(…Less than 3 years ago)
Ino was hesitating. She stood outside the bar where she could see her friends from a window chatting animatedly, and no doubt waiting for her to arrive so they could order their first round of drinks. It's been so long since she was in the dating scene, and she's dreading over the thought of going through the exhausting process of playing the temptress with other men until she finds one that she shares some semblance of chemistry with.
That wasn't the only thing preventing her from entering the establishment. Itachi was on her mind. She already felt for someone strongly, and she wanted to exhaust her efforts on that someone, rather than some random stranger she was yet to know. Ironically, Itachi was also the very reason she needed to see this through. She knew how she felt about him, but his feelings were unknown.
No. That was a lie. He left, and she was sure he joined the Anbu and left on a long mission because of her. That told her what she needed to know. Itachi Uchiha did not love her, and she chased him away. Their friendship was undeniably over, and this wounded her deeply. She needed to find a way to move on and entering through those doors to try to find another to connect with, was one way to do so. However, she lacked the courage to do it.
'Come on, Ino. Don't be a coward! You are a gifted flirt! You can do this!' she found herself saying. How ironic it was, that she would refer to herself as a flirt for encouragement. Wasn't this the reason why she and Shisui had their first argument. Her mind had wandered onto the distant memory from three years ago, that she failed to notice her friends waving at her from inside. Her and Shisui's first time together when he had chased her into training ground forty-four, replayed in her head as if she had been reliving the moment itself.
The memory stirred up old feelings she thought she settled when she visited Shisui's memorial to say her peace. Her heart apparently was still playing tug of war over her past Uchiha lover, and the Uchiha she couldn't have. Maybe she just wasn't ready to start dating again. Agreeing to this night was starting to seem like a mistake to her.
"Looks like Blondie is having second thoughts about coming in" Hana deduced. "If she's not ready, then maybe we shouldn't pressure her." Sakura frowned at Hinata's suggestion; she didn't like seeing Ino return to her detached self over another Uchiha, and she wasn't about to let her revert to that state again on her watch. "I'll go get her" she announced, as she got up to drag her tentative friend inside.
When Sakura stepped out, she found that her friend had been zoned out, "Ino" she called to grab her attention, but the blonde was unresponsive. "Ino" she attempted again, but Ino remained unresponsive, "PIG!" she growled, and Ino jerked in alarm, "Get your bubbly butt in there right now!" it was evident to her that Ino would find some sorry excuse to get out of this evening, but Sakura wasn't going to allow it. "Forehead, I don't think I'm-" Ino wanted to get out of joining them; this tug of war inside her sucked enough and the last thing she needed was to add more to how crappy she's feeling, but the pink haired kunoichi wasn't going to have it so she interjected, "No! you are doing this. There is no way in hell that I'm going to let you cower away and go back to your sulking self from two years ago!" She stepped behind Ino and pushed her towards the entrance and all the way to their booth where the others waited.
"Blondie, you made it… thanks to your other pair of legs" Hana gave Sakura a nod of approval. 'Guess there's no way out of this now. Might as well…' Ino mused. She was grateful for the push, and so she smiled at Hinata who appeared to be worried for her. "Ino if you're not ready-" Hinata began, but Sakura intervened again, "Can it Hyuuga! She's doing this. Enough is enough!" she wasn't having it, no sir! No more cold feet and wallowing in despair. Ino was going to be happy again and Sakura was determined to get her there.
"Alright, guess we're doing this" Hana announced, "Barkeep! A round of shots for me and my girls if you will" the Inuzuka called to the bartender, who acknowledged the request and poured them a round of Sake. "Now, let's have a look about for what Konoha has to offer" She scanned the bar to look for a conquest for the Yamanaka, "Ah, that guy with long ginger hair…" Hana pointed out. "Um, are we looking for someone for Ino, or for you?" Sakura remarked over the uncanny resemblance that man bore to Fu. "So I have a thing for gingers, sue me!" Hana chuckled. "That's my cousin! And he's 17!" Ino barked. "You're related to a lot of gingers, Blondie" Hana observed, and Hinata suggested, "Perhaps it's best to refrain from any redheads".
The drinks arrived and Ino hastily grabbed a saucer to down the liquid courage, "Oh look over there, that's more your type" Sakura directed her gaze at the brunet sitting by the bar. "That's Raidou…" Ino stated matter-of-factly. "Good so you know him already. That should make things easier." Sakura inferred. "He's Genma's best friend!" Ino said more plainly. "Oh, right… well, so what! Try your luck with him" she pushed, but Ino grimaced, "And be labelled Konoha's official seductress who would try her luck with a shinobi then his best friend too. No thank you!"
"Well, Ino you need to start somewhere. It doesn't even have to lead to anything, you could just have conversations with other men, but at least do something!" Sakura pressed. Okay, her pink haired friend, who was fucking her ex-sensei-turned-boyfriend, had a point. Her only other option was to go back to being miserable over the Uchiha heir and her long-lost love.
She didn't want to do that.
So, Ino conceded, "Fine!" and got up to start a conversation with the brunet sitting alone at the bar. At least Genma wasn't there, but when Ino made it halfway to the bar she spotted the very shinobi whom she was thankful over not being present walking up to Raidou and clasping his shoulder in greeting. 'Oh, fuck me!' she mused in protest to her terrible luck.
Genma looked over Raidou's shoulder and spotted her halting midway. Heat rushed to her cheeks, painting them a bright shade of pink as her eyes locked onto his. She hastily looked away and continued on her path to the bar. She ordered another round of shots from the bartender like that was her intended purpose for approaching the vicinity he was in. 'Shit!' she mused to herself, hoping that Genma didn't realize what her original intent had been.
She placed her order and waited impatiently to collect the drinks so she could head back to the girls. A few seconds may have passed but Ino felt quite restless that she couldn't help stealing a glance at Genma. She found that he had been eyeing her, and she shifted her gaze away hurriedly once more. He definitely noticed something was up now…
Genma contemplated if he should go up to her and start up a conversation, but he didn't know if she was still with Itachi or not. Her behaviour was telling him that maybe that was all over now. She blushed when she spotted him, and that look appeared favourable to him. His bet was that he made her nervous because she liked him, and that must mean that things were over with Itachi.
You see, almost the entirety of Konoha believed that Itachi and Ino were dating, which wasn't an improbable presumption when those two spent most of their time alone together. Unbeknownst to the Uchiha and Yamanaka heirs, this was the most frequently discussed topic amongst the villagers for the past two years. But come the end of the night, Ino will have learned all about these rumours.
Genma decided to assess the situation more, before making his attempt to speak with her. A part of him hoped she was available. Sure, he had dated several Kunoichi since the day he learned Ino was with Shisui when he visited her family's flower shop, but he always wondered what could have happened if he and the Yamanaka had a chance to date. There was a spark between them, and he still dreaded that a mission had gotten in the way of that.
"You sure you want to go there again?" Raidou pulled him out of his thoughts. Genma smirked at him and asserted, "Absolutely, but it's best to be sure she's single first." Raidou chuckled at his friend's perseverance, "That's a good idea, but if she's recently single then it's better you leave it alone" he advised, recalling how distraught Shiranui had been when he learned about Shisui and Ino, but his friend's lingering eyes on the blonde told him that wasn't an option. "You're not going to leave this alone, are you?" he reaffirmed his conclusion aloud, "Not a chance" Genma announced determinedly.
"Shiranui, do you really want a repetition of what happened before? You were really bummed out then" Raidou reminded him, and Genma reconsidered. What if she wasn't with Itachi anymore and this was his chance. Was he going to miss out on it just to give her some more time to grieve or move on? Time wasn't exactly on his side before, after all, it was the reason he missed his first chance. Nope, if she was single then he would make his move. Her occasional glances at him were enough to encourage him on.
Ino collected her drinks and made her way back to their booth. She placed the tray of shots on the table and took her seat again looking flustered. "Back so soon…" Hana observed. "Genma showed up before I could reach him" she explained. "Ha! Blondie got vagected!" the Inuzuka remarked amusingly. "Ugh, fuck it! this is clearly not my night. Let's just focus on the other reason we're all here." She decided, and distributed the Sake shots then held her saucer up as she toasted, "To Hinata and Hana, may you get ploughed often and your birth control never faulters." Hinata's face turned a dark shade of vermillion, and Hana almost spit out her drink, "Hear, hear!" the Inuzuka cheered.
Ino turned to look back at Genma and found that he was still looking over at her direction. Perhaps there was still a chance there and she wondered if she should venture going down that route again. What did she have to lose? Hana noticed the blonde occasionally turning towards the bar and followed her line of sight. "He's still looking at you" she announced. "Who is?" Ino returned, pretending to be oblivious. "Oh, come on, Blondie. Shiranui, who else? What the fuck, Pinky!? What the hell is your man doing here?" Hana questioned Sakura when she noticed Kakashi walking in. "Huh?" was Sakura's response, "This was a girls' night, that means no boyfriends!" Hana asserted. Sakura turned to spot her boyfriend who waved hello as he walked towards Genma and Raidou. "He said he was meeting the boys tonight. He isn't here for me" she informed them. Hana stared at her sceptically at first but then relented, "Fine, but don't go sneaking off to smooch somewhere. I forbid it!" the Inuzuka insisted. Sakura chuckled and said, "Alright I won't" but as the night proceeds, Sakura would end up doing precisely that; she was incapable of keeping her hands off the silver haired Jonin for longer than an hour.
"Well, what do you know, you actually showed up." Raidou said in an amused but disbelieving tone. "Of course he did. His girl is too busy for him tonight" Genma remarked and directing his gaze at Sakura who he noticed because he had been eyeing Ino since he arrived. "I wouldn't be receiving this guilt trip if either of you had a girlfriend" Kakashi retorted. "Ouch. Ha-ha. That stung, Hatake" Genma returned. Kakashi took a seat by the bar and signalled to the barkeep to pour him the usual. "Speaking of girlfriends…" Raidou began, "Kakashi, would you happen to know if a particular blonde friend to your girlfriend, is single?" to try to bring an end to Genma's persistent ogling for the night. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, confused at first as he said, "Huh? Oh, you mean the Yamanaka. Yeah, she's single. I didn't know you were into blondes, Namiashi", to which Raidou clarified "I'm not, I'm actually asking for a friend" grasping Genma's shoulder to indicate who the said friend was. "So, things are over between her and Itachi then" Genma settled. "There never was a thing to begin with, apparently" Kakashi informed him. The smirk on Genma's face grew wider, "Even better" he said as he walked over to the girls' booth so he could try his luck with the Yamanaka again. That was all the information he needed to make his move.
"This isn't going to go well…" Raidou presumed, and Kakashi confirmed, "You're not wrong there… Nothing was going on between her and Itachi, but according to Sakura, Ino is in love with him". Raidou downed his drink and stated, "Oh this is going to be a fun night" chuckling at his friend's expectant failure, while also dreading the weeks of sulking that will follow.
"Uh, Ino, Genma is coming over" Sakura announced in a hushed tone. "What?" Ino asked alarmed. "Heh! You didn't even need to try and already you're reeling them in like fish on a hook" Hana commented. "Shush. He's almost here." Hinata notified them. Ino was getting anxious. Her nervous stares must have given him the wrong idea… well, sort of the wrong idea. After all, she was at the bar tonight to try to move on from Itachi. Still, Ino felt agitated about this shinobi being the means to that purpose.
"It's been a while since I've seen you around here, Yamanaka. Ladies…" Genma sent a greeting nod to the others at Ino's booth, then continued, "The sobriety streak's finally over?" Ino smiled tentatively at him and said, "There just wasn't an occasion, that's all." Ino retorted. Sakura grimaced at her and nudged her with a kick in the shin under the table to turn her charm on. "Ouch. Uh, so you noticed my absence…" she attempted, taking Sakura's hint, and to prevent the temperamental girl sitting across her from dealing her a harder kick that could result in a more severe injury. Sakura seemed pleased for now. Hana was holding in a chuckle, and Hinata sympathised with Ino and her predicament.
"Yeah, this place just wasn't as lively without you here" his words carried a delightful charm, and Ino couldn't help but blush upon hearing them, "Why don't I buy you a drink, we could catch up on what you've been up to all this time." He proposed. "We're actually here to celebrate these two getting hitched soon" Ino claimed, earning herself another kick from Sakura, "Ouch! Will you quit that already!" Ino barked back at her. "he-he, quit what? I don't know what you mean" Sakura feigned obliviousness. "Blondie, we can spare you for an hour. The night is long, and we have time to celebrate." Hana betrayed, and Sakura smirked. They weren't going to let her pass off on this charmer. "Yeah, you go and share a drink with this charming fellow here. She's all yours, Shiranui" Sakura declared, robbing Ino from any other excuses she might have had up her sleeve. Hinata remained quiet through the whole ordeal. She didn't feel it was right to intervene in such situations.
Hana shoved her out of the booth, and she almost fell on her face, but Genma caught her in time, "Woah there. Glad to see you're so eager to join me" he joked. He was grateful the ladies were on his side and helping him woo Ino. She turned to scowl at her treacherous friends; Hana returned a wink at her, Sakura smirked in triumph, and Hinata offered a sympathetic smile.
"Barkeep" Genma waved two fingers at the bartender to order two rounds of what he had been drinking, then turned to Ino who was now seated with him at the bar, and asked, "So, where have you been, Yamanaka? How come I don't see you around much anymore?" Ino wondered what to say to that. It was a basic conversation starter, but it was an uncomfortable question to answer. Should she be truthful and say, 'Oh well, you know… my boyfriend went missing, life sucked for me and his cousin, so I've been spending all my days with him trying to help each other move on until I had fallen for him too…' not exactly the kind of response one would expect. "Well, life and things, you know" is what she settled for.
Genma flashed her a sexy grin and enchantingly declared "Well, I'm glad 'life and things' brought you my way today" causing her to blush again, but then he added, "I would have come your way myself if I had known the thing about you and Itachi was just a rumour", and Ino immediately regrated choosing this moment to take a sip of her drink that the bartender had placed before her just prior to Genma's assertion. She choked on the Sake and was violently coughing. "Are you okay?" he said handing her a napkin, Ino coughed several times to regain some of her voice, "What, cough, thing about, cough, me and Itachi?" she choked her question out bafflingly.
"Should I get you some water?" he asked worriedly, ignoring her question. "No, I'm fine now. What thing about me and Itachi? What's the rumour?" she asserted her question again. Genma sat back down, reassured that she was fine and answered her question, "Well, you two are always together, and so everyone believed you were going steady" her eyes widened in disbelief. It wasn't just her friends who thought this, but the VILLAGE TOO? Genma registered her expression and wondered if there was some truth to it, "Were you two a thing?" she turned to meet his gaze, and he stared into her eyes searching for the answer. She looked ahead of her, breaking the eye contact as she proclaimed, "No, nothing was going on." She met his gaze again and asserted, "We were just friends" she forced a smile.
Genma was happy to get the confirmation, and he noticed her saying they 'were' just friends, but he wasn't going to press on the subject. He wasn't going to ruin his chances by talking about any Uchihas tonight, so he turned his charm back on and the conversation for the rest of the night consisted of jokes, more mission mishaps, and funny stories.
Sakura had disappeared after the first hour since Kakashi's arrival and was found by an embarrassed Hinata who had caught them in a compromising position in one of the bathroom stalls when she approached the stall to investigate the strange noise coming from it. Hana rolled on the floor laughing when she heard the story. "It's not funny, it was really embarrassing seeing them like that!" Hinata chimed hiding her vermillion face to cover her embarrassment.
Soon after, Kakashi and Sakura emerged from the bathroom, and Sakura went over to them saying, "Sorry, Hinata" who had still been embarrassed by the whole ordeal. In that moment, Naruto walked into the bar with Konan in his arm and Sasuke was walking in behind them. "Hinata, I expected better from you" Hana chastised, "I swear I had no idea he'd be here tonight." Hinata defended, "Sasuke never comes to these places." She looked confused. "Well, something brought him here, and I think we can all agree it's you" Sakura remarked chuckling.
"Sakura!" Naruto called to her waving, then approached their booth with the rest of his party. Sasuke slipped in next to Hinata and gently placed a hand for a moment onto hers beneath the table, and whispered in her ear, "It was Naruto's idea to come here. He wanted to celebrate Konan becoming am official resident" and Naruto announced that to the rest of the booth. "Konan is officially part of the village, hey old man! A round for everyone!" he called to the bartender. Everyone cheered and he pulled Konan in to sit on his lap. "Naruto! There are people watching us!" Konan squawked, "I don't care. You've been away from me for too long and I'm not letting go of you until I'm dead." He avowed, planting a kiss on her lips. When he broke it, he added, "Maybe not even then" in a whisper.
"Does this mean the no boys rule no longer applies?" Kakashi said as he wrapped his arms around Sakura who sent Hana a pleading look. "Ugh, fine! You can join us Hatake" Hana relented, "Hey Blondie!" she called to Ino, "Use that telepath thingy and tell Fu to come." Ino and Genma approached the booth, drinks in hand, and Ino asked, "What happened to girls' night?" Hana scowled jokingly at the men around them and proclaimed, "that went to hell, you thank your clingy boyfriends for that" she chuckled.
More chairs were added to the booth, and everyone shared stories from the war among other funny anecdotes. Fu had joined them as soon as he received Ino's telepathic message, and Hana made out with him to make them all as uncomfortable as they made her. "Shut up, you all deserve the cringe" she barked at their protests. Eventually, the night was coming to an end, and the couples slipped out one by one, starting with Hinata and Sasuke, until Ino, Sakura, Kakashi, and Genma were left.
Kakashi whispered into Sakura's ear, "If we get out of here now, we can do that thing you-" Sakura's face turned red when she understood where he was going with that, so she quickly announced, "Alright, we're leaving too" Standing up and dragging Kakashi with her. She halted halfway to the exit and turned back to a baffled Genma and Ino then called to the former, "Make sure she gets home alright!"
"You don't need to worry Haruno! Hey Hatake go easy on the poor girl!" Genma called back, and Sakura felt the heat in her cheeks rise in embarrassment, so she hurriedly dragged Kakashi to the exit. Ino laughed, and Genma just stared at her, taking in her velvety giggle. She stopped when she noticed the attention she was receiving and turned to look at him. He was smiling captivatingly at her. "Shall we?" he asked, and she nodded.
When they reached her place, Genma announced, "I had a real nice time tonight, Yamanaka. We should do this again" as he stepped closer to close some of the gap between them. Ino felt nervous. Judging by how he had been charming all night, she knew that he wanted more from her, and she didn't want a repeat of what happened with Shisui, so she decided to be honest with him. "Genma… I think you should know there's more to the Itachi thing." She admitted. "I figured, but I didn't want to bring anything up" he admitted in return.
"What was it that you figured?" she asked curiously, and he explained, "Well, you said you 'were' just friends. It sounded like that wasn't the case anymore". She noted how observant he was to details. Ino nodded then disclosed, "I don't think we are anymore. Something happened that made him leave, and I think it would be wrong to lead you on".
"Why would I be lead on if you two were friends but aren't anymore?" he asked confused by her words. Ino didn't want to say this, but she felt she had to do the right thing. Genma was a great guy, and he deserved better than her unavailable heart. "I'm in love with him, but he doesn't love me" she confessed.
Genma's expression morphed into one of understanding, but then he remarked, "Then he's an idiot. I can't say I'm too displeased with that, because unlike him, I know what you're worth, Yamanaka." She looked at him with amazement. He wasn't fazed by her confession. "I think you should give us a chance, Ino" hearing him say her name made her feel a quivering sensation that only intensified when he entwined his fingers into hers. "I don't want to miss out on my chance again" he closed in slowly bringing his face to hers and giving her the chance to move away if she protested the action. But Ino didn't move away. She was being drawn in by the suddenness of his confession, and the charm he exuded all night. His lips sealed onto her own and he planted a soft gentle kiss upon them. When he broke the kiss he whispered just an inch away from her lips, "will you give us a chance to see where this could go?"
