Bump Buddies: Take Two

|Part Four|

|YOU|

As soon as we returned home, Kakashi and I brought our prisoner to Ibiki and Inoichi. They took him without question and we were able to head to the administration office to report what happened to the hokage. Which brought us to the situation we were in now.

The hokage sat back and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn't spoken a word since we explained everything to him, and neither Kakashi nor I dared to break the silence.

"Retrieving this man was supposed to lessen my stress going into the exams," he finally sighed, seeming exhausted. "Now it's only made things worse."

I felt bad for him, and a bit guilty even though I knew I had no reason to. There was nothing Kakashi and I could have done to change the outcome of our mission. The hokage thanked us all the same and let us know he will handle it before dismissing us.

Kakashi and I didn't speak as we left. We walked two feet apart without so much as a glance at one another until we were outside. We both stopped and remained comfortably in silence. I wanted to say something. Anything. It was obvious that we both were waiting for the other to take the opportunity, but we didn't get the chance.

"(Y/N)."

I turned when I heard my name and saw Kurenai waving at me with a smile. As she approached I looked back to where Kakashi stood, only to see that he was already gone.

"Are you busy?" She asked.

Not seeing Kakashi anywhere in sight, I shook my head. "No. I'm not."

"Join me for lunch? My treat."

At the mention of food I felt the emptiness of my stomach gnawing at me. Seeing nothing better to do, I agreed.

• • •

We settled on a small sushi bar. The dining area was lined with low tables surrounded with pillows of various colours. A simplistic take on decorating, but I liked it.

We ordered our food and once the waiter was gone we were able to speak freely.

"How are you liking being a sensei?" I asked. "Do you like your team?"

Kurenai smiled softly. "I'm really enjoying it. More than I thought I would. The kids are strong and willing to learn, which makes my job easy enough."

I watched her curiously. Her eyes scanned the room, looking anywhere but at me, and her finger picked at a groove in the tabletop.

"Did you invite me out just to make small talk? Or are you avoiding what you actually want to say?"

Our waiter returned with our food and the conversation paused as he placed the dishes between us. He then filled our glasses with ice water before taking his leave.

Kurenai sighed and played with the condensation on her glass. "I'm avoiding it. It's not something that's exactly easy to say."

I waited and didn't speak.

"I'm seeing someone," she admits. "It's Asuma."

I let the roll I had pinched between my chopsticks fall dramatically to my plate. Staring slack-jawed at my friend.

My reaction gained me a playful glare. "You're a bad actor."

I dropped the facade and gave her a genuine smile. "I know. I had a suspicion for awhile, but figured I'd leave it alone and you'd tell me in your own time."

"How did you know?"

"Like I said, I was only suspicious," I corrected her, stuffing a roll in my mouth. "I always thought the two of you would end up together. The you were always like two peas in a pod, and over the last couple years there was some sort of shift. You guys didn't act like you were walking on eggshells anymore."

Kurenai watched me as I continued to stuff my mouth. She didn't say anything about my explication, and when she did speak she turned the conversation away from herself entirely. "What about you? Anything going on in your love life?"

Kakashi's face briefly flashed through my mind, though I wouldn't call my arrangement with him much of a love life.

"It's nonexistent," I finally said. "I have too much on my plate between work and Sasuke to think about it. But I'm young. I have time."

Kurenai finally picked up her chopsticks to begin her meal. "Sasuke is getting older you know. He has a team to rely on now, and he's only going to grow more independent. You could probably spare some time to explore romance a little."

She let her words hang in the air, hoping they would sink in. I knew they wouldn't, but she didn't need to know that. I was perfectly content with where I was in life. I was being taken care of sexually with no attachment or obligation, with a job I loved and a family I cared for. No matter how small it was.

Kurenai's eyes gazed over my shoulder and a polite smile lit up her face. "Hey you," she greeted someone.

I glanced up as someone approached our table, only to see it was a man. His eyes were a chocolate brown that matched his hair flowing out from under a dark bandana. His face was familiar, but I couldn't tell why or where from.

"Kurenai, it's good to see you," he greets, speaking around the senbon between his teeth.

Kurenai turned to me. Her eyes alight with a mischievous glow. "(Y/N), this is Genma. He's my age, so you may not know him."

It's not hard to see what she's trying to do. Her matchmaking skills were not as sharp as she may think they are.

I smiled up at Genma anyway. "It's nice to meet you."

Genma grinned and bowed his head slightly. "The pleasure is all mine."

We stared at one another for a moment. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I couldn't force myself to look away. His eyes of molten chocolate were fascinating to watch.

"I should let you ladies get back to your lunch. It was good seeing you, Kurenai," he spoke to my friend, then he winked at me. "And it was nice meeting you, (Y/N)."

He walked away and I was left in stunned silence. Were all Konoha men shamelessly flirty? Because the last time I was hit on in any sense of the word was Kakashi, and I now had a sex contract with the man.

"Genma is nice," Kurenai spoke, pulling me from my thoughts. "He's single too, might I add."

I sighed and dropped my chopsticks on the table. She was relentless. "Like I said. I have too much on my plate."

Much to my relief, Kurenai took the hint and let the topic go.

I watched as she ate and my thoughts drifted to Kakashi. Would I be so against seeing Genma if it wasn't for him? It wasn't like we were dating, but a part of me didn't want to let go of what we had. At least not for a man that I had never met before.

It gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach when I thought about it, so I chose not to.
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Since I'm feeling generous (and it was kindly requested) here's a second update. I've been writing like a mad woman recently so why the heck not