
"Oi Sakura, you really do like me! I'm touched."
"In the head." She muttered and then shared a grin with Temari
o.O.o.O.o.O
Well? Questions? Answers? Thoughts? Recipes? REVIEWS?