Insightful Space & Advice

It was mid afternoon when they finally made it back. Naruto was seriously pumped to go straight to the ANBU recruiting office after handing in their mission report and going through the debriefing process with Tsunade-sama. Sakura was almost wishing she hadn't encouraged him. Naruto wouldn't let up on the whole, 'I'm gonna kick ass and take names' bit.

Yes, she had been happy for him, but after the hundredth time of hearing, "Their not going to know what hit 'em!" She wanted to hit him. Hard. Maybe watch a few teeth flying in the process.

'Yeah,' Inner Sakura snickered as they made their way toward the Hokage's office. 'That's the ticket!'

Inner Sakura wilted as emerald eyes slid to the man ahead and off to her right. There was Kakashi strolling with his ever present book before his one dark eye. She knew the moment he walked out of her Shishou's office, it was going to be a very long time before she ever saw him again. But at least she felt relatively sure that he wouldn't completely try to disappear from her life. Their village wasn't that huge and… she knew his regular haunts. If it came down to it, she'd track him down. Besides, they were still friends. Sakura wasn't about to let the only connection she had to him go. They'd been through too much together.

She seriously didn't think he'd try to fade to nothing in her life. But if he ever did try, she'd just pop up every once in a while, just to say hello. She'd respect his choice of course…even if she didn't like it.

Sakura flicked her eyes from Kakashi's image the moment Naruto turned to her asking, "Hey, Sakura-chan. Did you want to come with me?" Trying to bait her he offered, "I'll buy ramen after if you do!"

Genma rolled his eyes on her other side, hands in his pockets snidely remarking, "Don't you ever think about anything else?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes angrily and shot his own remark across her to the senbon user. "Don't you ever think about anything other than sex?"

Genma's eyebrow rose with something resembling appraisal, "Touché." After a suck of his teeth around the metal protruding from his mouth, he asked thoughtfully, "What's so bad about being 'erotically inclined' anyway?" His lips formed into a thoughtful purse as his three teammates rolled their eyes. "You'd think people never had sex these days." An evil gleam shone in his dark eyes as he turned to the blonde asking, "You're not a virgin are you Naruto?" With Naruto spluttering he continued almost evilly, "But I mean if you were, that would explain a lot of things."

After turning the brightest red possible, after more than one attempt Naruto finally loudly shouted a, "I'm not a virgin, asshole!" to the man laughing on Sakura's other side. More than one head turned in their direction as they passed vendors, kids playing in the street and the many other pedestrians making their way around the village.

Sakura feeling embarrassed herself, ignoring the laughter coming from their two older teammates, hit Naruto in the head venomously hissing, "Keep that to yourself idiot!"

Genma, broken up in a fit of deep laughter, was promptly silenced the moment a petite fist collided with the side of his head followed by an angry hiss of, "And you! You shouldn't go around asking such personal questions!" Growling she finished with an "A persons purity-" A scowl was given to him as she sized him up. "-or lack there of is none of your damn business!"

Rubbing his head Genma scowled. Then his eyes flicked from Sakura to Kakashi and back. Smirking, trying to finally shed some light on the mystery he desperately had been trying to unravel between the two, he crudely asked, "Is that a hint of an admission I hear?" Missing the tightening of a jaw behind a certain mask he continued with Sakura looking shocked and indignant. Obviously pushing his luck, he pointedly, but being vague enough so the bumbling blonde on her other side wouldn't catch on, he added, "Don't tell me some-" A look to Kakashi. "'lucky guy' has pulled the petals from my favorite flower behind my back?"

There was a shrill shout of "You bastard!" before Naruto was forced to grab onto the enraged kunoichi. With murder gleaming in her eyes, dragging Naruto behind her, she advanced upon the laughing man. Genma easily dodged the fists that came sailing his way with the rest of the woman's colorful words falling on death ears. He was pretty sure what Sakura's reaction was going to be. She was always trying to beat on him for what she deemed to be vulgar comments.

What Genma was really looking for was his favorite drinking buddy's response. But Kakashi had hardly reacted at all. As he took in their leader's image from the corner of his eye in that moment, the only visible difference was the tight grip he had on his book. But that didn't mean a damn thing in Genma's book. Kakashi was always getting uptight now a day for anything deemed 'lewd' having to do with Sakura.

Kakashi, turning to his quarreling teammates, calmly said, "Let's go."

Genma frowned ignoring the woman still dragging Naruto to get to him. Calmly resuming his walking, Genma continued to frown. He still had no confirmation that Kakashi had finally done what he and the others had told him. Every time he had tried to bring up the subject before Kakashi had removed himself from the conversation. Genma could tell something had happened the night they had all watched Sakura leave the bar right after Kakashi. Their awkward behavior the next morning during practice had been the one major clue. These past few days of watching them tiptoe around each other was enough to make Genma want to lock them in a closet somewhere together.

He just couldn't understand it. Ok, yeah, he understood that the tight-ass lived and breathed the shinobi way. And yeah, ok maybe being around the younger woman for all those years had made him weary of bedding down with her for a night…But come on! That didn't mean one couldn't have a little fun before they died…at least that was his way of the ninja.

Keeping his eye on Kakashi as the other two finally caught up, Sakura keeping her distance from him, Genma made a little note to force his friend into a little talk later….preferably when he got him plastered and incapable of making his usual quick getaway.

Genma wanted to know what happened and he was determined to find out.

A Few Minutes Later…

Tsunade-sama nodded her head taking in all that had been said. There really wasn't much for her to comment on. It had been a clean escort mission of taking one dignitary of Diamond country to Grass. It had been executed flawlessly even with the blonde loudmouth being part of it. Well, if you didn't count their client sending her a nasty-gram on the many reasons why Naruto should never be seen in his presence again.

Crossing her arms behind her desk she began the dismissal. "Good. Good." Shizune came through the door with a stack of more papers for her to look over and sign. Eyebrow twitching the Godiame tersely shooed the shinobi from her office. "The lot of you, get out!" Her honeyed eyes snapped to her young pink haired apprentice as well as a red painted finger. "Except you."

Sakura hadn't moved from her position, already expecting her mentor to want to talk about her earlier proposal. Tsunade had given her until the end of the mission to find an answer.

As Tsunade scowled and busied herself with Shizune and her gift of more work, Sakura took that time to casually watch the members of her team make their way out of the office. She waved a good-bye to Naruto, smiling as he gave her an almost comical thumbs-up before disappearing through the door. Kakashi had already pulled out his book and was making his way to the door from his spot on the furthest side of the room with Genma ahead of him. Genma shot her a wink and leer before departing. Right before Sakura's heart burst, seeing that Kakashi wasn't even going to look at her before leaving, Tsunade's offhandedly gave the Copy-nin an order. Not looking up from her pile of parchment, she told him to close the door behind him.

But he hadn't even looked back when she had said that. And Sakura had been inconspicuously looking out of the corner of her eye at him the entire time. She didn't want him to leave. The knowledge that she quite possibly wasn't going to see him for a substantial amount of time had her stomach churning. The incredible urge to stop him was so overwhelming as she stood in front of her mentor that the muscles in her calves actually jerked primed to run over to him to tell him to…stay. But she desperately tried to beat the impulse into submission. They had already said their goodbye of sorts the night before.

Besides, she knew he wouldn't. He couldn't.

This was the start of their 'space'. She knew it had to be this way…even if it tore her up inside. Sakura knew that if he did look back. If he did give her an eye-crinkle, a little wave, or any sort of whispered words…it would just make things harder than they already were. Sakura forced her eyes to focus on the annoyed woman in front of her just as Tsunade finally turned to her.

Sakura completely missed the dark eye trained on her image before the tiny slit of the door was closed completely.

That Night…

Sakura flopped to her other side irritably, throwing her pink and white covers off her heated body. The summers in Konoha were always muggy, leaving Sakura wishing she had bought that window air conditioning unit she ran across in the market on her way home that day. But alas it was not to be…what with her funds being less than substantial.

Nevertheless that problem would be rectified soon. A steady paycheck was going to be nice.

But Sakura knew that her restlessness was a by product of more than just the weather. She knew where he was. And she had no doubt in her mind that Genma was right beside him. In a way she found herself wising that she was the senbon user in that moment.

And Sakura knew that kind of thinking was another strong indicator that she was falling for him… hard.

Across the Village…

A drunken Genma swayed in his chair beside his equally soused friend at their little table. Unfortunately for the gigolo, there wasn't a woman in the joint that he hadn't previously scorned in some way, shape, or form. Needless to say, his chances of finding a bedfellow for that night were nil. Raising his drink Genma proclaimed loudly, feeling the sharp bite of defeat, after getting slapped in the face by more than one kunoichi, "To hell with women I say!"

Kakashi, glossy eyed, silently raised his drink with the sound of glass clinking following. Unfortunately for Kakashi, since they had just returned from a mission and what with their other friends being currently engaged in their own…he was stuck with Genma for the night. Right now he wasn't complaining. The man hadn't tried his usual interrogation tactics. For that he was thankful. It was way too early to be reminded of a certain kunoichi. Things had really hit home for him the moment Kotetsu had knocked on his door earlier saying the Hokage wanted to see him. He had a feeling what Tsunade was going to tell him and he hadn't been wrong. As of that day, he was no longer part of a team.

Not only had Sakura been taken from the roster, but Naruto and Genma as well. The moment that Naruto had turned in his application for examination to the ANBU recruiting office, he was given the mandatory two week self preparation period. Tsunade had withdrawn him from the team upon being told so. As for Genma, knowing that the team was dissolving had put in an application of his own. He put in to be a jounin examiner to be exact and from his previous qualifications, he was already scheduled to conduct the one happening next month. He had his reasons for doing so.

Mostly it was for the ladies. Everything he did was always for the ladies. He had requested to be put on Kakashi's team in the first place, just so he could get all the ladies they came across that Kakashi was known to forgo.

This new position would do him some good. He would get to meet all the new jounin, and unlike the chuunin he had presided over, these women would be closer to his age. Not only that but being the man in charge of the final rounds…well it gave him much needed face time that would no doubt garner him much appreciated attention from the women in the crowd of onlookers.

Genma leered behind his drink just thinking about. He didn't know why he didn't put in for it a long time ago.

And just like that, Kakashi had found himself in solo status once again. It was something he had been saying he had wanted for years…mostly when the other three had pissed him off…which was quite frequent actually. Pushing those thoughts away Kakashi stared into his drink.

Genma having cooked up a plan –thankfully before getting too drunk- began his cracked idea. He slapped his friends shoulder laughing out, "You know, if you want since-" His lips formed into a scowl here. "I seem to know every frigging woman here" There was another smack to Kakashi's arm. "I can tell you which one's to go for."

Kakashi waved him off with a gloved hand. Heavy glaze in his eye he slurred, "Not interested."

Genma played off a hurt look, frowning. "Come on man." Nudging his shoulder and pointing to the buxom blonde sitting in a booth toward the front he whispered conspiratorially, "See that one?" On reflex Kakashi's dark blurred orb slid to the woman in question. Genma laughed thinking back. "Don't remember her name, but she remembers mine." He snorted darkly. "Or at least she should, she was saying it louder than any woman I've ever heard."

Shaking his head Kakashi tried to stop him. "…Genma."

Instead of heeding the man's warning, Genma hooked his thumb at a redhead to their side. "How about her?" After a few seconds of deep thought he shook his head and changed his mind. "Forget her." He whispered comically shivering, "Stalker."

Kakashi tried again. "…Genma."

The brown haired man flicked his eyes pointedly at the dark haired woman sitting on a stool at the bar a few feet away. "What about her?" With a smack of his lips he commented again. "Normal, that one." He nodded appreciatively adding, "Cooks breakfast in the morning."

Kakashi sighed shaking his head, downing his drink.

Once every woman sitting in the bar had been pointed out and rejected, after many more empty glasses adorned their little round table, Genma finally toed the line.

With Kakashi slumping in his chair next to him on the verge of passing out, Genma just a tad bit less drunk asked, "You're telling me not one of these-" Sarcasm. "-lovely ladies catches you're fancy?" Not so slyly he remarked, "I know." He smirked. "It's because none of them have pink hair or green eyes." The lolling mop of silver next to him turned and Genma found himself on the receiving end of a death glare. But knowing the inebriated man next to him was in no state to dish out murder, he continued. "What would you do if she was suddenly snatched up? Huh?"

Kakashi's response was a straightforward, "She hates you."

Genma crossed his arms smugly, "Not me my friend, some one else."

Kakashi scowled in his general direction…since he was seeing three of him. Trying not to seem like he cared, and trying not to actually feel it, he asked as nonchalantly as a drunken man can, "What do you mean?"

Genma shook his head and put an arm around Kakashi's shoulders…which Kakashi tried to shrug off. Explaining as one would to a child he began, "You see-" Deciding not to use her actual name in an attempt to keep the conversation going, Genma looked to his friend with a raised wise eyebrow. "-this particular kunoichi is young-" A drunken leer broke through. "-and hot." Ignoring Kakashi's warning look he plowed on. "Some day, maybe sometime soon, some guy is gonna-" A hand made a sliding motion here. "-slip on in there and-" The arm went back around Kakashi but this time, too caught up in the man's tale it stayed there. Genma used the other hand not resting on his friends shoulder to sweep in front of them in an 'imagine this' type of gesture. "-try to sweep her off her feet. Put the moves on her. You know, the whole I'm interested in everything about you spiel until-" The arm came from around Kakashi then as Genma's hand came together in a loud clap –making more than one head turn toward them. In a dark voice he concluded. "-bam! He gets what he wants and leaves her!" Genma remarked hooking a thumb at himself. "I should know."

Kakashi rolled his eye. Feeling positive in his words he simply said, "She's a smart woman."

Genma shook his head sighing. After taking a deep swig of his drink he remarked just as flatly. "Yeah, but obviously dumb enough to fall for your sorry ass."

Feeling that was his queue to leave, Kakashi wobbly got to his feet, laying down some money, he remarked tonelessly, "It's just a phase." Putting his wallet away saying, more so for himself than to Genma, he added, "She'll get over it."

Before Kakashi could walk away, Genma departed more of his drunken sage like words. Genma, looking into the clear liquid of his drink departed something he had noticed during that last mission to Diamond country.

Sucking on the sharp metal object in his mouth he looked up at his soon to be departing friend. With no leering, or underlying sexual overtones, Kakashi was left with something so thought provoking that he couldn't believe it had come from his friend.

Swirling his drink Genma said, "You and I both know I've been with a lot of women Hatake." The look on his friend's face as he turned to him was as serious as Kakashi had ever seen Genma. "But I've never been looked at the way that girl looks at you." Kakashi turned away then, intent to make his exit with a sarcastic snort of "A phase?" coming from behind him. As Kakashi made his way out into the night a shout of, "You just keep telling yourself that!" filtered to his ear.

Almost 2 Weeks Later

The department of experimental medicine was housed in the bowels of the Konoha hospital. There were many reasons for this. The cement and steel fortified walls that were built some feet underground the facility was a failsafe for hazardous experiments that…might go awry.

When working with combustible ingredients such as methane, octane, and propane. Not to mention infusing said gases with other ingredients such as…chakra, well such precautions were necessary.

The compound of sorts had a myriad of different labs spidering off in all different directions. The complex normally would have taken years to construct, but when shinobi with earth element jutsu were let loose to build… What would have taken years had only taken months. Tsunade had been happy with the process. Even though she had worked with Shizune by her side for many, many years, the Hokage couldn't wait to get the no nonsense woman out of her hair…and away from her sake bottles.

Unfortunately for Izumo and Kotetsu this just meant more work for them…what with having to pick up the slack that the former Hokage assistant left behind and all.

But gases weren't the only things being studied in the off-limits-to-anyone-who-didn't-hold-an-ID-tag research department. Sakura sat at her examination desk, clad in the standard white jumpsuit of every medic-nin, with her right eye peering into her own personal microscope. Unlike Ino who worked at her family flower shop, Sakura wasn't picking and arranging the flowers growing in her underground garden. Actually she had more than just flowers growing under her heated lamps, for Sakura was directly in charge of the atrium in their section.

Her work was truly interesting. She was experimenting with new ingredients from various sources that Tsunade had shipped in just for her study. So far the mungus bark, known only to grow in the Snow country, was showing to have greater healing properties when crushed, mixed with green tea and… stirred with just a little bit of chakra. It didn't necessarily have the greatest taste but its effects on such things as the common cold and even the flu was astronomical. One full cup and the drinker would be healthy as a horse the next day.

This meant great things not only for ninja during a mission but for the common people within her precious village as well. Her work now held far greater rewards than a mere commission that was for sure.

But even though Shizune and the other three medics under her never forced her have to silence them with her fists, pry them apart from fighting or reprimand them for reading instead of doing work…she still found she missed the guys. Yes… even Genma.

As Sakura wrote down her findings on the nectar of the fulcra plant, she had just received from Grass country that day, into the data collection journal she was required to keep, she couldn't help but find her self missing a certain someone. She missed his lackadaisical ways and that stupid mask. She missed his little eye-creases and his waved greetings. She missed his wild silvery hair and his dry humor.

It had been almost two weeks since the last time she had seen him.

If she wanted to, she knew where to find him: the usual watering hole, his apartment, certain rooftops she knew he liked to frequent and of course the monument. But she had resisted the urge to seek him out. It was hard, but she had done it.

When she found herself alone like this, her team of three off at lunch, thoughts of that certain someone always crept up on her. It wasn't just the reminder of what happened on that mountain, it was everything. From the times he had been her sensei to the first missions as her leader, to that goodbye kiss by the fire. No matter how hard she tried, the feelings she harbored for Kakashi were still there.

If anything they were getting stronger.

Sakura sighed, closing the large journal. When was it ever going to get easier?

A few hours later…

The sun beat down on a certain silvery shock of hair, warming the jounin uniform clad body beneath it like a warm blanket. Kakashi, small orange paperback in hand, sat reading on a familiar many storied apartment building…that wasn't his own. The apartment underneath him with the little balcony happened to belong to a certain Hokage-wanna-be.

It wasn't like Kakashi had come here on purpose. It had nothing to do with the fact that Naruto's week long examination started tomorrow. No. He just happened to come across this particular spot and felt like sitting down for a little light reading. Yeah…

Over the two week span, he hadn't laid eyes on a certain pink haired kunoichi since that day in the Hokage office. And after pondering on what Genma had yelled at him the last time they had frequented the pub together, he was determined to keep that record going.

But even though he hadn't seen her, he had run into Naruto a few days ago. Actually the overjoyed blonde had hunted him down, ruining his solitude lying in his favorite tree by the training grounds. Naruto, obviously wanting to let everyone know, had told him when his examination would start…and relayed information about how Sakura's new job was going as well.

Kakashi was glad. But he hadn't been worried. He had told her the truth when he said he knew she'd do well.

As for Genma and himself- Well, the senbon user was doing the same thing that he was. Solo missions. At least until the jounin test came along. But unlike Genma, Kakashi was told that he would occasionally be babysitting the younger crowd here and there by Tsunade's request.

He had returned from a mission to Rock country just yesterday thankfully by himself. Kakashi had relished in the feel of being on his own then, not having to tell Naruto to slow down, to keep his anger in check or to pay attention. He didn't have to listen to Genma flirt with every half decent woman they came across, bicker with Naruto over the littlest of things, or make lewd comments about a certain someone. As for the pink haired kunoichi… he didn't have to push away those feelings of want or desire that her presence seemed to invoke inside him.

And yet, as he had taken down a syndicate of thugs disturbing the citizens of a small village…he found that he missed them all. He missed Naruto's laughter, Genma's smartass remarks, and Sakura's… company. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss her the most…even though he knew he shouldn't. But this was the way things were meant to be. He still saw Genma whenever he went to the bar for a drink of course. But he knew that would never change.

He also knew that Naruto would flag him down in the village since…he already had so once. Kakashi sighed reading one of his favorite passages, knowing that he would more than likely check up on the younger man every now and then at the ANBU HQ…just to make sure that he hadn't gotten himself killed or anything. And as for Sakura- Well, given time he knew he would do the same for her.

This… whatever it was he was feeling would go away, it would fade with time. He knew that. Time was all he seemed to have these days. He had too much of it and not enough things to do to fill it. But wasn't that always his life, just sitting, training and reading waiting for another mission, another assignment to give him direction in life? Then, why did things feel so…empty now?

Kakashi pushed those thoughts away as he continued to read about Junko and his red haired buxom opponent facing off in a darkly lit forest setting.

That is until a loud voiced blonde shouted up to him from below. Naruto waved enthusiastically up to his former team leader, with a huge smile on his face. "Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!" High-pitched laughter followed with a skeptical, "Your not worried about me are you?" following after.

Kakashi smiled down to the younger shinobi standing in the street, putting away his book. Naruto looked like his usual 120 percent as he watched the still smiling blonde, sandals chakra-stained, walking up the side of the building toward him.

Kakashi gazed down the side of the building at him. Amusement lacing his voice, he replied, "No. Should I?"

Naruto huffed, arms crossed, looking highly miffed that Kakashi thought him so soft. "Pft. Please." He beat his orange and black clad chest easily walking over the edge of the roof making Kakashi shake his head. "Nothing keeps me down!"

Kakashi stood, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Knowing all too well how nothing could keep the loud mouth down for long replied apathetically, "Yes, I know."

Blue eyes quirked then in an expression of puzzlement. "What'cha doing here Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded his head once reminding the blonde of their equality. "'Kakashi'" He reminded the blonde. "You haven't been my student in years Naruto. No need to add the sensei anymore." He gave him a pointed look with his dark eye then. "I thought Sakura told you that on our last mission together."

Naruto scratched his head thinking back. Then he beamed, "Oh yeah." Looking sheepish he replied, "Sorry. Slipped my mind." The younger man shrugged his shoulders. "You know, lots been happening since then and all."

Kakashi waved him off but was interrupted by the blonde. Naruto turned a shrewd eye upon the taller man in front of him. "Neh, Kakashi. You never answered." Crossing his arms he asked, "What are you doing sitting on my roof?"

The man in question put a hand up, shielding his dark orb as he feigned looking around in question. "Oh, is it now? I wasn't aware." He gave Naruto an innocent eye-crease and a shrug. "Getting old you know. Forgetfulness and all that." Kakashi turned and waved over his shoulder as he got ready to jump to another rooftop, finishing with a, "I'll see you in a week."

He wasn't worried about Naruto. The younger shinobi had proven time and time again that he could handle himself.

6 days later…

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you." There was a pause as the blonde kunoichi, sitting next to Sakura on the little street side bench, savored a few licks of her vanilla ice-cream cone. After wiping her mouth with a napkin Ino asked, "How's the new work going?"

Sakura, sweating from the afternoon heat, smiled behind her chocolate soft serve. Contently she replied, watching a mother and her daughter pass by, "Great!" Then missing the same exuburence she added, "Just tiring. It's relentless work, but great all the same."

It was true. Today just happened to be her first day off since she started, but she wasn't complaining. She loved her new job. The air-conditioning in the lab was a plus. She just hoped they managed to scramble some space heaters down there before winter came rolling around; wearing mittens while trying to work with specimens was probably going to be a tad bit hard.

Ino scowled as she dabbed at the melted drops that had fallen onto her lap. Dabbing and glaring at the stray dog slowly coming near and eyeing her delicious treat she remarked, "Well that's good to hear. At least one of us enjoys their job."

Sakura took a bite out of her cone and smirked. With chocolate covered lips she jibbed, "What? I thought you liked working at the flower shop." After wiping her own mouth she asked, "Wasn't it you who said the juiciest gossip in the village was told there?"

Ino puffed out her ample chest proudly. Pumping her cone in the air, reminding Sakura of the blonde man she had said good luck to a few days ago, Ino gave an arrogant, "Damn right!" in return.

Then her arrogance disappeared leaving behind a more slumped posture, "I just wish mom and dad had opened a pool or something instead." Her voice turned into a high pitched whine. "I mean it's so flipping hot!" Shoulders slumping licking her cone like a spoiled child she said perturbed, "Stupid flowers get more air than I do…"

Sakura nodded her head feeling her pain. Her apartment was like an oven; ironically she found being outside was a few degrees cooler. That's why she had lured Ino out of her shop with promises of an ice-cold treat in return. Actually, it hadn't taken much prodding on Sakura's side. Ino had almost jumped at the chance to close up shop for a while. The woman had left with the reasoning that it was a little past lunch time anyway.

Sakura, feeling relived that she didn't have to sport the long shirt and vest anymore, clad in her casual black shorts and red sleeveless shirt, unconsciously flicked her eyes from each rooftop around them. Ino seemed to notice this as she finished off her treat.

Nosily she asked, "Who ya looking for?"

Sakura, forcing herself to stop and instead study the shop of porcelain dolls across from them, went on the defensive. "Who says I'm looking for someone?"

Ino laughed at her friends attempt to lie to her. Having been friends for years, the woman knew when the other was trying to tell a fib. Ino smirked. "I do." After throwing away her sticky napkins in the can beside her she turned to Sakura evil grin forming on her lips. Tapping a finger to her chin feigning thought she wondered aloud, "Hm, I wonder what happened between you and that mystery guy you told me about last time." A blonde brow rose as she crossed her arms smugly. "He didn't kick you to the curb did he?"

Sakura's happy mood quickly disappeared. Looking away she replied sadly, "Can't be kicked to the curb… when nothing was ever started."

Ino snorted, playfully knocking her knee against Sakura's. "You mean on his part or yours?"

Sakura looked up to the sky saying flatly, "I don't want to talk about it."

Ino, ignoring her friend's remark, prodded smiling, "I think you do." With a self-important look she poked Sakura's shoulder. "Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "My apartment feels like it's on fire."

Ino replied with a sarcastic, "So's your little black shorts." Poking her again, earning herself a scowl, Ino urged her on. "Stop lying. Tell me what's wrong."

Sakura sighed, knowing the woman wouldn't let up now. Besides, she knew it wasn't healthy to keep things pent up inside. Ino had helped her once…sort of. Maybe she could help her again?

After passing her trash to Ino to be thrown away, she asked resignedly, "Why do I always fall for the wrong sort?"

Catching on, Ino nodded wisely, "Ah, so he's one of them." After a few 'Tsk's' she sighed. "I thought you were smarter than that Forehead."

Sakura slumped in her seat watching a cart rolling by. Dejectedly she replied with a "A girl can't help who she falls in love with."

Ino turned to her surprised with both brows raised, "I thought we just established a few weeks ago that you liked him." Incredulously she asked, "Now you're saying you think you might love him!"

Head rolling to rest on the back side of the bench Sakura grumbled, "Not think. Know."

"But you hardly know him!"

Sakura snorted darkly in her reclined position. "I've known him almost half my life."

Ino, recalling their bar conversation, put up her hands in a 'halt' motion. "Wait, wait…" Concentrating hard she asked, "Older jounin, some scars and pale that you just figured out was handsome right?"

Sakura was surprised that her friend, who was prone to selective hearing, remembered what she had said. They had shared many a conversation where the blonde was known to nod and throw out a 'Mm' all the while thinking up a grocery list or recalling some man's number in her head. Then again, Sakura figured she was talking about a man and Ino's ears always seemed to be open on that subject.

Sakura fanned herself with her hand in her slouched position feeling like a cooking egg. Knowing her friend was too dense to figure out exactly who that described she nodded and said, "Yeah, that's the one."

Ino quirking a brow asked, "It isn't that Genma character is it?" Ino scowled, remembering being spurned by the man. "I mean yeah he's hot, but that man has some serious issues."

Sakura gave her patented 'ew' face here. "I'd rather stab my self with a kunai thanks."

She knew Ino was still reeling over being rejected by the gigolo. Really, Sakura had been surprised as well until she later found out why. Apparently Asuma wasn't keen on the idea of Genma getting friendly with his former gennin. But she knew the cigarette smoking man hadn't done so out of the kindness of his heart. She was pretty damn sure he had only threatened Genma so as not to have Ino crying on his shoulder later, begging him to have a little 'talk' with the senbon user for dropping her like every other woman he had slept with.

Ino, relieved knowing Shuranui Genma wasn't the man she was in love with asked, "So do you know if he loves you too?"

Sakura grimaced. "I know he likes me."

Ino sighed. "Well that's something I guess" Darkly she asked, "So what is it this time, another one hell-bent on killing his brother?"

No longer feeling the sting of the reminder, Sakura merely nodded in the negative. "Duty this time."

Ino nodding in understanding, "Ah. Like that Hyuuga Neji." Ino poked her shoulder. "It's not Neji is it?"

Sakura shook her head laughing. "No Pig."

Ino merely shrugged and fell back against the bench mimicking her slouching counterpart, wiping the sweat from her brow. After a small comfortable silence of basking in the heat wave Ino snorted. "Duty huh?" Another snort. "Just sounds like he's scared to me."

Sakura turned her head to regard her friend. Puzzled she asked, "How'd you mean?"

Waving an airy hand Ino began her explanation. "It's a copout. We're all dedicated to being a shinobi of the leaf you know. But you don't see me saying-" Ino went into her overdramatic mode. "Oh no! I simply cannot fall in love and live a happy life because-" Sakura laughed as her fingers came up in quotations here. "A ninja is bound to their duty and shouldn't show emotion." Shaking her head at her friend, Ino asked, "Don't you think the birthing ward would have closed down a long time ago? I mean, there wouldn't be little ninja families with little ninja brats running around if every shinobi truly felt that way right?"

Sakura poked Ino back in the shoulder stating. "Duty isn't the same thing as emotion." Thinking back to the way he held her and the look in his eye across that fire she added, "Emotion isn't the problem here. Not any more."

Ino huffed exasperated. "It's the same principle Forehead." She gave her a pointed, "We're all just human beings," before pushing up from the bench. Stretching she gave her friend one final nugget of wisdom before heading back to the flowered filled oven that was the Yamanaka shop.

"Don't forget we're kunoichi Sakura." With a smirk, hands on her hips Ino finished proudly, "And we Kunoichi don't just let a man walk away from us." She gave her an almost comical thumbs-up and a loud, "And don't you forget that!" before waving goodbye and making her way across the street to her store.

Sakura shook her head at her friend's carefree attitude, waving her own goodbye before kicking up her heels on the spot Ino had just vacated. As she laid there baking in the sun, she sorely wished she had her friend's optimism. Sakura was still trying to get over the fact that those insightful words of wisdom had actually come out of the blonde's mouth. Then again, as she continued to lay there mulling things over, she had to admit they were very valid points.

Duty didn't necessarily mean that one had to conduct living a life in solitude. If it were so then like Ino had said, there would be no ninja babies or shinobi marriages. Then Sakura remembered that conversation that she and Kakashi had shared that night on the Hokage Mountain. Hadn't they talked about the reasons why most shinobi chose to live their lives to the fullest? Wasn't it because life was a precious commodity that could be taken away in the blink of an eye? Sakura thought back to the tragic end of her first love. Hadn't their chance at happiness been ripped apart in an essence because of procrastination?

Sakura, sitting up, desperately not wanting what happened with Sasuke happen to her and Kakashi, said to no one in particular, "Seize the day…"

Yes, she understood where Kakashi was coming from, but Ino was right. She was a kunoichi and kunoichi didn't just let a man walk away.

Looking through the little flower filled window at the blonde haggling with a customer inside, Sakura smiled gratefully standing up from the bench quietly saying, "Thank you Pig."

TBC