I Swooned Into Your arms and then Ravished you
The losses Konoha had suffered during the war had hit the hospital quite hard, taking away from their already low number of medics. The Peace that had come after had also lulled the village into a calmer state and academy enrollment dropped. And with Peace also came the idea that there was no need to just throw half trained medics into the hospital. With that in mind Tsunade had started to implement higher standards and more classes for aspiring medics. While this was fantastic for their skills, it also drew potential medics into more schooling. Older nurses and doctors were also starting to enroll in these classes to learn more or renew their teachings.
All of this together meant that the hospital was quite understaffed. Sakura as a result, suffered long shifts.
Sakura didn’t truly mind. It was good to work hard, to feel needed and accomplished. But most weeks she left the hospital dead on her feet. She either left due to the fact she was depleted of chakra from some intense operation, or more often, left because she was starting to become a danger to her patients with how tired she was. With how understaffed they were it was no unusual for her not to leave the hospital at all during her work week. She’d often take naps in unoccupied offices, never getting quite enough rest before she was being paged again.
And as said, she didn’t truly mind. What she did mind though, was the fact that when she was finally kicked out of the hospital and told to go rest, she had to drag herself the half an hour long walk home.
The hospital was in an older area of town and as such most of the homes were owned by families that had been there for more than a generation. The few newer apartments tucked in were considered desirable for the quiet family area. So Sakura had never been able to find an affordable place close to the hospital. When she was well rested it wasn’t a big deal. She could take to the roof tops and be home in under ten minutes. But on days when she was exhausted she found herself with a daunting half hour walk.
Sakura was a bit embarrassed to admit she hadn’t always made it home on her own in this state. Usually a patrol found her if it was late at night, or more often Naruto who was the one who often dragged her out of the hospital himself. One time Mitarashi Anko of all people had found her after she had collapsed half way home and carried her the rest of the way. She’d made sure to pay the kunoichi back with a lot of dango.
Sakura blinked her own thoughts away. It was no use to keep thinking of why she was dragging herself inch by inch home. What she should be doing is making sure her feet moved. Because currently they weren’t.
A passing teenager looked at her concernedly but didn’t stop to see if she needed help. Civilians often didn’t bother the ninja simply out of awkwardness. Also, Sakura was realizing she had forgotten to change. She was still wearing her doctor’s coat and a stethoscope. She knew she had forgotten to do something.
Sakura blinked rapidly to try and wake herself up and leaned against the closest surface. The darkness outside wasn’t helping. If it had been the middle of the day and bright she might have been kept awake simply by the blinding light. As it was it must be after midnight because it was quite dark and the streets were empty. The only light came from the small convenience store before her. She debated going in for coffee. But no, she wanted to get home.
“Home is where the heart is,” Sakura told the wall she found herself leaning. “So that means it’s in your chest.”
The wall she was leaning against snorted.
“Are you okay Haruno?”
She stared at the talking wall.
“Walls don’t talk,” she told it sternly. “I may be sleep deprived but even I know that.”
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” the wall asked, voice calm.
“Not allowed in there. They kicked me out,” she told the wall seriously.
She finally looked up and found herself looking into the face of a man. A familiar man. One whose name she couldn’t quite grasp at the moment.
“Oh. You’re not a wall,” she noted.
He raised a brow as if amused and she hesitantly took her hands off his chest. Really, he shouldn’t be so sturdy if he wasn’t a wall.
“Do you need help finding your way home?” the Not-Wall asked, eyeing her.
“No. I know where the way is,” she shook her head.
He chuckled lowly and she looked down at the bag in his hand crinkled as he shifted.
“Do you have coffee?” she asked seriously.
“I think you need sleep more than coffee.”
“I need both,” she said decisively. “But I think you are a bit right. I’m just gonna go to sleep now.”
Then she was tilting to the side and crumpling, out before she even hit the ground.
.--.
Sakura awoke faintly due to the pressing need to use the washroom and not out of any sense of feeling rested. She slid out of the bed, dropping silently to the floor and headed for the bathroom. Then she promptly ran into a wall. She finally cracked her eyes open, fighting the gunk and the gritty exhaustion, to peer in the darkened room. She turned towards the bathroom and ran into a dresser.
“Who put a dresser in my room?” she mumbled, confused.
She had no energy to think on it though, and blindly found the bathroom. After she had finished and had also gulped down some water from the tap she staggered back into the bedroom.
“Awake already Haruno?” someone asked.
“No,” Sakura answered, mostly truthfully as she fell back into the bed.
She limply rolled under the covers and was already half asleep when the sigh echoed followed by the rustling clothes. A hand soon rested against her back, insistent.
“Too tired. Sex later,” She mumbled as she slapped lazily at the hand.
A snort was her reply.
“I need to sleep too Haruno and this is my bed. Move over.”
The hand nudged her again, making her roll closer to the wall. The mattress dipped and someone joined her under the covers. Almost immediately she rolled into him.
“You made the mattress not flat,” She murmured already drifting off again.
Another snort was the reply and Sakura just curled into the warmth of the body beside her was she finally fully succumbed to sleep.
.--.
Sakura sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and trying to crack the kink in her back. Despite the heavy curtains covering the window, sunlight seeped around the edges, casting a faint light across the room. Sakura popped her spine and yawned again. She considered laying back down but knew she wouldn’t get any more real sleep. It would be that sort of hazy drifting that was really just making you overtired and wasted time.
But the bed was so warm and soft. Sakura laid back down and curled in the blankets, giving herself a few minutes of comfort as she enjoyed the silence.
“If you are actually awake, there is food. Or you can use the shower,” a low voice called from through a half closed doorway.
Sakura debated for a moment with herself, then slipped from the bed and padded to the bathroom. A shower sounded like the best option. It would wash away the last vestiges of sleep and the past few days in the hospital. Sakura actually felt the first feeling of embarrassment that she hadn’t had a chance to at least wipe off before crashing in someone’s bed.
When she stepped out of the shower she tugged on the large shirt she had been wearing previously. She eyed the basic blue t-shirt that definitely wasn’t her and which she had no memory of putting on. Then she shrugged and then peeked in the room to find her clothes tossed in a corner. She left the rumpled dirty clothes and headed out of the bedroom. She did indeed find food waiting on the table and wasted no time in falling upon it.
“Thanks,” Sakura said around a mouthful. “For you know, not leaving me on the ground when I collapsed.”
“You’re welcome. It would have been more useful if you could have told me your address before you collapsed.”
“It would have been even more convenient if I had been able to make it home. But we all have to accept sometimes shit happens,” she shrugged. “Also, thanks for letting me crash in your bed. You could have contacted someone to come take me home.”
“I didn’t need it for the first bit, and then it was just as easy to let you stay then track someone down.”
“How long was I out?”
“Close the 16 hours. I had just bought lunch when you collapsed on me so I left you to sleep while I returned to work.”
“Lunch? In the middle of the night?”
“You of all people should understand a shinobi schedule.”
“Fair.”
She let the conversation drop and finished up the food. By the time she had finished, the combination of sleep, shower, and food had her feeling like a real rested human being. She reluctantly returned to the room to pull on her dirty pants and collect her things.
“Mind if I borrow the shirt?” she asked.
“That’s fine.”
“Awesome. I’ll return it after I do laundry,” she said, tugging her shoes on, “Come here.”
He met her by the door as she straightened and he didn’t fight her as she tugged on his collar. His lips met hers and Sakura kissed him softly, but sincerely.
“Thank you for everything,” she smiled. “Can I take you out to dinner?”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said, remarkably calm.
“No. I don’t,” she agreed, “But I still want to take you to dinner. Tomorrow?”
“That would be… acceptable.”
“I’ll pick you up at five then Ibiki.”
Morino Ibiki nodded once and she left with a faint smile.
.--.
Sakura was exactly on time fist raised to knock at Five. Ibiki greeted her calmly and she took a moment to glance at his outfit. He had forgone the trench coat but kept the bandana and standard jonin outfit.
“Do I pass inspection?” he asked dryly.
“Yes,” she grinned, shouldering her purse and moving aside so he could step out and lock his apartment.
He stepped into the hall with her and then looked at her as he finished locking the door.
“I will ask once more if you are sure of this. You owe me nothing.”
Sakura took in his expression and laughed.
“Ibiki, this isn’t about debts,” she said slipping her arm in his, “This is about good company and good food.”
“And I have a reputation you will not escape,” he said, “Even if it is only friendly dinner.”
She snorted and pat his arm.
“And I have a reputation as well. As a kunoichi and as the Hokage’s apprentice. No one will think you are forcing me or I am going along out of fear. They’re more likely to say you’re the one getting fooled by me for some reason.”
He snorted as well but she felt him relax under her hold. Ibiki was head of TI and had a fearsome reputation, and if she were perhaps some nameless genin or chunin they would whisper about how he had intimidated her onto a date, but Sakura was someone with power and no one would claim he could force her to do anything.
.--.
The dinner had been perfectly nice. They’d made small talk and argued about the best way to cook eggs and avoided every mention of IT or the hospital (which was quite hard when that was both of their entire lives pretty much). But they were also on a nice date and both knew you didn’t endlessly complain about work on a date.
When they ended up back on Ibiki’s doorstep, Sakura having insisted on escorting him home to his amusement, Sakura didn’t make any move to leave.
“Are you going to invite me in?” Sakura asked casually, peering up at him through her lashes.
Ibiki paused, suddenly a tad more unsure. After a moment he silently held the door open wide and she slipped in. She set her purse on the table but didn’t removed the tall heels she had been wearing earlier.
“If you really don’t want me here,” Sakura asked as she unbuttoned her shirt, “I’ll leave.”
Ibiki silently watched as she undid her shirt, tugged it out of her skirt and let it hang open over a scarlet bra. Her skirt was neat and pressed and the zipper invisible until she pulled it down.
“Otherwise I’m going to ride you until you pass out,” Sakura said cheerfully.
Ibiki pulled his headband off. And when she didn’t flinch, didn’t stop shimming her skirt off, something like a smile flickered across his hard mouth.
“You think I’m going to let you pin me down?” he asked and it sounded like a challenge.
“Oh honey, you won’t be able to stop me if I want to keep you trapped in bed all night.”
Ibiki licked her teeth and tried to hide the grin as he looked at Sakura in blood red lingerie, still wearing deadly heels and looking at him like a big cat watched a mouse. When he approached her he did so with a straight back that she grinned at. She would probably end up making him bend, but he was going to fight her for that.
Sakura wouldn’t have it any other way.
.--.
Tsunade gave her the flattest look the next day.
“I have here,” Tsunade said slowly, tone poisonous, “A report from Shiranui Genma. Do you know where he lives Sakura?”
“Right next to Ibiki?” Sakura asked, trying to bite back a grin.
“Indeed,” Tsunade said, “And this is a request to investigate a noise disturbance. Apparently someone spent all night banging on his wall and he is ever so worried someone might have been in trouble.”
“Ibiki has a terrible bedframe,” Sakura said unapologetic, “And maybe Genma should mind his own damn business.”
“…Ibiki? Really Sakura,” Tsunade finally sighed, annoyance sloughing off of her.
“You got a problem with it?” Sakura asked cheerfully knowing her mentor really didn’t.
“I liked you better when you actually cared about my opinion,” Tsunade huffed at her.
“Oh I care, but I’ve also learned to recognize teasing,” Sakura beamed at her, “And yeah, Ibiki. He’s quite the conversationalist.”
“Yeah cause you’re definitely banging his headboard all night over conversation,” Tsunade drawled, “Now, go tell Genma his request for an investigation is turned down. And that if he tries to get gossip through mission channels I’ll punt him over the Hokage Monument. Also tell him to mind his own damn business.”
Sakura offered her a lazy salute. Ibiki was more than happy to help her on the ‘mission’ and they both showed up that evening at Genma’s door with a fruit basket and an apology for having such loud and amazing sex right next door to his room.
The combined weight of Sakura’s manic grin, Ibiki’s glower, and the word sex in context between them made Genma mind his own damn business.