Sakura pretended to listen as her department heads briefed her of the situation in the hospital. She had her hand propping up her chin and seemed to be glaring at the man in the dirty white coat before her. He cleared his throat and tried again to read his budget usage statistics.

She was an idiot. She didn't know what she had been thinking last night. She should have just walked away when the actress with perfect blinding white teeth charged out of the theatre and into Ino's heart. There had to be history there. They knew each other that was clear but she bet that they had been together. Little Shika had told her that Ino had dated girls before, Minako seemed to be one of those.

"Ah, Chief? The meetings over," her secretary nudged her and she jumped.

"What? Oh, yes. Ah, you got the notes for this right?" She asked trying to pull herself together. With her mental turmoil and Ino waking her up the last few mornings by playing music when she was taking a shower, Sakura was exhausted.

Kei nodded and handed the papers to her. Sakura took them dully then shoved them back "put them on my desk I'm going for lunch."

"Yes, sir," Kei said hovering around her. Sakura knew she wanted to ask what was wrong and was glad her secretary knew when to mind her own business because she didn't want to talk about it.

She pushed away from the desk and climbed out the window because she couldn't take the feeling of the walls closing in on her. She dropped from the roof into a crouch startling nearby pigeons. They took off with angry coos but she didn't care.

Damn it all, she didn't eve care that some drop dead gorgeous actress obviously wanted Ino. That some starlet breezed into town and made Ino stare at her like she was a feast and Ino had been starving. She could live with the fact that Ino would date other people, she could, she had expected it. She didn't think Ino would stay single long after the birth of the twins. She was realistic. What annoyed her was that, for a few hours, it seemed like Ino had wanted her in the way that she had been wanting Ino for the last few months. Ino had been nervous and attentive and even wore her little black dress which was supposed to be a big neon sign of her intentions. Even Shikamaru had said so and he knew Ino better than anyone. But as soon as that woman came into view Sakura had stopped existing. It would have been better if she had never had a chance at all rather than being so forgettable in the face of what Ino found so desirable.

She kicked the trash can in fury and it made a satisfying bang against the wall. She frowned and kicked it again and again until its insides had spilt all over the street.

"Sakura," she stopped and closed her eyes. Her embarrassment crept over her anger and she turned to see Temari standing with her shopping bag close to her chest. "Come on," and the blonde led her to the park away from all the staring eyes.

Sakura could feel the pity in Temari's gaze and didn't want it. She turned away. "For what it's worth I think she's an idiot. Mina's a cheating slut that she shouldn't give the time of day to."

"Form the way they were looking at each other it seemed like she wanted to give more than the time," Sakura said.

"I don't know what she sees in her. They met when Ino was in the city for business school. I think she was her first big love. Maybe that's why she always goes back to her when she come into town," Temari said sympathetically.

"Did she-was last night-" she cut herself off because whatever question she was going to ask would sound pathetic. Did she even like me? Was last night even a date? "I have to get back to the hospital," she said wanting to be away from Temari's pitying eyes.

"Sure," Temari spoke in a soft voice like she was afraid anything above a whisper would break her.

"Bye," Sakura said more out of habit than desire.

XxXx

Sakura had been making her way through complaint forms when they were scattered by a bag being hurled onto her desk. Her head snapped up and the glare she sent towards Tenten made the other woman's smiled freeze. Tenten recovered when Sakura didn't immediately leap over the desk and strangle her with her hair band like the look in her eyes promised.

"Come on," she said and the brightness in her voice was obviously forced "we're going out to get drunk."

Sakura threw the bag off her desk roughly and began to sort out the mess of papers "no, we're not."

"Come on, it will take your mind off Ino," Tenten said trying to drag Sakura into a better mood.

Sakura's gaze was scathing as she stood and slammed her hands on the desk "you know what Tenten? Not everything can be solved by alcohol. Sometimes you actually have to face your problems and stop running away like a damn child!"

"Hey!" Tenten glared getting annoyed herself "there's no need to be mean!"

"I'm sick of this damn place knowing everything about me!" Sakura yelled "who was it that told you huh? The grocery lady?! The ice cream guy? Maybe it was one of Konoha's various theatre goers! 'Poor Sakura, she managed to get dumped before going on an actually date!'"

Tenten's eyes slid unwillingly to the door and Sakura's rage flared through her body. She stormed out the office and to her secretaries desk. She had had enough! How dare this woman interfere with her life?! She was her god damn glorified gofer! She had no business sticking her nose anywhere near her personal life.

"Sakura just leave it! She was trying to help!" Tenten cried behind her.

Sakura ignored her and snatched the phone off her secretary and hung up hard enough to crack the plastic. Kei looked up startled and Sakura's rage hit a wall. Kei had been crying. Her normally neat secretary was wearing a wrinkled suit and looked like she had forgot to brush her hair. Sakura glanced at the clock behind her head. Ten fifteen at night. Her secretary had been here before her when she came in at seven. In fact she and been staying just as long sometimes longer than Sakura herself this past week. "Kei, is something wrong?"

"What? No, I was just making arrangements for the school visit next month," Kei answer shortly fussing around the paper garden of her desk. Usually it was tidy to the point of compulsiveness. She didn't even seem to notice that Sakura had slammed the phone down on her rather rudely seconds before.

"Kei you're trying to write with a straw," Sakura said gently.

"Huh?" Kei looked at the bent straw in her hand dumbly. She looked as if this was her first encounter with the drinking device.

"Kei, we're going out drinking. You're coming too," Sakura decided. She turned back to the hovering Tenten "go get my bag."

"Oh, no I should really get a move on with writing a report about the repercussions of introducing red safety signs as opposed to yellow," Kai tugged at her hair and put her head down. She seemed to be trying to hide.

"That's not even your job," Sakura said accepting the bag from Tenten and reaching over to haul her secretary to her feet. "If you don't come I'm firing you."

"What?" Kei blinked stupidly at her.

"Forget it, lets go," Sakura dragged her out of the office.

XxXx

"…And she left me," Kei gave a bitter laugh over her beer. Sakura, Tenten and the barman all nodded in sympathy "there I was, just out of the shower, getting ready for work and bang! I get hit on the nose with the engagement ring. Apparently I work to much, me! The secretary! She's an ER resident but I'm the one with the long hours!"

"That's harsh," Tenten said sitting back and taking a long drink of her beer.

"Women, they're just not worth it," Sakura automatically reached back to grabbed Tenten before she fell off her stool she turned to the bartender "am I right?"

"Totally," he nodded.

"So what has you so upset chief?" Kei said waving drunkenly back and forth in her seat.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Sakura said turning slumping over the bar.

"Oh, come on it'll do you good Haruna-sama," the barman said patting her shoulder. They seemed to be the only ones in the old jazz bar. The place had never been very popular as a drinking establishment. It was only the restaurant and gambling square out the back that kept the small bar open. It had been Tsunade's favourite place to get drunk in. Oddly though she never gambled here, she staggered down the street to the more professional parlours for that. When Sakura was feeling nostalgic or masochistic she would come here to get drunk as it had black and white photos of her friends on the wall. The legendary Heroes. She avoided the place for the same reason when she was sober.

"She forgot all about me," Sakura mumbled at last from the pillow of her arms "she just saw the actress with perfect skin and big breasts and I stopped existing. Apparently they have history."

"Who?" The barman asked in surprise.

"Yamanka-san!" Kie answered annoyed.

"Oh! The vanIno girl!" The barman said cheerily then frowned "isn't she the Legendary Blossom's girlfriend? She's cheating on her with some actress?!" He sounded scandalized.

"No! She's not cheating on me," Sakura shot up and the world spun. She continued on regardless, she spoke to one of the two barmen that were moving in front of her fuzzily "we weren't together. We never have been. I just really wanted to. I, I like the idea of being with Ino but she prefers some acting slut."

"Ouch," the barman said sympathetically placing another beer in front of Sakura. She seemed like she needed it.

"I have a question," Tenten said raising her hand.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"Do you actually want to be with Ino or do you just want to be with Ino?" Tenten asked seriously.

Sakura's mind tried to process that but she frowned and went cross eyed "huh?"

"No, I get it," Kei said excitedly. She waved her beer and splashes of the amber liquid showered down on the confused Sakura "do you like Ino or do you just want to be with her because she's going to be a mother and you want her kids?"

"Kids?" The bar tender asked with a frown.

"Yeah, she's having twins," Kei told him in a conspirator manner.

"Oh, congratulations!" He cheered her.

Sakura smiled proudly then thought about the question. She shook her head and jerked her bottle at Kei then Tenten, she didn't really know who she should be answering "no, I thought about this. It's Ino I like, she makes me happy. When I was impregnating her she brought so much happiness into my life. She's very funny, and nice, really nice, though she can be self centred and selfish but usually she's just so nice," Sakura felt happy when they nodded along with her because Ino was really nice "and hot, she's really hot and tight. I thought I was going to be crushed when I was inside her, I mean wow and her breasts but you know what? I even think her ear's are sexy, Ino has sexy ears…"

"Her ears are nice," Tenten agreed and Sakura clinked their bottles together. She nearly missed.

"Wait," Kei said slowly "you impregnated her…?"

"The fact that she's also has my kids is just a happy coincidence!" Sakura said.

"Wow, you fell in love with her even though she was knocked up," the bar man said in admiration. They all seemed to be having separate conversations.

"You really are a wonderful person, chief," Kei said with renewed respect for Sakura all other thoughts dropped.

Sakura nodded and accepted the adulations as her due. "Thanks."

"That's it I'm cutting you off."

They all turned towards the new voice. The only other person in the bar had been listening to their conversation since she slipped in unnoticed an hour ago.

"Shizune!" Sakura cried in disbelief. Her eyes brows tried to crawl off her head in surprise.

"Hey, chibi-doc," Shizune said affectionately ruffling Sakura's hair.

Sakura turned to hug the other woman but nearly fell out of her chair. Shizune caught her at the last minute and heaved her up and to her feet.

"Shizune-san! What are you doing here?! I thought you were chasing old bachelors in the Earth country!"

"I did I'm happily married to a billionaire now. I came back to check up on my second hand apprentice," Shizune said walking them to Tenten's bar stool. She grabbed the other girl by the neck of her top and dragged her along too. "New girl join the train I'm taking you home."

Kei wobbled to her feet and followed. Sakura was still surprised "I'm so glad you're here! I need someone to take a refreshers course for basic antidotes. You could do that for free right?" Sakura asked as they hit the fresh air. This would give her a little more leeway in the retraining budget.

"No, I'm rich I get to be lazy now. Who's place is closest?" Shizune said.

"Oh mine's down that way," Tenten called from behind as she was still being dragged.

"That way it is then. New girl where do you live?" Shizune called back.

"I don't know," Kei said miserably "I'm pretty sure she kicked me out as well as broke up with me."

"Okay you're obviously staying with Tenten then," Shizune said business like.

"Oh I couldn't impose," Kei said then tripped and clung to the wall.

"Yes you can," Shizune said not taking any protests.

"This is me here," Tenten called as she was dragged by her house with the blue roof "isn't the duck cute?"

Shizune looked at the stained glass window of a yellow bath duck "it's darling. You have you're keys?"

"Yeah, somewhere," Tenten frowned as she fiddled about patting her pockets "ah here!"

Shizune snatched them off her and opened the door without letting go of Sakura. Which was good because she wasn't sure she could support herself on her own. "There you go, we'll see you in the morning. Or late afternoon whatever makes you throw up first."

"Bye Shizune!" Tenten called cheerfully as she dragged Kei inside her house.

"And now you chibi-doc," Shizune said looking down at Sakura.

Sakura grinned up at her from her slumped position "my place is…" she squinted around to get the right direction.

"Forget about it," Shizune said "I still remember where your ratty place is. You haven't moved right?"

"Nope," Sakura said with a glassy smile.

XxXx

Sakura gradually became aware of loud upbeat music playing. She groaned and burired her face into the warmth at her side. Damn Ino and her music. The radio eventually clicked off and Sakura was all set to drift back to sleep when she heard, "well isn't this a pretty picture," Sakura opened her eyes to see Ino glaring down at her. Ino wiped her mouth with a hand towel her sharp eyes trying to tear into Sakura. She smiled absently and moved to roll over. A heavy weight thumped on to the ground when Sakura realised that she wasn't in bed like she thought and her blanket was actually another woman.

"Ah!" She yelled scrambling up to huddle on the arm of the couch "what the-!?"

"Oh, good, Chibi-docs awake," the figure said rising on to all fours.

Chibi-doc? Sakura frowned, the only person that called her-oh! "Shizune!" Sakura said happily reaching down to help the woman up "hey Ino look its Shizune!"

"You slept with Shizune?" Ino said slightly disgusted from the twist of her mouth.

Sakura pause as she pulled Shizune to her feet. She took in her dishevelled clothes and the other woman's and concluded that "no, of course I wouldn't have had sex with Shizune," she said with total conviction then looked back for reassurance "right?"

"Right," Shizune vouched now on her feet "where's you kitchen? Never mind I see it. You really need to get a better place. It's not like you can't afford it." Shizune said as she walked past the still annoyed Ino and straight into the kitchen.

Ino glared at the woman that was making herself at home "what are you doing here?"

"I'm in town for a visit but I have the better question. Why do you," and she jerked her spoon at Sakura "seem to think you've impregnated this one," and the spoon jerked at Ino's affronted body "since I know you passed basic anatomy, I was your teacher after all, I'm pretty sure you know how reproduction works. So, that leaves two explanations, either I'm missing a really big piece of info or you're one hell of a lair." Shizune gaze steadily at Ino from where she sat perched on the counter top with a bowel of cereal.

"What?" Ino drew herself up at the accusation "who the hell do you think you are?! Waltzing back in here after years to accuse people of-"

"Ino," Sakura cut in massaging the blondes shoulders to calm her down "don't worry about it. It's Shizune she has no tact what so ever. She seemed to have lost it with her marriage-oh! I just remember congratulations! Where's the ring?"

Shizune smiled and held out her left hand where a sizable diamond sat. Sakura fussed over it while Ino steamed behind her. Shizune basked in the adoration for a short time before she became serious "so what's the deal with you Sakura? I can clearly see the twins from here, they're Dizygotic by the way, but why do you think they're yours?"

"Dizygotic?" Sakura said stunned. She stepped back a bit and took a deep breath. "Wow."

"What does that mean?" Ino asked looking from Sakura to Shizune.

"Fraternal," Sakura answered absently "you can just tell?"

"Chakra scan," Shizune tapped her eyes and Sakura practically swooned.

"That's amazing. You're still amazing," Sakura said with a grin.

"Are we through with the hero worship or should I leave the room?" Ino said snidely not liking the feeling of being left out.

Sakura took her hand to soothe her and her smile softened. "Shizune, Ino's pregnant with my baby. They're my kids in there," Sakura said and Ino pulled herself up straighter. She glared at Shizune daring her to contradict Sakura.

"How?" Shizune asked instead.

"It's really very cool! Give me a minute to get changed and brush my teeth and I'll show you my report!" Sakura jumped and ran out of the kitchen like a kid eager to show off her homework.

XxXx

"This is fascinating," Shizune muttered sitting across from Sakura's desk. Sakura beamed, Tenten wasn't up yep so they had to use the back way into the shop before Sakura continued on to work. Shizune turned over a page in the report and Sakura saw her hand's twitching half making the signs. She waited until Shizune closed the report. "I never even thought this was possible. Internal change on the genetic level. Sakura that's amazing. Well done."

Sakura flushed suddenly overcome by modesty "it was Naruto and Tsunades really. I just put it together."

"No," Shizune shook her head "they wouldn't have worked with each other the binding technique you made is flawless I don't think I've seen anything like it before. You could even use this to-to…" Shizune's mind visibly whirled at the possibilities and Sakura who had longer to think about it said "I was thinking that it could be used in conjunction with a cutting jutsu and a disinfectant. That way-"

"You wouldn't have any bugs in surgery! That's brilliant!" Shizune exclaimed. "When are you publishing this? Are you waiting until the twins come to term and become visible proof or is the patent pending on the binding sign?"

"Actually," Sakura said unwillingly, she didn't want to burst Shizune's excitement "I'm not going to publish it."

"What?" Shizune looked at her like she was crazy.

"Ino and I felt that the twins would come under so much pressure that it wasn't worth it," Sakura said taking the study back.

"Ino and you?" Shizune said sceptically "Sakura a break through of this magnitude just can't be locked away! Think of all the good it could do!"

"Shizune it's a sex change not the cure for the common cold," Sakura said dryly.

"Yes, but what about all those people that feel like they were born in the wrong bodies? This is their cure. Or what about gay parents that want kids? And you're binding sign, Sakura the possibilities of that alone are astronomical. You've discovered something amazing, you have to share," Shizune said feeling like she was pointing out what should be the obvious.

"And the twins?" Sakura said like it was the most important point "they're going to poked and prodded to make sure there's no scam. Even then they'll be watched to see if a genetic anomaly occurs later in life. I don't want them to be a science experiment."

Shizune gaped "Sakura, you could change the world with that!"

"You're doing what I did at the start," Sakura explained gently "you're thinking of them as the proof of success. But they're little people, little half me's and half Ino's. They're my kids and I'm not going to have some bitter guy with an inferiority complex or grudge against me following them around to prove that they're aliens or crimes against god."

"There's also a price to pay for breakthroughs," Shizune waved away the concern breezily.

"But they're my kids," Sakura said to end the matter.

Shizune sat back and thought about it like that "I suppose you're right. Listen I'm going to go get changed. I'll meet you for dinner when you get off. Still, well done Sakura."

XxXx

Sakura made her way through the vast never ending ocean of paperwork on her desk with a smile. She actually might have been humming with happiness. She couldn't believe Shizune was back in town and that she was really impressed with her jutsu. She had made her teacher proud, she felt ten feet tall. She looked up startled as a loud crash echoed in the hallway. Curious she rose from her desk to see what had caused the noise. She found Kei frantically cleaning up her paper tray which had fallen to the floor and spilt its contents everywhere. Sakura bent to help as Kei muttered apologise.

"Don't worry about it. I didn't think you would be in today, you don't seem like much of a drinker," Sakura said then paused as her eyes caught on a particular sheet "you've organised a plumber for the ER? When did I sign off on this?"

"You wrote down the Kaioh families name on a sticky pad I thought you meant for me to contact him. He was more than happy to redo the ER for free. He said he could get a tax write off for charitable work," Kei said absently placing al the papers back on her desk. She then frowned at the mess and set about straightening it up.

"Wow, you really do need a break," Sakura said.

"No, last night helped, thank you," and Kei smiled sincerely "it took my mind off…things."

"You think it will work out with you and-and," Sakura tried to furiously remember the name of Kei's girlfriend but drew up blank. She smiled at her uncertainly.

"Yuna. I hope so, we've been together since we were seventeen," Kei said and Sakura felt old when she thought snidely that that must have been all of two years. No she knew her secretary was older than that, she frowned how the heck did she not know these things about the people around her?

"It'll work if you both want it to," she did mean that to sound comforting.

Kei nodded but didn't look convinced. Sakura seized the pause to retreat back into her office. She had had enough interaction for the day.

She looked at the phone on her desk when she retook her seat. She hesitated before dialling Ino's number. "Hey, its me," Sakura said as Ino picked up the phone "Shizune has invited us to dinner tonight I just wanted to check and see if that was okay with you?"

"She wants me there?" Sakura could hear the frown in Ino's voice "I thought she would have wanted to catch up with you on your own."

"I want you there," Sakura said "you can be the conversation prop when we run out of medical things to talk about," she laughed.

"You mean I can be the normal one," Ino said and Sakura swore she could here her warming to the idea.

"I wouldn't go that far but yeah," she grinned.

"I had plans with-never mind I'm sure I can move them. I'll be there, though I don't think I can fit into anything fancy so not one of those big posh restaurants," Ino ordered.

"Sure, Shizuru will be mad but I don't like those places either. I have to go, be ready for six," Sakura waited for Ino to say goodbye before she hung up. She frowned, she was sure that Ino had plans with Mina the oh so wonderful actress but didn't want to say.