CHAPTER 11

"Please enlighten me," said Sakura as she frowned, "as to how it is that you come back from A and S-rank missions without a scratch most of the time, but come into my hospital bleeding after two days of being at home, Genma."

Genma laughed. "I just like to keep you guessing, Blossom." The senbon in his mouth moved fluidly along with the jonin's mouth as he talked.

"Yeah, well, could you please think of a different way to keep me guessing other than to drip blood from your hand on the floor?" Sakura countered drily, but she couldn't keep a straight face for long. Something about this man's lighthearted attitude toward everything reminded Sakura of Naruto, and his laughter made her want to laugh, too.

"Fine, fine." The jonin said good-naturedly. "But I gotta say, I feel pretty lucky about having you patch me up for a tiny gash. The word on the street is that it's damn hard to catch a glimpse of you these days." He winked at her. "You could always quit your work here if it gets overwhelming, you know. There's always a spot in my team for a beautiful medic."

"Uh huh... I'll keep that in mind, Shiranui." Sakura reached for a cotton swab and put on some anti-scarring medication on the tip of it. She then proceeded to smear it on the wound she had just healed on Genma's hand. "Maybe I shouldn't even be putting this on your hand right now. You could always just look at the scar left over from your clumsiness and reminisce about the time the 'beautiful medic' patched you up."

"Oh, I don't need a scar to help me remember you." Genma's eyes twinkled playfully.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Genma's flirty antics were famous – or infamous, really – across the village. His way with his words combined with his good looks probably made him and his womanizing ways more lovable than they should have been. "Careful, Genma. I don't want that red-headed kunoichi coming after me."

"What red-head?"

"The one I saw you with coming out of that bar a couple weeks ago." Sakura held up Genma's hand and observed her work. "She was just thrilled when you yelled hi to me so loudly from across the street, by the way. You should know better than to greet another woman so cheerfully while you have your arm draped over another one, I would think."

"Ah, her. Well, I'll have you know that she got over that little incident as soon as I turned my attention back on her." Genma winked at the pink-haired girl who was examining his hand still. "I have my ways of making women forgive me."

"Oh, I just bet." Sakura dropped his hand and raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, you're not half as inappropriate to me when Kakashi's around."

"Hey, we're all grown-ups here, Blossom." The brown-haired jonin grinned at her. "And I don't flirt with you in front of Kakashi because that bastard would probably dismember my limbs in my sleep if I did."

"But you don't think I could dismember your limbs?"

"I think you're too charmed by me to do such a thing to me," Genma replied as he shot her another grin, "but we both know Kakashi's got an ice cold heart for anyone that comes close to his favorite kunoichi student."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm his only kunoichi student. And where did you get the idea that I'm charmed by you, Genma?" She got up from her chair. "You're all fixed up, so feel free to proceed with, uh, charming some other kunoichi in town tonight."

"Aw, you don't mean that, Blossom." Genma winked at her again. "Come on, I'll buy you dinner. Ditch work."

Sakura laughed. Truth be told, she really didn't mind Genma – she liked him, even. He was harmless and fun. But a meal with Genma always involved alcohol, and she would need her wits about her for going over to Sasuke's later to continue their Sharingan session. "I know you well enough to know that 'dinner' to you means 'getting drunk,' Genma."

"Come on, it's just wrong for the Godaime's apprentice to turn down a drink. I promise I won't dishonor your virtues… or has some lucky man taken your virtues already? I never did find that out."

"Genma!" Sakura smacked his arm.

"Sorry, sorry, you just make it too easy for me, Blossom." Genma held his arms up, as if surrendering. "But in all seriousness, let me buy you dinner. I know you've been cooped up in this hospital for way too long today. And you might be sorry if you turn down my offer tonight and then some day down the road, I never return from a mission, you know." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I know you'll miss me."

Sakura had no idea why she wasn't more repulsed by this man's excessive confidence and flirting, but she in the past couple of years, she had come to find that she genuinely did enjoy his company whenever he was around. Everything about Genma was just so – free. She envied that about him, and the envious feeling made her gravitate toward the man who was still very much a boy. It was hard to believe that he was Kakashi's age.

"You're in luck." Sakura finally decided to give in. "I actually don't have any work that I need to do tonight here, and I am pretty hungry… Better get your wallet ready, Shiranui."

"Lucky me, indeed, kid."

"Fourteen."

Genma whistled. "Huh. That's pretty young, Blossom. I guess the Godaime really did want to teach you everything she knows."

"It's a stressful business we're in, what can I say." Sakura shrugged. "Fourteen to a shinobi is like a lifetime for a civilian… or at least that's what shishou told me when she kept encouraging me to start drinking at that age."

"Kakashi didn't say anything?"

Sakura laughed – a bit more bitterly than she had meant to. "Please. I didn't see that man more than a handful of times during that period." She took another swig of sake. She hadn't meant to start drinking – she really had intended on only eating with Genma.

But she hadn't drank in such a long time, and sake was her weak spot. As a shinobi - and a human being, in general - Sakura knew that an excessive fondness for alcohol was taboo. She really did her best to control her longing for sake on most days, but Genma had persuaded her to take just one drink - which turned into many drinks, before she knew it.

Genma really was a persuasive man. No wonder so many women salivated after him.

As she drank, Genma stole a look at the kunoichi. He was surprised at the bitter tone he heard in her laughter as she said that. He hadn't really known her until the war, when she more or less saved his life on the field as he was about to bleed to death. They had remained playful acquaintances since then, but now he realized that he didn't know much about her life before the war, other than that she had been a part of Kakashi's genin team.

Actually, he didn't really know about her life after the war, either, other than that she put in ridiculous hours in that hospital of hers.

"How's your team doing?"

Sakura blinked. "My team? Don't you see them around more than I do? You said it yourself - I don't get out of the hospital much." She took another swig of alcohol. "God, I can't remember the last time I had enough time to get drink." In her slightly inebriated state, the word "team" tugged at her brain. Team… her team….

Sasuke.

Crap.

"Shit, shit, shit." Sakura frantically started cursing, startling Genma. "What time is it? I completely spaced out…"

"It's half past ten." He offered helpfully, to which Sakura let out another stream of curses.

"I had to be somewhere half an hour ago." Sakura groaned as she got to her feet – only to promptly have to lean on the arm Genma extended out to her. Shit, I can't be drunk, she chastised herself.

"Hey, Blossom, looks like you're kind of down for the count for the night," observed Genma as he tried to help Sakura stay on her feet. "I'll take you home."

Sakura shook her head violently. "No, I can't…" Her refusal was not in the least because she didn't even like going to her own home. "I don't want to keep him waiting… he's not really patient."

Suddenly, Sakura wondered if Sasuke was even waiting for her. Would he even care if she didn't show up? "…I don't like to renege on promises." She said softly.

Genma looked at her. His expression softened involuntarily as he took in her worried face. "Sakura," he began gently, "if anyone's allowed to skip out on an appointment every now and then, it's you."

Sakura, he had called her. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't call her by his usual teasing nickname for her.

Or maybe it was the fact that his voice right now was gentler than she had ever heard it.

Regardless of the reason, Sakura found herself wanting to agree with Genma. She had been working so much for the past few weeks. For the past few years. She normally liked her job, she really did. But she couldn't help but want to be a kid again every now and then. She always felt like she hadn't really been a kid in years – and she was only nineteen.

But for a shinobi, nineteen years was enough to hold a lifetime's worth of burdens and sadness.

Genma hides it well, though, thought Sakura. Something about the lack of sadness in the man made Sakura want to keep drinking with him tonight. She missed drinking – and she missed talking to someone who actually enjoyed talking.

Sasuke could only say so much at a time, after all.

"I can send a message to whomever it is you were meeting up with." Genma broke her thoughts. "And I'll take you home."

Sakura regarded him. He looked so earnest in that moment that she decided to trust him.

And Sasuke wouldn't miss me anyway.

"Okay," she consented, "but I don't want to go home."

She sat back down on her stool and smiled at the jonin next to her. "I want to drink."

A/N: Huge thanks to everyone who have reviewed, especially miyako saku, who has left three reviews so far!

I do want to stress that I beg of you to leave reviews – without it, I seriously get discouraged from writing. I've hit over 3500 views on the story, which is so great, but I would really love to know what each of the people who have viewed the story think about it. I know it's impossible to hope that everyone leaves a review, but please, if you do truly enjoy the story, let me know what you think. Otherwise, I'm not sure if I can continue writing! :O

ADDED A/N : almost 4500 views on the story now. Only 20 reviews?! Tell me what you guys think, dammit! (Please with a kitten on top!)