As The Falcon Flies By

Chapter 13 - Unstable

(U・x・U)

"Do you like this color more or this one?"

Her pretty nails rested on the two hair colouring products. They had been shopping for over an hour already, but Sakura was enjoying herself immensely. It wasn't often that a kunoichi got to do girly stuff like getting your hair done, getting a manicure and shopping for clothes.

She was enjoying herself, but she wasn't sure if the same could be said of Genma.

She was sure that he wanted to groan every time she asked his opinion on a shade of make-up, like he would've had it still been fine between them, but was holding it in just out of spite.

Two can play that game, Genma.

"Because this one seems a bit darker, but this one is a bit redder. What do you think? I mean, I've got to pop out, without looking tacky."

He sighed. "I literally have no opinion on hair products, Sakura."

"Oh, come now. Of course you do." She put back one of the bottles and dropped three bottles of the other one in her basket.

"But fine, I can decide on my own." She turned towards him, trying her best not to taunt him too much. Problem was, she really, really, wanted to upset him. She rested one hand one the shelves and read the label on the packaging aloud. "Intense Chocolate will make my eyes pop out more."

Then she twirled around slowly and walked on, running her free hand along the countless bottles and boxes.

She hated mocking him, and the childish glee it brought on whenever she saw his eyes darken at a taunt.

It's the only way he shows any damn emotion.

Until he wasn't prepared to treat her like a person worth having a decent conversation with, she wasn't going to stop trying to make cracks in the wall between them. Maybe if she could have him burst out, the wall would finally crack, because she couldn't, wouldn't let him go on with his cold treatment of her. Not when they had a mission to fulfill, with the possible threat of Akatsuki hanging over them.

"Or maybe I should just go for blond." Her singsong voice drifted far due to the high ceilings.

"I've never done that one before."

She heard him walk closer. "And that one would be?"

She smiled and slowed her gait. "The dumb blond, of course."

Twirling, she rounded the corner and walked into the next aisle. This one contained stacks and stacks of make-up.

"Ino would love it here. A whole warehouse filled to the brink with cheap lipstick? Definitely worth another visit, I'd say."

"Yeah, well, it's not open to the general public. And normally not open to us, either. It took me quite a while to even get us in here."

"Oh, don't exaggerate, Genma." She dropped a few more things in the shopping basket and turned back towards him. "It took like five minutes. I was there when you bribed the receptionist, remember?"

In a flash, she was slammed against the shelves, making things tumble around her to the floor.

"Genma, what-"

His hand gripped her face none too carefully, making her stare up at him.

Breathlessly, she dropped the basket. It made a loud noise in the empty aisles, bouncing off the walls until it disappeared and the only noise left was their heavy breathing.

She started into his wide, angry eyes, her heart pounding.

"Don't-"

"You got what you wanted." He ground out. "You pushed me over the brink. So now what, huh!?"

His hand clasped painfully around her shoulders, but she'd be damned if she showed him it hurt.

"Let me go." The metal shelves were digging in her back. He was too close.

Too close. I need space. I can't think like this. I-

"What is it, Sakura? You look a bit shaken up. I thought this was what you wanted?"

"I c-can't breathe."

"Yet I see you breathing. And talking for that matter."

She didn't like this. It didn't fit him. He was just trying to be somebody he wasn't.

He isn't this mean.

The anger in his eyes grew when she didn't answer.

"I'm so sick of all this-"

"Stop!" She pushed him hard, shoving with enough chakra to make him stumble backwards. He fell against the opposite, tall shelves and stayed there, so that they mirrored each other.

"You're a broken record, Genma." She said, hating the way her voice always turned hoarse when she was emotional.

"If you're so sick of me, than go! Just go, but stop moaning!"

"No! You don't get to say that to me. I have every right to be upset."

She gritted her teeth. "For what? For… missing my friend?"

She broke down. An hour of trying to break down his walls, and she'd not only succeeded, she'd also smashed through her own in one blow.

"I'm so tired."

Why am I always crying on this mission?

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Christ, Sakura, don't cry."

She slid down in between the fallen products, covering her face.

Why am I so emotional?

She kept her face covered, bothered that Genma could see this.

Two hand grabbed her wrists, but she used chakra to keep her hands firmly on her face.

"Oh, come on, Sakura. We both know this isn't the first time I've seen you cry."

Gently, he peeled away her hands and she let him. She stared down at her folded legs, contemplating whether it would be worth it to punch him in the face.

"You-"

"Let's not fight anymore, ok?"

She shrugged and sniffed, wanting a tissue desperately.

"Promise me."

She sighed, trying to wipe those tears away, but he still held her hands firmly in his.

"I promise, Genma."

She could see him relax, his strained face replaced by a more tired one.

"Ok, that's good. Now we have to figure this out."

She looked up at him. He was silent, contemplating something and absentmindedly rubbing her hands with his.

"We've been doing this for years, Sakura." He began, swallowing to make his voice clearer, or to give himself time to think. "And the one thing that ensures a mission failure is us not working together."

"I guess."

He was still crouching, looking down on her. It made her uncomfortable, because not a moment ago he had also been looming over her, but with a lot less pleasant expression.

"So for the sake of our safety and for our teammates, a truce?"

She laughed, happy that it had finally come to this.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

He smiled, easing away her fright.

She smiled back, trying to ignore the hiccups from crying.

"Let's make peace offerings."

He laughed. "What…?"

"Once we're back home, I'll get you some nice new senbons and you get me a box of chocolate from that fancy store in the centre of Konoha. You know the one?"

"Hm."

"Then it's a deal?"

He didn't have to hesitate too long to make up his mind, all frustrations disappearing, or at least moved aside for the sake of the mission.

"It's a deal." They shook hands, both relieved at the way things had turned out.

He pulled her up, his face sobering up. "I'm sorry about all this."

She nodded. "I'm sorry for being a crappy friend."

"Me too."

They paused, an unusual awkward silence between them.

"Is this the moment we hug?"

He snorted, his uncomfortable face turning into something more like what it had used to be. "Sure." He said, and enveloped her in his arms.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you orchestrated all of this to make me spend even more money on that chocolatier. They're becoming filthy rich with that appetite of yours."

"Ha! I don't eat that much chocolate!" She said, pushing him away teasingly. "Besides, it just make it easier for people to buy gifts for me. Do you still get socks for Christmas? I don't, no sir!"

He snorted, secretly happy to have some semblance of peace in between them, even if it was a little forced and uncomfortable on both sides.

"Well, now you've made me hungry. Let's finish up here so we can have lunch in town, hm? I've heard they make great grilled red snapper here."

She smiled. "That sounds great. Just help me find a tissue, ok?" She sniffed again, angry with her tear ducts for making her have a runny nose.

He looked left and right, seeing seemingly endless aisles stretch out on either sides.

He sagged, wishing there was done kind of jutsu to help him in this situation.

Grilled red snapper will have to wait, no matter how much my mouth is watering.

Sakura smiled apologetically and started to put back the fallen make-up brushes and other random things in their place.

"The perks of having a truce, huh?" He mumbled, walking away, scanning the countless products for those dratted tissues.

Before turning a corner, he said, "Oh, and Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Get the red hair dye."

Her mumbling reached his ears because of the great acoustics in that room.

"I knew he had an opinion on hair products!"

This was ridiculous. It couldn't be. She didn't know why she was even contemplating it.

Her hands rested on both sides of the sink, steadying her, as she looked in the mirror.

It was the first time in a long while that she had a single hotel room, all to herself. It was strangely quite liberating.

And disturbing.

She had a lot more time to think now, because there simply was nobody to talk to, unless she went looking for them.

These talks she had with her mind sometimes got out of control, as she convinced herself of things or worried excessively.

She usually could keep it all in check, but the last few days had been hard on her. Even with Genma's patch up, things were still bothering her, and that could kill somebody quite easily on a mission like this.

First most were her emotions. It would be all to easy to chalk them up to her recent breakup, but Sakura couldn't stop thinking it was quite unlike her.

Years of training had made it so. The Head of Anbu couldn't just break down like that, yet she found herself doing just that so many times with ease.

She stared down at the bottom of the sink, seeing nothing but that empty packaging and the simple instructions.

Surely the two minutes had passed? She should look. She would have to, eventually.

Might as well get it over with while you're still partially sane, Sakura.

Inhaling deeply one last time, she looked at the pregnancy test. She held her breath as her mind tried to comprehend what she saw. There was only one line on the little stick.

One line!

In other words, she wasn't pregnant.

She left go of the breath she had been holding in.

I'm not pregnant. Not. Pregnant.

She shuddered, frowning at herself in the mirror.

Why would you even think you were pregnant? You and Genma were always so careful.

She growled, annoyed with herself as she threw the test in a bin and washed her hands.

Then what is wrong with me?! My emotions have been practically derailed the last few days.

She held up a glowing hand too her head and scanned with medical chakra for any irregularities, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

She dropped her shaking hands to the sink and turned on the tap, letting the cool water fill her cupped hands slowly. When it spilled over the edges she leaned forward and splashed her face, shocking her system with the cold.

Wake up. It's like you're in a daze. Wake up. Wake up!

Tired, she shook her head. It was no use, her memories kept piling up and cluttering her mind, as if it was tainted with the residue of her past.

She turned off the tap and ran her hands through her hair, not bothering to dry them.

With experienced hands she uncapped the hair colouring bottles and prepared the mixture, then got undressed to get in the shower.

It'll all be fine, just focus on the mission, okay?

(U・x・U)

A/N: You know that jutsu Genma wishes he had? It's something I wish I had too. Just a simple 'accio carkeys' or 'accio sportbag' and my life would be a lot less frustrating. You know what? Give me all the spells. And the jutsus. I'll happily undergo the Mary Sue-makeover, thank you very much. ;)

On another note, sorry about the delay of this chapter. I was on holiday and I had no access to Wi-Fi. I've also started writing another ItaSaku fanfic (yeah!). I don't know if I should post it each week like this one or plan it all in advance, but we'll see.

If you have any comments, constructive criticism, love declarations, holiday greetings, feedback, etc..., please leave them below or send me a PM.

Hope you all had a great holiday, and Happy New Year!