Chapter 11: Asuma and Kurenai are dating?!
It wasn't like Hinata had made any promises or anything. But Shikamaru still felt disappointed.
He stood before a Hyuga, who was tall and had a mark on his forehead. And listened as the Hyuga adult explained that Lady Hinata sent him on her behalf. She couldn't make it to training because her clan duties got in the way. And as an apology, the Hyuga adult was to act in her place as his sparring partner.
"No thanks." Shikamaru said.
"Is there a message you'll like for me to relay to Lady Hinata?" They Hyuga asked.
"You can start off by telling her: Troublesome." Shikamaru said. "And that I have Asuma-sensei who's probably itching to train me." He hope those words would bring a blush to her face as she heard the message outloud.
Shikamaru watched the Hyuga take out a scroll and write the message down.
"Would that be all?" The Hyuga asked.
"Yeah." Shikamaru said. After the Hyuga disappeared in a swirl of leaf, he shoved his hands inside his pockets and groaned. Great, he had walked all this way for nothing. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a head full of pink hair. Sakura. Perhaps his trip doesn't have to go to waste.
"Oi, Sakura!" Shikamaru called out. "Hinata's not here today." Shikamaru rolled his eyes when she looked surprised that he knew who she was looking for.
"Don't you hate it when you go somewhere to find a person, and they are not there like they normally are?" Sakura asked him as she walked up to him.
"Tell me about it. It's also a pain in the ass when you make plans with a person and they send someone else to cancel." He replied. "But since I hate wasting my time, I thought to ask you to take her place."
"Huh? Don't you like, hate me?"
"That's too much of a heavy feeling for me to burden." He said with a smirk on his face.
"Alrighty then, suit yourself. But I'm going to pummel you to the ground, since Naruto made me so angry and I've been looking for a way to feel better."
"Yeah, yeah through violence of course." He said, while rolling his eyes.
"Substitutions are allowed." Sakura said.
"Heh, then you're going to be in for a headache."
Shikamaru learned something that day. Underneath her skinny form, Sakura Haruno had monstrous strength. Yesterday's strategy did not work. Shikamaru had thought it would be a good idea to take a hit or two, to give the illusion that her hits didn't hurt, but what ended up happening was that he was sent rolling away like a ball.
"What the hell, woman!?" He asked, almost accusingly, as he got up.
"Told ya, pummel you to the ground." Sakura said.
An hour later, Sakura came out as the victor. She walked over to Shikamaru and knelt next to him and asked if he was okay.
"I think I broke a rib…" He said honestly.
"What?! Haha, you're so funny Shikamaru." She replied while punching him playfully on the shoulder.
"Ow! No Sakura…really. You broke one of my ribs." He said.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" She apologized. "Here, I'll help you get to a hospital."
"Aa. Thanks." Shikamaru said as he sat up while feeling excruciating amount of pain. Sakura knelt next to him and waited for him to throw his hand around her shoulder as she situated her around his waist. She helped him get up and they exited team 8 training grounds. "Wait, I got a better idea since its closer. I know where Asuma sensei lives." Shikamaru said.
When they arrived at Asuma's apartment complex, Sakura knocked on the door in a way that if she had put any more force, Shikamaru believed she would've broken the door.
"Asuma-sensei!" Sakura called out.
"Who is it?" Came a female voice from the other side. Shikamaru froze, and couldn't speak. He knew that voice…it was Kurenai-sensei! He thought back to the memory game he played with Hinata, and one of the clue was Kurenai's boyfriend smokes…
No way…
When Shikamaru didn't answer, Sakura decided to answer for him.
"It's Sakura Haruno! Kakashi's student! I got Shikamaru with me and he's hurt!" Sakura explained while trying her best not to feel weird out by having Shikamaru's shoulder around her.
The door immediately flew opened, as Kurenai urgently called over her shoulder to Asuma. The large adult male took Shikamaru in his arms and set him down on his couch. Asuma glared down at Shikamaru, before he told him he should've known better than to train recklessly without an adult supervising him.
"Sakura. She's a monster." Shikamaru explained, while Asuma lifted up his shirt to heal his young student.
"Hey! It's not my fault you're squishy!" She retorted.
"Whatever kid, just be more careful." Asuma said as he grunted, displeased.
"So Asuma-sensei…" Shikamaru said, in between sounds of pain. "You and Kurenai-sensei…"
Sakura's cheek turned pink as she looked between the two adults.
"You're too smart for your own good, Slacker." His teacher said while grinning. Meanwhile Kurenai was sitting on a chair, while watching the two in silence, with a small smile on her face.
"What? No way!" Sakura said. "Can't wait to tell Ino this!" Sakura said excitedly. But then her smile fell when she remembered her friendship with Ino is still not that great. "And I can't wait to tell Hinata too!" She added.
"No!" Shikamaru said. Asuma thought his outburst had to do with the pain he was feeling as he was being healed. "There's a reason adults are secretive about their relationships, Sakura. So you shouldn't go around babbling to everyone you know." Shikamaru explained.
Actually, Asuma didn't really care if his students found out. Since Kurenai and him weren't hiding it in the first place. But Asuma chuckled and said nothing.
"Fine." Sakura said as she gave in.
The two genins exited Asuma's apartment in silence. And before they parted, Sakura said something that surprised him.
"Thank you Shikamaru. Lately I've been trying to get stronger. For myself, and for my friends."
"Aa." He said. "I'm not coming anywhere near you when you're angry." He said jokingly. Shikamaru decided Sakura was a decent person once you peel her away from Naruto and Sasuke. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.