The One Night Henge

Chapter 9

Sakura looked at her henged self in the full length mirror. She was in an elegant black kimono with a cherry blossom tree on the left side, its green leaves and pink flower petals falling off of it and scattering across the rest of the fabric. Her long red hair was pulled up in an intricate knot, sitting at the lower back part of her head and with a matching dark green Kanzashi hair comb and obi.

She smiled at herself. She did look very lovely; she hoped that Sukea thought the same when she saw him at the festival tonight. She thought for a moment about how the colors of the kimono would have made her natural hair and eye color pop, but she frowned at the thought.

She didn't like thinking about herself as Sakura when she was with Sukea; it made her feel too guilty. She didn't like thinking that Sukea might not like her so much as Sakura, or how he might react if he found out she had been lying to him all this time about who she really was.

Two weeks ago on the bridge, she had struggled with herself over those very same thoughts. She wanted to tell him the truth, to tell him everything, but she was afraid. They were too deep in this to turn back.

She had taken the time to put some serious thought into Sukea and her feelings for him. She realized she had fallen for him and him for her. It was still a bit strange to think such a thing, Sakura loved Sukea, and Sukea loved.... Sukea loved Saki. A part of Sakura had become jealous of Saki over this fact. She looked back up and met Saki's light blue eyes.

"I envy you," she whispered to her mirrored self before turning to leave. She would be late to meet Sukea if she didn't get going.

Genma knocked on the door. A moment later it opened and blond hair and blue eyes greeted him.

"Hey there, doll face." He smirked at her.

"Don't call me that, old man," Ino snapped.

"Would it kill you to be nice to me? This is a date, ya know."

Ino scowled at him. "It's not like it's a real date. We are only going to the festival together to work on getting Sakura and Kakashi to drop the act they are putting on."

I guess that answers that question, he sighed to himself. He and Ino had decided that they would try to get Sakura and Kakashi to open up to each other. They'd agreed then that it would be best if it happened sooner rather than later, because the deeper Kakashi and Sakura got, the more it would hurt when the truth came out.

Genma had hoped that spending some extra time with Ino would soften her edges a little. He really did like her better than Niko and in more than one way. But Ino was proving to be incredibly guarded. This was something Genma had hoped to figure out while they were out tonight. "Well, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," she answered as she stepped out of the apartment and turned to close the door. After locking it, she turned back to Genma who had cocked out his elbow for her to take.

She did, and they began their walk to the festival.

They had been walking for about ten minutes, and Genma decided then would probably be the best time to ask the question that had been bothering him for two weeks.

"Hey, Ino?" Genma started.

"Yeah?"

"Why is it that you and Sakura are doing this whole henge thing anyways?" he asked.

"I thought the reason was obvious that night at the bar." She snorted.

"Yeah, I get what you were doing. But what I'm asking is why you're doing it under false identities?" he asked, trying to clarify his question.