Disclaimer: At last, some other characters make an appearance! And guess 
what- i still don't own any of them ^_^;. Kishimoto-sensei is the 
creator and owner of most of the intellectual property used for this 
fic, and i can't say i've been terribly successful in convincing him to 
sell the rights to Sakura and Anko to me for two bags of airline peanuts 
and a broken shoelace. I mean jeez, he never even uses them anymore; 
damn greedy bastard...

Spoiler and Continuity notice: If you don't know how the Chuunin Exam 
turns out, and you don't wanna find out through a fanfic, you may wanna 
consider carefully before reading this fic.

Non-Yaoi Warning: There are boys in this chapter, yeah, but... well, 
read the name of the warning, people ^_^;!

Sexual Humor Warning: Yup, Anko is still likes to embarrass confused and 
impressionable young girls...

And now, right after that exciting chapter... another relatively 
uneventful one. Gomen ;_;! This chapter used to be two chapters: 'Green' 
and 'Breath, Part 1,' but since the first part of 'Breath' works better 
as the end of 'Green,' i combined them and tried to cut out a lot of 
text that felt unnecessary... while at the same time retconing a few 
things that aren't quite true anymore, as of the most recent chapters 
^_^;.

At any rate, i hope it proves to be enjoyable despite it's lack of 
action and excitement. Any comments, criticisms, or speculations you 
might have would be most welcome! Please enjoy the show!

~Eimii





GREEN...





"...Hokage-sama, I don't understand. With Orochimaru involved, I should 
be out helping with security for the third exam."

Though confusion was writ plainly on her face, Anko was careful to keep 
her voice even, out of respect for the wizened man in front of her. "Is 
it because the curse seal has reappeared?" she asked suddenly, unable to 
keep a note of distress from her voice.

The Third raised a placating hand. "Of course not. I have told you that 
this means nothing; you are a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, and you have my 
complete trust."

When Anko relaxed, he added, with a fatherly smile, "Though I _do_ worry 
that you might do something foolish to try and prove your loyalty. I 
have no doubts about your strength, and no need to lose a good 
subordinate over pride and regret."

Had anyone else been present, they would have been shocked by the 
chastened look that flashed across Anko's face. "...Thank you for your 
concern, Hokage-sama," the brunette murmured, lowering her head.

Looking up again after she'd collect herself a bit, Anko faced her 
leader with determined eyes. "But if it's not to keep me from meeting 
Orochimaru, then why am I being removed from security detail?"

At this, the Hokage's expression clouded, and he glanced down at the 
pile of papers on his desk. "I have received some... strange reports, 
regarding your behavior toward a certain first-year genin currently 
assigned to Hatake Kakashi."

Her composure must have frayed visibly, for the old man reddened, then 
coughed behind his hand and shuffled the pages to the side. "Of course, 
I know better than to take rumors at face value, but the records of your 
capture and interrogation of Haruno Sakura are concerning. Given the 
results, it seems inexplicable that she hasn't filed a complaint." He 
gave Anko a questioning gaze.

"Er... I'm not threatening her or anything," she assured him cautiously. 
It went without saying that the Hokage knew how much time she'd spent 
watching Sakura, so there was no use in feigning innocence. "I don't 
think the kid's scared of me, anyway. I'm not sure why she hasn't 
complained."

That was a partial lie; they'd agreed to not talk about _some_ things, 
but that cheeky little monster might still bring her up on charges of 
torture and interrogation without sufficient cause. "If you wish, I'll 
file the complaint myself-"

"I'm not punishing you, Anko," the Third interrupted reassuringly. "If 
Sakura hasn't felt it necessary to complain about your 'eccentricities,' 
then we needn't pursue any formal action." Folding his hands, the 
greatest ninja in the history of Konoha favored his wayward 'daughter' 
with an indulgent smile. "I would, however, like you to try and make 
amends with the girl personally, so I am giving you this opportunity."

Turning his chair to look out the window toward the great stadium that 
would soon host the final stage of the Chuunin Exam. "Besides," he 
continued whimsically, "whether their charges were successful in making 
it this far or not, all instructors are given leave to attend the main 
event with their students..."

"...eh?"





The ring of the doorbell was like the jingle of a jailer's key for 
Sakura, as she knelt over the toilet in the hallway bathroom, breathing 
nauseating fumes and scrubbing with all her might. On the one hand, the 
sound meant a moment of freedom from the drudgery of punishment chores, 
but on the other hand, any number of humiliating fates could await her 
on the other side of that door, depending on who had come to call.

Leaving the brush in the bowl, Sakura stripped off her yellow cleaning 
gloves and wandered out to the foyer. Much to her annoyance, however, 
when she looked to see who it was, she discovered that the person 
outside was holding their thumb over the peephole. That almost certainly 
put them in the 'visitors to ignore' category, but when she turned to 
go, a familiar voice pierced Sakura like a kunai in the back.

"I could feel it when you leaned against the door, Sakura-chan," Anko 
sang knowingly. "Are you gonna let me in, or are you just gonna leave me 
standing out here, pining on your doorstep?"

Releasing a noise halfway between a growl and a groan, the pink-haired 
girl took a few seconds to test if she had some sort of latent psychic 
ability to telekinetically strangle her foes, then reluctantly 
surrendered to the inevitable. Turning only enough to unlock the door, 
Sakura didn't bother to wipe the irritation off of her face as she swung 
it open to admit the bane of her sanity.

"Get in here before Kiba sees you," she commanded, slamming the door 
shut right after the examiner had complied.

Though Anko's face was serious when she entered, a skeptical look seized 
her as she laid eyes on the younger kunoichi. "Damn, kid, the exam's 
gonna start in half an hour. Are you going like that?"

Glancing down at the stained white T-shirt and faded gray sweatpants she 
was wearing, Sakura cast the brunette a bitter scowl. "I'm not going," 
she snapped. The pink-haired girl then proceeded to walk into the living 
room and collapse face-down on the couch. "I'm grounded for a week for 
swearing," she mumbled angrily into a cushion.

"Mom's kinda old-fashioned, huh?" Anko mused with a chuckle, sitting on 
the armrest by Sakura's feet. "Not gonna do any 'training' for a while, 
then?"

Turning her head to the side, the smaller girl glared out of the corner 
of her eye at her tormentor. "I'm allowed to leave for missions and 
stuff, but I have to be with Kakashi or Gai-sensei."

"Does it gotta be those two, or can any of your teachers come get you?" 
Anko pressed, curiosity and a hint of something else coloring her voice.

Folding her forearms under her chin, Sakura faced forward and thought a 
moment before answering. "They're the only ones I mentioned to her, 
though she'd probably let Iruka-sensei come get me," she mused, then 
resumed glaring at her interrogator. "Why do you care? Why are you even- 
OOF! Aaah, get off!" Kicking her legs, Sakura tried unsuccessfully to 
squirm out from under the larger woman who had just flopped over on top 
of her.

"Can't I come over just to spend time with you?" Anko purred, snuggling 
closer.

Sakura managed to turn herself over before getting caught again. 
"@()*&$^! Are you _really_ gay, or just insane?!" she shrieked into the 
examiner's madly grinning face.

"You, of all people, should know what I like, you body-snatching little 
freak," Anko quipped playfully, hugging Sakura's arms to her sides.

The green-eyed girl adopted an exaggerated look of disgust. "Yes, 
unfortunately, I do. Sorry to disappoint you, but my tongue isn't long 
enough for that."

After Sakura had stopped struggling, the jounin loosened her grip a bit 
and placed her lips next to her captive's ear. "We'll just have to work 
on that, then," she promised in a sultry whisper.

Anko didn't resist this time, when Sakura tried to shove her off, 
instead returning to her end of the couch with a laugh. Getting 
comfortable, Anko grinned mischievously at her red-faced victim. 
"Speaking of tongues, did Sakura-chan just earn herself another week 
under house arrest?" she teased in a sing-song voice.

Forcing herself not to retreat further after throwing the jounin off, 
Sakura smoothed out her clothes and shot Anko a caustic look. "I would 
have, if Mom was home, but she's probably at the stadium by now, 
apologizing to Ino for me."

Anko's thin-lipped smile turned into a reptilian leer. "Did you ask her 
to do that, or did she volunteer?"

"...she mentioned it right before she left," Sakura answered 
suspiciously, unsure of where this line of questioning was leading. Her 
unease increased tenfold as Anko stared to chuckle knowingly. "What? 
What aren't you telling me?!"

"Nothing you shouldn't have thought of yourself," the brunette assured 
her. After a moment of fuming silence on Sakura's part, Anko's 
expression abruptly sobered, her face betraying a hint of discomfort 
that Sakura probably would've missed a week ago.

"Actually, I guess there _is_ something I came here to tell you," she 
admitted, "but I know someone who can say it better." Reaching into her 
coat pocket, Anko extracted a small cassette recorder and set it on the 
table, pressing the 'play' button.

'-Okay, could you say that again, Hokage-sama? I don't think she'll 
believe me if I just tell her,' came Anko's surprisingly apologetic 
voice from the tiny speaker on the front of the device.

'I suppose, if you think it's necessary. Ahem-' Sakura's eyes widened 
when the familiar, patient voice of the village leader issued forth.

The Hokage paused for several moments, and when he continued, he had 
assumed the gentle tone of a storyteller. 'Despite all the love and 
support that a busy gardener may attempt to provide, often a small bud 
gets overlooked, and needs individual attention in order to blossom.'

'As the caretaker of this garden, it pains me to see any of my children 
wither in neglect, without ever showing the world their beauty in full 
bloom... and so I entrust this small flower to your care.' Sakura 
shivered involuntarily as she suddenly had the eerie feeling that the 
Hokage's last statement was directed at _her_, but that didn't make any 
sense.

Anko's recorded voice was also somewhat confused, as she cut in after 
the speech. 'That was more... flowery, than before, Hokage-sama.'

'Was it?' The Third wondered with a hint of amusement. 'Well, you'll be 
there. I'm sure she will understand...'

Leaning forward, Anko stopped the recording. "Aaaaaand that's the gist 
of it," she declared emptily, dropping back onto the couch. "Hokage-sama 
wants me to be your tutor- don't ask me why. I mean, you seem to have 
this talent for doing stupid, reckless things-"

"-but you're the _last_ person that could help me with that," Sakura 
finished for her in an equally flat voice, nodding in agreement. "In 
fact, I didn't even have this problem before I met you-"

"-Says the Self-Taught Genjutsu Master," countered the smirking 
brunette.

Sticking her tongue out at Anko, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. 
"It's not like I'm playing with any forbidden techniques; all of my 
experimental genjustu are as safe as anything I learned in the academy- 
except for the one I used on you, and that's because you left me with no 
other choice."

"You could've begged for mercy," Anko corrected sweetly.

"Do you even know what 'mercy' means?" the pink-haired girl asked, 
quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't be so mean," the examiner whined in hurt tones, obviously faking 
it. "It's like, being nice to someone even though they don't deserve it, 
right?"

Sakura had no idea whether that's what Anko really thought, or if the 
woman was just pulling her leg again. "Something like that," she 
admitted generously, "though I have real doubts about your definition of 
being 'nice,' and how you decide whether or not someone 'deserves' it."

"I can show you what I mean by 'nice' right now, if you want," Anko 
offered, giving Sakura a come-hither look.

Rolling her eyes, the young kunoichi stared dispassionately at her 
nemesis. "If I have sex with you, will you stop bugging me about it?" 
she deadpanned.

"Of course not; it's too much fun!" Anko chirped happily. Then she gave 
Sakura a wary glance. "...Unless you were serious?"

"Of course I wasn't serious!" the pink-hared girl snapped. Throwing her 
hands up in the air, Sakura collapsed over the armrest behind her and 
stared lazily up at the ceiling. "...which one of us is Hokage-sama 
punishing, do you think?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, he said he wasn't punishing _me_," Anko mused, also leaning back 
to look skyward, "so it must be you."

"Ugh... I don't wanna think about this right now." It was true that 
having someone _really_ pay attention to her was something she longed 
for. Even with Gai-sensei, she knew that he couldn't afford to spend any 
serious time on her training. She wasn't really his 'student,' after 
all. But with Anko... anything the woman knew about training would have 
come from Orochimaru; it wasn't a comforting thought.

"Well, we don't gotta worry about it today, at least," Anko offered in a 
conciliatory tone.

Straightening, Sakura peered askance at her new 'tutor.' "What do you 
mean?"

"Hokage-sama gave me the day off to take you to watch the third exam," 
the brunette explained simply. "So, are you getting changed, or what?"

For a moment, Sakura's face lit up with hope in spite of her savior's 
identity; she'd get to see Sasuke and Naruto again! Then, with a 
despairing sigh, she deflated like a pricked balloon. "Mom said I can't 
go _anywhere_ 'till the chores get done. She'll probably still get mad 
if she sees me there with you, even if we explain that you're my 
'teacher.'"

"Then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't notice you," Anko 
dismissed with matter-of-fact shrug.

"But the chores-"

Waving her off, the examiner held out a hand "Gimme your arm, kid," she 
commanded.

Confused, Sakura complied, then flinched in shock and pain as Anko 
leaned down and bit her. "OW! Hey! What the hell are you doing, you 
psycho!?"

Slapping away the pink-haired girl's punch, Anko held on for a good 
second before releasing her, leaving Sakura to rub the bright-red 
impression her teeth had made. Anko's upper and lower canines had even 
broken the skin, producing a slow dribble of crimson.

"What was that for?!"

Giving Sakura a silencing glare, Anko formed a series of seals, then 
turned and spat a glob of blood onto the floor.

"Dammit, I just mopped that!"

"OKETSU-BUNSHIN!" As the small spatter of fluid started to smoke, the 
Jounin growled in annoyance at Sakura. "What the hell does it take to 
make you _shut up_?"

"A little warning would be nice!" the younger kunoichi snapped, but her 
attention was now focused on what had emerged from the rapidly 
dissipating white cloud. Where the drops of blood had fallen, there now 
stood a naked clone of _her_. "All that for a bunshin? And why isn't it 
wearing any clothes?"

"It's not just a normal bunshin- it's physical, sort of like a 
kagebunshin, 'cept it makes a copy of the victim instead of the 
creator," Anko corrected proudly, indicating that Sakura should look 
down at her arm. When she did, she noticed a small mark where Anko had 
bitten her, in the shape of the character 'aku,' evil, the first kanji 
in word 'oketsu,' impure blood. "It'll vanish when you deface that seal. 
Now give it your clothes- we have to find you a disguise."

"Disguise?" Sakura queried incredulously.

"You don't wanna use henshin or genjutsu for the _entire_ tournament, do 
you?" Anko quipped with equal skepticism, standing and walking upstairs. 
"And don't forget your underwear."

"We can get it new underwear," the pink-haired girl griped indignantly, 
following right after her.

Anko immediately began raiding Sakura's closet when they got to her 
room. Glancing over her shoulder, the brunette gave Sakura a manic, 
impatient look. "I thought I told you to strip! Here, go in the shower 
and break this." The examiner dropped a small sphere in her hand.

"What's thi-"

"Just do it!"

Grumbling, Sakura stormed into the bathroom, shucking articles of 
clothing along the way. Shutting the shower curtain behind her, she 
peered suspiciously at the item that Anko had given her. It looked like 
a tiny smoke bomb. *What on earth...?* It seemed unlikely that the 
Jounin would do anything _this_ elaborate just to trick her, so, with a 
nervous gulp, she threw the pellet at her feet.

A pillar of sparkling mist puffed up to engulf her immediately. Sakura 
wasn't sure whether she should be holding her breath or not, but the 
cloud didn't seem to irritate her lungs, so she breathed shallowly. When 
she could see again, the first thing she noticed was that her skin had 
taken on a slightly bronzed tone. *Hmm... must be some sort of disguise 
tool.* Sakura normally didn't tan well, so she was a little anxious to 
see what she looked like. Pulling aside the curtain, she turned to the 
mirror. "...What the @*&$)(^?!"

"Something wrong?" Anko poked her head in through bathroom door, then 
immediately had to snort back a laugh.

"Damn straight something's wrong!" Sakura roared, pointing at the 
mirror. "My hair is _green_!" Indeed, gone were the striking locks the 
color of cherry blossoms that the younger girl had so prided herself on. 
In addition to gaining an unruly defiance of gravity, her hair had 
turned an similarly shocking and much less becoming shade of verdant 
forest green. "This isn't funny! _GREEN_?! What were you thinking?!"

"I-" choking back another chuckle, Anko started again. "I've never seen 
it do _that_ color before- I didn't even know it could. But then, I've 
never met a 'natural pink' before, either. Only you, Sakura-chan..." 
shaking her head, Anko ducked back into the hall.

"Explain, please," Sakura demanded, stomping after Anko back into her 
bedroom. The clone was there as well, sitting on the bed and dressed in 
her discarded T-shirt and sweats already. Her underwear wasn't in 
evidence either, the neo-green-haired girl noticed.

"It's a quick-fix disguise capsule; changes your skin tone, hair color, 
and scent," Anko explained merrily. She seemed to be enjoying the hell 
out of Sakura's displeasure, as usual. "It's for emergencies, so there's 
only one kind, but it can do all sorts of colors, depending on what you 
originally looked like. I've got no idea how it works, but you always 
look different afterward... but usually not _that_ different."

Crossing her arms, Sakura gave the easily amused Jounin an exasperated 
glare. "How long am I stuck like this?"

"Three, maybe four hours; not that long, but enough to get through the 
exam," the taller woman assured her. Then, backing away, Anko gave her a 
peculiar look. "...Sakura, turn to the side a bit, and cover your 
mouth."





"NO WAY! Absolutely not- I am _not_ going outside like this!"

"But Saaaakura-chaaaan, it's _perfect_!"





S   U   I   R   E   N





"Crap! I'm late! Dammit, Akamaru, why didn'cha wake me up sooner?!" 
Storming out of the gates of the Inuzuka compound, Kiba pulled a hard 
left and started sprinting down the road that led to the ninja academy. 
He'd promised to meet Hinata there that morning, so they could walk to 
the stadium together.

The floppy-eared puppy bouncing along in the hood of Kiba's jacket let 
out an indignant yip, stating in no uncertain terms that it wasn't _his_ 
fault that Kiba was such a heavy sleeper. Akamaru also growled a few 
choice guesses as to why Kiba was so hot to see the soft spoken, 
medicine-smelling girl that morning.

Going red, the fanged boy vainly tried to glare back at his 
wise-cracking passenger. "I'm not gonna do _that_! Hinata ain't that 
kinda girl, she'd nev-OOF!" Distracted as he was, Kiba didn't even see 
who he'd hit before he was sprawled unceremoniously on his behind. 
Putting a hand back to steady himself, he looked up angrily. "Ouch! Hey, 
watch where you're go...ing..."

The words died on Kiba's tongue when the figure standing over him cast 
him a withering glance. The stranger's piercing violet eyes flashed 
dangerously as he gripped the wall for balance, and while the lower half 
of his face was hidden by a billowing black scarf, Kiba could fairly 
feel the sneer of contempt that graced the man's lips.

Judging from his lack of a forehead protector and the long sword that 
hung at his side, he was probably a kenshi bodyguard for some customer 
attending the exam exhibition. The palpable hostility was another good 
indicator; as they shared the same client base, there was generally 
little love lost between ninja and swordsmen for hire.

Pushing himself upright, the man adjusted his peony patterned white 
kimono, which was draped loosely over a pair of beaten, faded blue jeans 
and a gray undershirt. This haphazard choice of clothing, combined with 
his tanned skin and the shock of dark green hair that crowned his head, 
lent him a rebellious air, but his silent, menacing glare was so sharp 
that Kiba swore he could almost feel a blade at his throat.

Scrambling to his feet, the fang-toothed boy reflexively backed away a 
step. "Hey man, what's your problem? Chill, alright. It was just an 
accident..." In spite of himself, Kiba started sweating as the kenshi's 
hand brushed open his kimono and began drifting toward the hilt of his 
weapon.

"Um... look, I'm sorry, okay? I gotta go now! Bye!" Sketching a hasty 
bow, the Inuzuka heir turned tail and fled, barely even registering 
that, by comparing their heights and builds standing up, the man was 
actually a little smaller than himself.






"...Wow, Kiba actually apologized. I guess there really is a first time 
for everything." Reaching down to adjust the sword hanging at her hip, 
which had been jostled by the impact, Sakura peered down the half-open 
front of her kimono, and was suddenly struck by a crushing pang of 
depression. *He just called me 'man.'*

At first, the faux green-haired girl had been incensed when Anko 
suggested that she cross-dress, especially considering the way the 
jounin had pitched the idea. *'You don't got much to hide, anyway!' 
Goddamn exhibitionist cow...*

Once Anko had figured out that the younger kunoichi was sensitive about 
her own slow development, the examiner had taken every opportunity to 
point out that Sakura was still built more like a boy than like an 
attractive, fully developed woman such as herself. Sakura had finally 
agreed to try it out in the hopes that she could get Anko to shut up.

When she'd first put on the costume, she'd hardly have called it a 
'disguise' at all. Everything had come out of her own closet, and to 
_her_ eyes she'd still looked like an unfashionably dressed girl, even 
with the scarf covering most of her face.

In disguise training at the ninja academy, however, they'd been taught 
that how you wore clothing was more important than what it looked like, 
and with a little posture and attitude coaching, even Sakura had to 
admit that she could cut a pretty masculine profile (at least compared 
to most boys her age). If she carried herself like a belligerent foreign 
swordsman, hopefully nobody would suspect that she was actually cute 
little Sakura in disguise.

Her 'aura of intimidation' definitely helped as well. She'd _never_ seen 
Kiba back down that fast before, and all she'd done was glare at him. *I 
can't believe I didn't think of it before.*

The technique functioned a lot like her 'cloaking' genjutsu, but in 
reverse. Instead of 'suppressing' her presence in her victims' minds, 
the technique 'enhanced' it instead. With a little tweaking, Sakura was 
sure she could use it to provoke other kinds of reactions as well.

But she was getting ahead of herself; as matters stood, it was fortunate 
that she'd been able to figure it out on her own using a technique she 
already knew, because Anko's explanation had _really_ sucked. *I should 
just make her draw a picture next time. At least that way, she wouldn't 
have to speak...*

She'd have to worry about her 'teacher's' professional failings later, 
however. Cinching her belt a notch tighter to keep the sword from 
swinging around so much, Sakura began hustling along the road toward the 
stadium. She and Anko had agreed on a section to meet up at, since it 
would be suspicious if they arrived together, and then Sakura had given 
her clone its duties and departed. Anko would be leaving a few minutes 
after her.

Sakura managed to make the rest of the trip without further incident, 
but finding somewhere to sit proved to be rather more difficult. When 
she arrived, their rendezvous point was already pretty much packed to 
capacity, and in the end Sakura was forced to stand in the walkway 
behind the bleachers and wait, praying that Anko would arrive soon so 
they could find seats elsewhere.

Leaning against the rear wall in what she hoped was a cool and aloof 
pose, the green-haired kunoichi scanned the crowd for people she knew. 
Not coincidentally, the first familiar face she noticed was Ino's.

The blonde was sitting near the front of the gallery across from them, 
and was surrounded on all sides by an unusually large number of empty 
seats. Giving nasty glances to anyone who tried to sit near her, Ino was 
like a solitary island of quiet brooding amid a sea of excitement and 
anticipation.

*Well, I guess she's still mad at me. I wonder if mom's talked to her 
yet.* Felling a little exposed in spite of her 'disguise,' Sakura took 
another look around to see if her mother was anywhere nearby.

To Sakura's relief, the Haruno matron either hadn't arrived yet, or had 
already come and gone. When the green-haired girl returned her attention 
to her unhappy rival, however, a premonition of doom descend upon her. 
*...@_)*&$! What if she told Mom she thinks I'm gay?!*

No wonder Anko had been so amused. *That sadistic bitch! She could've 
told me!* But would Ino _really_ say something like that to her mother- 
and, more importantly, would her mom believe it?

Feeling mildly ill, the cross-dressing kunoichi levered herself off of 
the wall and started walking toward the exit, intending to go over and 
ask Ino herself, secrecy be damned. *I've gotta put a stop to this 
before Sasuke hears about it! It's hard enough to make him notice me 
without him thinking that I like _girls_!*

"I think it's a little late to kill her now," Anko mused thoughtfully as 
she sidled up behind her 'student,' placing a consoling, restraining 
hand on Sakura's shoulder. With a shake of her head, the jounin breathed 
a heavy sigh. "Saw your mom on the way over; she didn't look happy, but 
I suppose stuff like this always seems worse when you gotta find out 
from someone else, y'know?"

"Stuff like what?! We're not doing anything that I need to hide!" the 
shorter girl growled under her breath, testily shrugging off Anko's 
hand.

"Of course we ain't!" the brunette agreed, smiling supportively. "You 
shouldn't have to hide the way you are. I still think your friend's just 
jealous, and I'm sure we can make your mom understand."

Rounding on the examiner, Sakura pinned Anko with a reproachful glare, 
but bit her tongue. *Aaargh! Ino's got the wrong idea because you keep 
saying stuff like _that_,* she fumed to herself, well aware that Anko 
was teasing her in the hopes that she'd say or do something stupid, 
which the evil woman would then proceed to tease her about even more.

*It's like I'm back at the academy, but she's a bigger pain than Ino 
ever was!* But then, Ino only teased her because they were both after 
Sasuke, and Sakura knew that their mutual mocking and one-upmanship 
wasn't meant to be genuinely hurtful. It was a friendly rivalry, despite 
how determined each of them was to come out on top.

*...At least, I _hope_ we're still friends,* Sakura corrected unhappily. 
Ino had seemed awfully upset when she'd fled the hospital last night... 
but why? Hadn't she said that she didn't care about the 'lesbian' thing- 
that she was just worried, and sad that Sakura hadn't 'trusted' her?

If that was true, then why had Ino recoiled from her touch? Was it 
because of how she'd lost control during the fight? *I wish I knew what 
she was thinking,* the young kunoichi mused with a troubled sigh.

"Oi, something wrong?" Glancing up, Sakura found her co-conspirator 
peering at her quizzically. Placing a hand on her hip, Anko gave her 
charge a concerned but impatient look. "Is this seriously bothering you 
that much?" the tall kunoichi prodded in what was probably a 'gentle' 
fashion, for her. "Jeez, you kids are way too sensitive. I can't 
remember ever being _that_ insecure, when I was your age."

"That's a lie, and you know it," Sakura countered, giving a jounin a 
half-hearted smirk. Thus far, she didn't have any of Anko's childhood 
memories to go on, but she was betting it was a fair bluff, judging from 
the way the woman felt about Iruka. She knew she'd hit the nail on the 
head when the briefest flash of mortification lit Anko's face before the 
jounin managed to don her usual mask of dangerous ease.

"And I'm not being insecure," the green-haired girl retorted, not giving 
her tormentor a chance to argue. She continued, in a more introspective 
tone, "I don't care if she thinks I like girls, or if she told my mom, 
or whatever- I just don't want her to hate me. Ino was the first friend 
I ever had..."

At last, Anko seemed to understand how deeply this was troubling her, 
for the brunette's expression softened. With a reluctant sigh, she 
turned away. "Fine, we can talk to her about it- but later. It looks 
like they're getting ready to start." She pointed down to the center of 
the arena, where the remaining chuunin candidates were lining up in 
front of the ministers' box. "Lets go find somewhere to sit."

Nodding slowly, Sakura waited for a few moments before following the 
older woman around to the next section of bleachers. *Okay, I guess it 
can wait a little longer. All I have to do is get Ino to listen, and I'm 
sure everything will be fine.*

Still, she had lingering doubts about Anko's ability to resist another 
opportunity for more 'harmless' mischief. Forcing herself to look down 
at the genin standing at attention in the middle of the round below, 
Sakura attempted to put her worries aside for the moment.

*Naruto certainly looks fired up, as always,* she mused ruefully, a 
small smile crossing her face as the orange-clad boy stormed in at the 
last moment, *...but where's Sasuke?* The bandaged-swathed Sound nin was 
also missing, Sakura noted, but that wasn't so much of a concern to her.

Sakura watched until everyone but Naruto and Neji had cleared the field, 
but still, the dark-eyed boy failed to appear. *I hope he's alright. 
Dammit, If Kakashi let something happen to Sasuke, I'll never forgive 
that broom-head.*

Frowning worriedly, the green-haired girl folded her arms in the sleeves 
of her kimono and let her feet carry her over to the empty place beside 
Anko. Plopping down with the aplomb she judged appropriate for a young 
punk kenshi, Sakura slouched low in her seat, splaying her legs lazily 
with one foot in the aisle.

"Hey, watch the knees, buddy," Anko snapped in mock anger, a faint smirk 
on her lips.

Sakura simply grunted contemptuously, favoring her instructor with a 
evil eye potent enough that, while Anko remained seemingly unfazed, the 
Hidden Rain genin sitting on the other side of her practically crawled 
into his teammate's lap to get away. *Huh, it's those guys again.*

When the one in the row in front of them turned around to see what the 
commotion was, Sakura tried to mimic the gleefully sadistic look that 
the woman beside her so often wore. It probably wasn't as effective as 
it could have been, since he couldn't see her mouth, but she still 
nearly sent him tumbling over the railing at the front of the bleachers.

*Hehehe, this is kinda fun- OW!* Resisting the urge to rub her abused 
shin, Sakura glared at her companion once more. Anko was standing up 
now, peering expectantly at the kunoichi in disguise as if she wanted to 
get past.

*Where are you going? The fight's about to start,* Sakura asked with her 
eyes, to which the brunette responded by mouthing the word 'bathroom.' 
Frowning, Sakura made a show of reluctance before moving her legs to let 
Anko by.

Looking around again, she found that the examiner's departure had 
precipitated a small exodus, as nearly everybody around her had moved a 
seat or two farther away. *...well, at least I won't have to save her a 
space,* Sakura mused thoughtfully, turning back to the drama that was 
unfolding below.





"Going somewhere? 'Fight's gonna start in a minute..."

Freezing in her tracks, Ino turned around slowly, clenching her jaw at 
the sight of the mesh-and-leather clad kunoichi standing just inside the 
stadium gates. Ino hadn't expected to see Anko here with Sakura absent.

Casually, she repositioned herself to face the jounin with her right 
side, conscious that her left arm was still in a sling. "Can I ask what 
business it is of yours, sensei?" she queried, though the hint of anger 
in her voice made it almost sound like a demand, rather than a question.

Smirking, Anko started walking closer, hands stuffed in her coat 
pockets. "I wanted to talk to you; you got a minute?"

Ino tensed involuntarily as the older woman approached, but held her 
ground. *Dammit, get a grip! She not gonna kidnap me and turn me into a 
lesbian or something!* Forcing her body to relax, the blonde favored the 
brunette with a contemptuous scowl. "I was going to Sakura's house, to 
ask her mom to at least let her watch Sasuke's fight; _I_ know how much 
she was looking forward to seeing him again..."

Quirking an eyebrow, Anko stopped a few feet away from Ino and peered at 
her speculatively. "...Feeling guilty about getting her into more 
trouble with her mom?" the examiner guessed.

"Of course not! I didn't tell her anything that wasn't true!" the 
injured genin protested. All she'd said was that Sakura hadn't been 
acting like herself lately.

She'd considered saying more, but even after a sleepless night spent 
pondering the situation, Ino had been unable to sort out how she felt 
about her rival's recent behavior... but how did Anko know that she'd 
spoken with Sakura's mom? *She's been watching me!* Narrowing her eyes 
suspiciously, Ino cast Anko an accusing glare. "If anyone should be 
feeling guilty, it's you! I'm not sure what you're doing, but-"

"We're not really having sex, you know," the tall woman cut in flatly.

"Huh?" Blinking in confusion as part of her anger evaporated, Ino stared 
disbelievingly at the jounin. "But you-"

"Oh, we've kissed a few times, held hands and stuff; horsed around a 
bit," Anko admitted with a hint of amusement, "and I guess I've seen her 
naked, but that ain't such a big thing. Heck, you've known her forever, 
right? I'll bet you've seen more than me."

The woman grinned at Ino suggestively, chuckling at the scandalized look 
on the blonde's face. "I know I kinda gave the impression that there was 
more to it, but there ain't. I was just having too much fun teasing her. 
She's still not comfortable with the whole liking girls thing, and she's 
so cute when she's embarrassed... but we're not lovers or anything like 
that. Actually, I think she's already got someone else she likes."

Anko let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing in a more 
serious tone. "And for your information, I talked to her this morning." 
The levity vanished from the jounin's face as she gazed in displeasure 
at the younger kunoichi. "She was more upset that _you're_ still mad at 
her than she was about missing the fight."

Unable to hold her accuser's gaze, Ino turned to stare at the ground. 
She'd lied before, when she said she wasn't feeling guilty, though it 
wasn't because of anything she'd told Sakura's mother.

At around two AM her paranoia had finally worn itself out. Still unable 
to sleep, Ino had again tried to figure out why Sakura hadn't told her 
she was a lesbian. The possibilities didn't seem so sinister or uncaring 
anymore, now that she was thinking about it with a clearer head.

Sakura probably hadn't realized it until recently, and wanted more time 
to sort out her feelings- with good reason, the blonde girl had to 
admit. Ino certainly could have been more understanding about it when 
she found out. Having Anko confirm her sin of insensitivity left Ino 
feeling like even more of a heel than before. She had to remind herself 
that she still had grounds for complaint.

"How- how am I supposed to feel about how she was acting, then?" the 
blonde retorted haltingly. "She was like a completely different person 
during our fight, and then she played some weird trick on me afterward 
so everyone thinks _I'm_ the one that's going nuts!"

"That's something she can't help," Anko replied, though not harshly. 
"When I... became interested in her, she was studying a lot, to get 
strong enough to fight you- mind control genjutsu mostly; dangerous 
stuff," the jounin explained gravely, a troubled frown on her face. "She 
tried something really stupid and reckless. It left her kinda messed up 
in the head."

"Is- is she alright?" Ino pleaded, going pale as concern eroded away her 
lingering ire.

The older woman nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think she's got it mostly under 
control, now," Anko assured her, eliciting an unconscious sigh of relief 
from the blonde. "Sakura-chan's just gotta be careful not to get too 
exited- she gets kinda wild when she does.

"I doubt she expected it to act up during the fight though, or else she 
probably wouldn've called you out," the jounin continued, then added, 
with a wry smirk. "You're both lucky I was there to stop her. I think 
maybe she was getting a little frisky at the end, there."

"Gah!" Her ears burning, Ino suddenly realized what Anko had been 
insinuating earlier, when she speculated that Sakura liked someone else. 
"I'm not- I don't- I don't like her like that!" Ino sputtered 
plaintively. "She's just my friend!"

"Yeah, yeah- you think she doesn't know that?" the jounin prodded. "And 
she wants to stay your friend, even if she can't be anything else, so 
try to be nice, okay?" The brunette flashed Ino a wide grin that was 
equal parts friendly and threatening, then pulled her hand out of her 
pocket to glance at her watch. "By the way, shouldn't you be going? The 
Uchiha kid's fight is second on the card, and if the Hyuuga's still 
fighting that loud-mouthed brat, I doubt he will be for much longer."

"Ah!" That's right- she'd been going to get Sakura so they could watch 
Sasuke's fight! The pink-haired girl's place was six blocks away, 
though, and she still had to convince Sakura's mom to let her go. *I've 
gotta hurry!* The blonde nodded and turned to leave. "I... thanks. I'd 
better go"

As she was rushing off, Anko's cheery, sing-song voice reached her once 
more, loud enough that they probably heard it back in the stadium. "HAVE 
FUN ON YOUR DATE!"

"AAAAARGH!" Face glowing like a brand, Ino slapped her hand to her eyes 
and tried to run faster. *Dammit, what the hell does Sakura _see_ in 
that woman?!*





To be continued... 


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