Written for Femslash February 2020.

Rated M for suggestive content. There's no actual sex, but there is a sexual situation. This fic also contains a description of a gynecological exam and mentions of assault.

Please don't read if you're under 18 or you're sensitive to this type of content.

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Closer Look

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Becoming a shinobi of Konoha was a harrowing, long process. It took Karin a week of intense, many times invasive questioning, combined with being subjected to a variety of tests, some within reason like skill evaluation, some downright embarrassing (having her privacy invaded by a body search wasn't something she wanted to do again) before she was finally accepted to join the ranks of the Hidden Leaf by the new Hokage's decision. All that was left was a check-up in a hospital and she could report for active duty starting tomorrow.

As much as Karin tried to hide it, she was overjoyed. This was a moment she turned over the new leaf in her life. No longer would she need to hide underground like a rat, surrounded by scruffy low lives and criminals. She would have a respectable occupation, with people who appreciated her abilities, and a warm, loving place to come home to. It was monumental. It was beautiful.

It was about to be ruined by some stupid, bureaucratic pig who found something wrong with her paperwork, making her late to the appointment at the hospital.

In the end, the supposed error was entirely on the pig's side, which only further aggravated Karin. She rushed out of the Hokage tower in a hurry, cursing under her breath, her sandals clacking on the pavement in a staccato rhythm, and burst into the hospital lobby like a red hurricane, startling the few people present.

"I had an appointment!" Karin gasped out, slapping her hands on the reception desk.

"A-A moment, please," the young, mousy girl behind it stammered, clearly taken aback by such a tumultous entrance, then checked her files. "Karin-san, right?"

"Yes!"

"Ah... I'm sorry, your doctor already left. You can make another appointment for tomorrow," the receptionist informed her.

"What?! I can't wait that long! Can you get someone else for me?"

"I'm sorry, all the other medics are busy. You need to come tomorrow."

Karin clenched her fists and glared harshly. "Did I stutter? I need to have this check-up done today! And you. Will. Personally. Make sure. I get one!" she said, jabbing her finger at the poor receptionist, who began sweating.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's impossible!"

"I'll show you what's impossible," Karin sneered. "Where's your superior? I want to talk with him. I should really tell him about how unhelpful you are to the patients."

"Bu-But! You-you can't do that! I was trying to help, but you didn't listen! " the girl protested, looking close to tears.

Karin gave her a haughty look. "You're purposefully keeping me from getting a vital examination, which I need to be done today, not tomorrow! I stated this several times, but you ignored me! Who isn't listening, huh?"

The receptionist reddened and opened her mouth to retort, when a new person joined the fray.

"What's going on in here?"

Even before Karin turned her head, she had already recognized the unmistakable thrum of chakra as belonging to only one person – Haruno Sakura, the woman who once saved her life, long time ago in the Iron Country. And, lo and behold, there she was – dressed in an unbuttoned lab coat over a crimson top and a pencil skirt, hands on her hips as she awaited some sort of explanation for the ruckus created in her domain, those clear green eyes narrowed.

Karin unconsciously swallowed.

"Sakura-sama, this patient is completely unreasonable!" the receptionist exclaimed in audible relief, gaining confidence with the appearance of the medical jonin, then launched into the tale of her debacle with Karin, who meanwhile crossed her arms, puffing up in annoyance.

"And then she refused to just make an appointment tomorrow! Please, tell her that there's really no one free today who could do that check-up!" the girl finished with her whining to Sakura, who nodded.

"I see. I'll take care of this," she reassured the girl. Then she caught Karin's gaze and smiled. "Come, Karin-san, I'm free at the moment, so I can conduct your exam."

The redhead jolted, hope and surprise mixing on her face. "You-you really can?"

Sakura chuckled. "Of course. We're old friends and I heard you're going to become a Konoha ninja, right? I'll personally make sure you're fit for duty."

Ignoring the receptionist, who was gaping like a fish out of water, Sakura swiped her new patient's file off the desk and walked to the stairs briskly, Karin following close behind, a bit too taken aback to wonder how the medic knew about her current affairs in the village. Though when it occurred to her, she supposed as the Hokage's student, Sakura knew a lot about the daily goings-on in his office.

"We're friends? Since when?" the redhead blurted out when they were out of earshot of anyone roaming the hospital hallways, then instantly got embarrassed as she realized that she should have thanked the rosette, not question her choice of words. It probably meant nothing, anyway. For all she knew, in Konoha anyone you saw around was called a friend. No big deal.

Sakura furrowed her brow.

"Well, we met some time ago, you saved my life and helped a lot during a war, so I thought it counts as being friends. Um, I'm sorry if I was too familiar with you, Karin-san."

"Just Karin is fine," she said without thinking. "What do you mean 'I saved you'? From what I remember, it was the other way around. Without you there, I'd be dead."

"Well, if you didn't warn me about Sasuke, I'd be dead, too," Sakura explained with a disarming, sad little smile. "So, does this mean you agree that we're friends?" she asked sneakily.

"I... I guess we are," Karin admitted.

Sakura beamed at her. "Great! Then you can also call me just Sakura, Karin."

"Alright... Sakura," the redhead said slowly, testing the name on her lips. It sounded... nice. Karin was strangely okay with the fast familiarity with this woman. Maybe because of all those pretty smiles shot her way?

Sakura ushered her into the exam room, which she locked behind them, explaining that it was for their privacy. They didn't need a nurse – or worse, a male ninja, like one of her teammates – barging in on them in the middle of the physical. Karin wholeheartedly agreed. She'd had enough of people trampling over her dignity at the interrogation department. Sakura's thoughtfulness was very appreciated.

Sakura settled at the desk and took a look through Karin's file, while the kunoichi sat on the chair across and took in the sights. Among various medical equipment, her attention was caught by the leather chair with stirrups to hold up the legs. All it needed were the restraints and it would look just the same chair Kabuto used to experiment on female subjects back in Sound... Karin shuddered and tried to forget the memories of these dark times, when she'd had to assist in the unethical medical practices.

"Are you feeling alright?" Sakura asked, noticing the paleness on Karin's face.

One look at the rosy-haired medic helped the kunoichi ground herself in the present. She was not in Sound, she was in Konoha, with Sakura. Safe.

"Yes," Karin breathed out, mentally berating herself to get a grip. She didn't want to freak out in front of Sakura, not when her instatement as a ninja of Konoha hinged on this one single visit. It wouldn't do if she was forced into a psychological treatment just before reaching her goal.

Sakura didn't press her, for which Karin was thankful. She reminded herself that it wasn't another interrogation, just a medical exam. They were even practicing doctor-patient confidentiality.

"So, how is your life going in Konoha? Do you like it here?" Sakura picked a typical conversation starter.

"I guess. It's really warm and sunny," Karin said with a shrug. "I could get used to it." The words slipped out, revealing a bit too much, but Karin didn't regret it as she was rewarded by another smile.

The two kunoichis chatted for a while about life in Konoha. Even though Karin knew that it was meant just to ease her nerves and get her to relax, she sensed the genuine curiosity behind the medic's tone. Sakura sincerely wanted to know about her personal life and that's why, despite the natural shinobi inclination to keep things to yourself, Karin responded in kind. She shared her favourite places (the park near the Academy and the okonomiyaki stand) and a few other little tidbits of her limited experience in the village.

Finally, Sakura gently steered the talk back to the medical field.

"I took a look at your files and most of them are complete, so this won't take too long. All I need to do is check your eyesight and perform gynecological exam. Is that alright with you?"

The kunoichi stiffened at the mention of the second test. She'd had only unpleasant memories of the few times her private parts had been checked. She stared at her lap, hands clenched and anxiety rising.

"Karin?" Sakura asked with concern and the redhead looked up. Sakura delicately touched her arm, just a brush of fingers, but it was warm and reassuring. "I promise it will be quick. If for any reason you'll want me to stop, just tell me and I'll stop. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. My patient's well-being is of the utmost importance to me. Okay?"

The women locked eyes. Sakura's expression was open and truthful and Karin's unique chakra-sensing ability told her the medic didn't lie, didn't try to trick her. A wave of relief flooded her along with a new confidence. The kunoichi nodded firmly in sign that she understood and accepted Sakura's words.

"Okay." Karin swallowed. "Good to know there are medics who do their job right," she commented bluntly, then wished she could take it back. She got embarrassed that she said too much, but Sakura didn't question it.

"Don't worry, we have only professionals here. We would never hurt our patients, physically or mentally," she just said, then scowled. "Well, unless they're morons who try to escape from the hospital and open their injuries again. We have absolutely no mercy for them," she added, injecting humour into her voice.

To her own surprise, this prompted a chuckle from Karin, who had heard all about the Konoha hero's prolonged stays in the hospital. "Good thing I'm not stupid like that," she remarked slyly.

"Yes, that's the most fortunate for both of us." Sakura smirked with a charming twinkle in her viridian eyes, then stood up. "Let's get started with your eye check-up."

She walked to the eye chart which was hanging on the wall and had Karin take off her glasses and try to read the letters. After that, she brought a chair next to her patient and sat down, their knees practically touching.

"I'll do a quick chakra scan. It might tingle a bit," she warned, putting her fingers on Karin's temples and sending the diagnostic chakra into the eyes and optical nerves.

She didn't lie, there was a tingle, but not only in the head. The gentle touch and comforting feeling of the woman's chakra caused a little wave to ripple through Karin's body and settle in her stomach. Sakura's face was so close to her, with eyes shut as she concentrated on the examination, and her intoxicating scent breezed over Karin, who inhaled once sharply and closed her eyes to identify the pleasant smell. She couldn't quite place it, then it clicked.

"Is that... the lavender toilet water from the Flower Country?" she blurted out.

"Yes, how did you know?" Sakura asked, astonished at the astute observation from her patient.

"I love collecting perfume. It's my hobby," Karin told her with pride. "You've got good taste, the Flower Country produces the best scents."

"Thanks," Sakura smiled. "I've got no expertise, so I just bought what I thought smelled the nicest."

"That only means you've got a talented nose," Karin complimented in earnest.

"Thank you," Sakura replied with a hint of blush. "And done," she declared cheerfully, finished with the chakra scan. Instead of moving her hands right away, she lingered for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" Karin asked.

"No, no! It's just..." Sakura hesitated. "I just really love your hair colour. We don't have many red-haired people in Konoha, and your shade is very vibrant. I'm a little jealous," she said, self-consciously playing with the ends of her own short pink locks, wrapping it around a finger and releasing.

"Why? Your hair is beautiful. Trust me, I've never seen anyone with pink hair and I've been all around the Elemental Nations," Karin said impulsively, but this time she didn't regret it as she observed with satisfaction the small blush which appeared on Sakura's cheeks. It seemed she wasn't used to being praised for her looks. Well, so we're on the same boat, Karin mused, feeling also a bit flustered.

"Thanks," Sakura murmured, then quickly pulled away, going straight to the desk to write a few short notes in Karin's file. "Your sight defect isn't getting worse. If you'd like, I could correct it for you. This way, you wouldn't have to wear glasses anymore."

"You... you could do that?" Karin asked, utterly surprised at the opportunity presented.

"Mhm, it's a delicate procedure, so not every medic has the confidence to do it, but I have a lot of experience with healing eyes. We could schedule the next appointment sometime next week."

"Wait," Karin held up her hand. "Is it going to cost me extra?"

"What? No," Sakura chuckled. "You'll be a Konoha ninja, the village will cover the expenses for your treatment."

"Oh..." Karin thought of all the times the infernal glasses had cracked or slipped off her nose during a fight, rendering her sightless and putting her in serious danger as she had crawled around to search for them. Then she thought of how they made a useful tool and ingenious secret compartment which had helped pull off her escape from the jail during the war. Should she keep them or not? Decisions, decisions...

"Hey, you can think about it. Many people choose not to do the procedure. No pressure," Sakura told her.

Karin nodded with relief. "Yes, I'll think about it."

"Okay," Sakura said and breathed. "Here," she handed Karin a hospital gown. "Please go behind the dressing screen and change into this."

The woman took the scrap of material with a grimace, but didn't object to the instruction. This was just the last part of this check-up and then she could go home. And truthfully, she'd rather Sakura see her intimate parts than some other, strange medic.

Karin unzipped her lavender, long-sleeved shirt and shrugged it off her shoulders, then pursed her lips at the sight of many bite marks still present on her arms. She preferred to hide them as they were unsightly, but now she had no choice. The hospital gown had no sleeves, so Sakura would definitely see them. Would she feel disgusted?

"Would you mind answering a few questions while you change?" The sudden call startled Karin, who clutched her shirt to her chest in fright for a second before relaxing.

"Go ahead," she replied.

"How old were you when you started menstruating?"

Karin had to think hard before remembering the answer. Sakura followed with several more questions in the same vein, no doubt in order to complete her records.

"Okay, last question—have you been sexually active within the last six months?" Sakura asked.

Karin paused, counting the months since her last erotic encounter. "No." Then she added, "But I'm not a virgin. I'm just single." For some reason, it seemed important for her to tell this to Sakura.

"I see. Are you going to start dating in Konoha?"

Karin raised her brow. That definitely wasn't for the file. "Maybe, if I find someone…" she replied truthfully. Then she came out from behind the dressing screen, rubbing her heavily scarred arms nervously.

Sakura took in the ugly teeth marks etched on her skin without a blink. Her expression didn't change. Karin felt relief at the lack of disgust or any other negative reaction. Some potential partners had bailed out on her the moment they had seen the scarring.

Wait, potential partners? Karin's eyes widened in realization. Did she actually consider Sakura as that?

She gave the woman a surreptitious look and admitted to herself that yes, at the very least she was very attracted to her. Sakura not only had a great figure, she was also smart, funny, non-judgmental and easy to talk with. Frankly, in Karin's books, she was her favourite person in this whole village right now.

I like Haruno Sakura. I really, really like her, Karin thought to herself in shock.

She was still reeling from the realization when Sakura directed her to sit in the patient's chair for examination. Karin eyed the contraption with aversion.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked her when she didn't move.

Karin shook her head, forcing down the irrational apprehension. "No. It's just… Kabuto," she said in a mumble.

Sakura blinked. "Oh. Oh." She gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. You can tell me anytime you feel uncomfortable and want to stop, alright?" she reassured. "I promise I will stop."

Something unclenched in Karin's gut and she nodded in relief. "Okay." She sat on the chair.

While Sakura turned to wash her hands, Karin observed her back silently. Sakura was a snack, true, however that didn't mean she actually liked liked her. She just wouldn't mind taking her for a spin, that was it. A new crush was something Karin definitely did not need right now, not with her bad track record. She remembered all too well how it had ended the last time—with a murder attempt and a half-assed apology.

But Sakura isn't like Sasuke. Just feel her chakra, a little voice in Karin's mind piped up. And it was right, that warm and comforting chakra was the very first thing Karin had noticed about Sakura back when they had met as she'd been bleeding out on the bridge in the Iron Country. It was nothing like Sasuke's cold, oppressive and volatile energy.

A loud snapping sound woke Karin up from her ruminations. Sakura was putting on latex gloves.

Karin stopped in her tracks and stared at her. Something about the way the woman pulled on the gloves, so decisive, unhurried, professional, in the straight line of her spine, the competence oozing out of her, the white medical coat—it all completely mesmerized her. She gulped on reflex, a heated coil twisting in her stomach.

That gave Karin a pause. She'd never found doctors or lab coats or medical gloves stimulating, they were just necessities for some very unpleasant examinations which she'd wanted to get over with quickly. However, she'd never had a doctor as pretty as Sakura before. Apparently, that made all the difference.

Sakura turned to her with a serene smile. She put a tray with prepared equipment for the exam on the table beside the patient's chair and sat on a wheeled stool in front of it. "Let's begin, shall we?" she asked cheerfully.

Karin gave her a wary nod. She obediently lifted her legs into the stirrups and tried to make herself comfortable. Sakura lowered the leather chair's back, so that Karin was in a half-sitting position but still able to see everything the doctor would be doing.

"Can you lift the gown for me?" Sakura asked and that, more than anything she'd said, convinced Karin that she could really trust her with her body. Kabuto would have just grabbed the hem and pulled it up himself impatiently without giving her any consideration whatsoever. Sakura was giving her a choice, control over exposing herself to another person, no matter how professional.

Wordless, as she didn't trust her voice not to betray her feelings, Karin reached down and with trembling fingers, she pulled up the hospital gown to bare her intimate parts to Sakura's impersonal gaze. She tried to appear nonchalant about this whole thing and she was failing miserably. Her face was glowing red, she just knew that, but she couldn't stop the blood rushing to her cheeks. Never had she been more glad that she had remembered to properly trim the bush down there.

Sakura withheld any comments, her face carefully blank. She looked at Karin. "I'm going to examine the skin for any changes, okay?" she said.

Karin's heart leapt in excitement and she nodded once. Despite the warning, she still flinched at the touch of latex on her skin.

"Relax, it's alright. I won't do anything bad," Sakura reassured her, unaware of the true cause of her patient's jumpiness.

Karin watched Sakura's face as the doctor leaned closer. The laser focus in her green eyes when she scrutinized Karin's private bits filled the woman with a restless anticipation. Very gently, Sakura examined her outer labia, then spread them to check on the inside set. The smooth, ghost-like touch of those latex gloves was nothing short of clinical, and yet Karin was getting warm down there, as if she had a little ember glowing in the pit of her stomach. Sakura barely even touched her and only skimmed past the clit, but she already felt a little bead of moisture drip out of her. Karin squeezed her eyes, embarrassed and turned on… and then the light pressure was gone. She blinked in surprise. That was it? Karin felt bewildered and slightly disappointed as she was left longing for more, a firmer, prolonged touch on her slit.

"Everything looks fine on the outside," Sakura informed her in a low tone. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice Karin's inappropriate wetness, because she didn't comment or react in any way. She turned away swiftly and picked an instrument from her tray. "I'm going to examine your cervix now," she announced as she faced Karin again with a speculum in hand.

Involuntarily, Karin tensed up at the sight of the metallic instrument. She remembered the cold, stabbing sensation when Kabuto had shoved one into her. When she had dared to complain, he'd pinched and twisted her clitoris so hard that she'd cried from pain. It had felt like he'd tear it off and she'd had to beg him to stop. She knew he'd done it only because he could. The sadistic bastard had enjoyed it too and that had been only the beginning of the humiliation he'd put her through…

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked in concern. Karin pushed back the terrible memories and concentrated on the present and the beautiful doctor holding a dreaded implement.

"No, just… go slow with that thing," she requested.

Sakura smiled reassuringly and that helped Karin chase away the dark thoughts. "Got it," Sakura said softly. She squeezed a big dollop of lubricant on the blades of the speculum and slathered it all over. Then she pressed it to Karin's opening. "Please, try to relax. First, I'm going to insert it. On your signal," she said.

Karin breathed in and out in mental preparation. She focused on Sakura, on her honest, caring eyes, her soothing voice, her comforting chakra. Sakura had saved her life, she could be trusted. The tension in Karin's body unwound. This woman was going to penetrate her with an object, but the perspective didn't seem so scary anymore. Instead, the thought was intriguing, almost… tantalizing.

"Go on," Karin gave her permission.

The wide, slippery closed blades of the speculum were slowly pushed into her entrance and she shivered, but there was no pain so far. Sakura carefully slid the instrument all the way in. The difference of temperature between her heated insides and the cold metal made Karin hiss.

"Okay?" Sakura asked, looking at her worriedly.

"Fine," Karin affirmed with a grunt. "Just cold."

"I know, it's uncomfortable, isn't it?" the doctor said in a sympathetic tone. "You should get used to it in a minute."

True to her words, after the initial shock, Karin quickly adjusted as the tool absorbed her body warmth.

"I'm going to open the speculum now. Tell me if you feel any discomfort." After giving that warning, Sakura slowly pressed the handles together and the blades gradually came apart inside of Karin. She gasped at the strange sensation of being spread open by the metal. Her inner walls contracted, giving resistance to the intrusion, but it was of no use.

"Karin, you're going to hurt yourself if you tense up like that. Breathe. In and out," Sakura reminded her gently.

With a nod, Karin listened to her and focused on her breathing. She sensed Sakura's chakra again and that helped her relax. Her muscles loosened and she sighed in relief.

Sakura twisted the screw tight to secure the speculum in the open position, then leaned in closer, wielding a small flashlight. "I'm going to view your vagina and cervix and take a sample of cells for a test, alright?" she said.

"Right," Karin replied in a strangled voice. She was trying hard not to show how she was being affected by this. The coil in her stomach wound tighter. She couldn't believe she was turned on by this, but here she was, laid out in a thin hospital gown, legs spread, her deepest parts stretched out and laid bare to the view of the most attractive woman she knew. Karin felt open and vulnerable, something she'd normally never allow herself to be, because it was just inviting people to bring her pain, but this time it was different. Under Sakura's gaze, she burned in want for more. Her nipples perked up, poking at the gown, and her itching hands clenched on the armrests. She wished she could touch herself, rub her clit and relieve that sweet ache building up between her legs.

"Everything looks normal," the doctor said after a moment, then reached to the tray for a small brush. While she was facing away, Karin desperately tried to get a hold on her aroused state. "I'm going to take a Pap smear, it might pinch," Sakura warned.

It did pinch; Karin winced at it, but it didn't diminish her arousal. If anything, the slight pain made the fire inside burn even hotter.

"All done," Sakura said cheerfully and closed the speculum. She delicately slid it out, leaving behind a hollow feeling. Karin badly needed something to fill her, like Sakura's fingers…

"I'm going to examine your uterus and ovaries, so I'll need to insert fingers into your vagina. Is that alright?"

For a moment Karin forgot how to breathe. "G-Go ahead," she mumbled. She felt wobbly and spongy, like a marshmallow, quivering with excitement which she was holding back with all of her might.

Two gloved fingers slipped into her easily thanks to the lube from the speculum and her natural secretions. Karin bit the inside of her cheek not to moan at the sensation of being filled, but it wasn't enough. She needed Sakura to move her fingers, but they were perfectly still. On reflex, her inner muscles clenched on them tightly, seeking more stimulation.

"It'll take only a moment," Sakura told her, taking that squeeze for an expression of uneasiness. She pressed with her other hand on Karin's abdomen, manually feeling the internal organs.

Karin thought she was doing well, keeping her shit together and holding back her urge to rock her hips and get some friction in her wanton snatch. She hadn't had any good sex in so long and her own fingers weren't enough to truly satisfy her. Then Sakura said, "I'm going to use a chakra pulse, hang on," and that delicious chakra of hers flooded Karin's starved for touch canal, washing over the ultra-sensitive spots deep inside before entering her womb.

Karin lost it.

Had she been any other patient, she wouldn't have even noticed, let alone reacted to the diagnostic chakra. But Karin was a unique case. She was a prodigious chakra sensor and she was already attracted to Sakura's energy. She couldn't be blamed for reacting to such a powerful chakra jolt in her most delicate of places.

Her body arched back and she let out a guttural cry, her insides contracting around the fingers stuck inside as she was overtaken by the blinding pleasure. For one blissful moment, Karin forgot everything else and rode that orgasmic wave until it ebbed away.

In the afterglow, she cracked her eyes open when she heard a strange noise.

Sakura was staring at her like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wide and round, mouth open in utter shock and her face turning scarlet red.

Karin blushed when the reality finally crashed onto her. She came during a medical examination by a woman she liked! Stupid, stupid, stupid! What if she scared Sakura away?

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to…" she mumbled insincerely. In reality she had wanted to, she'd been just trying not to.

Her words woke Sakura from the momentary stupor. She swiftly extracted her fingers out of Karin's hot vagina. "No, I'm so, so sorry! I really didn't know this would happen! No one's ever had this response to a pelvic chakra pulse before! I wasn't taking advantage of you, please, believe me!" she pleaded to Karin. "It was an accident!"

That confident medic getting so frazzled and panicked over this was so cute. Karin let out a throaty chuckle as her own embarrassment faded. It occurred to her that she shouldn't be laughing, but she still felt too fantastic to care about that.

"It's alright, I believe you," Karin told Sakura. She needed to calm her down if she ever wanted to get a repeat performance. The truth was, she probably wouldn't have minded this incident even if she hadn't been into Sakura. That chakra pulse had felt just that incredible.

Sakura exhaled deeply. "Thank you," she said with relief. "I'm finished with your exam, you can get dressed," she added in a stiff tone, leaning on her medical training to get her through the situation. She didn't meet Karin's eyes as she peeled off her latex gloves and threw them into the bin.

Karin lowered her legs to the floor and finally got off from the patient's chair. In the uncomfortable silence that followed, she scurried behind the dressing screen and put on her clothes as she thought over the situation. After her orgasmic high had passed, it didn't look so great anymore.

When she came out, Sakura didn't raise her eyes from the papers on her desk. Karin frowned as she studied the woman's tense posture and hunched shoulders. Sakura was furiously scribbling something in her notes, but Karin was ninety percent sure that it was just a pretense to escape the awkwardness. She hesitated, feeling torn. She should probably just go away and spare them any further embarrassment, but she strongly believed that she would regret it if she let things between them end like that.

Karin coughed. "Hey," she spoke up in a soft voice. Sakura tensed up more. "It's really alright," Karin said lamely. How do you comfort somebody? She wracked her brains. "This could've happened to me with another medic. At least I know you. Besides, we have patient-doctor confidentiality, right? I won't tell if you don't," she reasoned, trying for a lighter tone.

Sakura didn't speak but she stopped writing. Karin took that as a good sign.

"If you think about it, then nothing really happened. So let's just agree to forget it, okay?"

"How can you say that?!" Sakura burst out as she looked at Karin in outrage. "Don't act like nothing happened when it did! This is your body! And this is Konoha, not Sound, you have rights! No one should ever touch you without permission! No medical practitioner, not ever, is allowed to violate their patients, even unknowingly!" she declared passionately, then cradled her head and looked down in shame. "I should have realized sooner what was happening and stopped the exam immediately." She met Karin's eyes again. "I'm so sorry, Karin. This is my fault."

Karin paused. Sakura really believed all that. She needed to fix that, but how? "Hey, hey, don't beat yourself over that," she said in a placating tone. "It was an accident. I'm not angry at you or anything, really."

"That's exactly what I don't understand. Why aren't you angry?" Sakura asked in frustration. "If I was in your place, I would be furious. Why didn't you tell me to stop?" Karin's breath hitched and she pursed her lips. That was one question that definitely made her nervous. Sakura gazed at her intensely as if trying to see inside her head. "Were you… were you afraid… that I'll do something to you? Is that it?" she asked in a small voice.

"No!" Karin protested abruptly. "That's… that's not it."

"Then what?" Sakura was looking so hurt and vulnerable that Karin couldn't stand it.

She put a hand on her elbow and angled her face away. "Just stop blaming yourself," she bit out. "It's not your fault, end of story."

She pointedly ignored the probing look Sakura leveled at her, but she couldn't do the same when the medic stood up and went around the desk to her.

"Karin, I just need to understand," she said gently, as if talking to a wild animal. She raised her hand, but held back at the last second. It hovered above Karin's shoulder before she pulled it away. "Please talk to me. I'm your doctor. Whatever it is, you can tell me," she cajoled. "Please, help me understand."

All of a sudden, keeping up this charade just seemed so pointless to Karin. What was she doing, hiding the nasty truth? What for, to protect her non-existent good reputation? She already blew her chance! No one in their right mind would want to go out with a freak like her.

"Alright, you want to know the truth?" she asked with her lip curled in a cynical little smirk. "I liked what you were doing to me and I didn't want you to stop! I'm a perverted freak that gets off to having my cunt examined! Does that answer your question, Doc?" she sneered as she jutted out her hip and put a hand on it. She didn't even notice that her scathing words sounded disturbingly similar to the terrible things that bastard Kabuto had said to her. Her red eyes glared mockingly at Sakura.

The medic-nin stared back at her in shocked silence, then she closed her eyes and lowered her chin slightly, as if in defeat.

That's it, this is what you get for snooping. You Konoha ninja think that everything is just sunshine and rainbows and all problems can be solved by hugs and kisses, don't you? Newsflash, they can't! Now get away from me before you dirty your dainty little hands with the perversion, Karin thought vindictively.

Sakura breathed in and out, then looked up again, green eyes blazing in determination. "Actually, yes, that answered my question, Karin, thank you," she said in a tightly controlled tone. "And for your information, I don't think you're sick."

Startled, Karin took a step back. "What, didn't you hear me? I am sick in the head!"

Sakura followed her with a step forward. "No, you're not," she said calmly with a shake of her head. "You just have unusual preferences. That's not a crime."

Karin reared back. "Those are not my preferences!" she retorted in outrage and crossed her arms. "I rather have normal sex," she grumbled.

"See? You're not sick. You're just different," Sakura pointed out, as a matter of fact. "I'm not a specialist in psychology, but I can do some research that will prove the same thing to you, if you're interested."

Karin was at a loss. What was it with this woman? Why wasn't she running away from her in fear and disgust? "You… can?" she asked, baffled.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, just give me some time, it's pretty hectic at work now. I can have the research done over the weekend, so we can meet on Monday?" she suggested. "Unless you prefer I direct you to a specialist for an appointment. It won't affect your duties as you've cleared the psych evaluation already."

"No. That won't be necessary," Karin said quickly, struggling to take it all in.

Sakura smiled and clasped her hands. "Monday then? Does eight p.m. suit you?" she asked. "We could get something to eat and then talk. Do you know where the ramen stand is? On the other side of the street there's this restaurant with a red sign, they serve really good okonomiyaki."

Karin thought back to her walks through the village, then nodded. She vaguely remembered passing the place Sakura was talking about. "Alright," she accepted.

"Good," Sakura said with an air of satisfaction, before turning back to pick a paper from her desk. "Here." She handed it over to Karin. "It's your medical certificate. You can start your duties tomorrow."

"Great, thanks," Karin replied automatically, still reeling from the surprising turn this conversation had taken. After a beat passed, she decided to leave. "Uh, can I go now?" she asked to make sure.

"Of course. See you on Monday," Sakura agreed easily. "Oh, and Karin?" she added. Karin stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder quizzically. "I just want you to know that my door is always open to you. If you have a problem, any problem, you can come to me. Don't wait until Monday, okay?" Sakura said, giving her a warm, open look, her hands clasped in front of her. Her cheeks were slightly dusted with pink.

She looked… cute.

Something fluttered in Karin's stomach. "O-Okay. I understand," she replied, returning the smile shyly. "See you," she said and closed the door with a small click behind her.

Once she was outside the medic's office, she had to take a moment to gather herself. Sakura's strength and sweetness completely threw her off balance. After Karin had calmed her jumbled thoughts and finally left the hospital, she suddenly wondered if Sakura knew that she loved okonomiyaki.

Karin shook her head. Ridiculous. It had to be a lucky coincidence that Sakura asked her to the restaurant that served her favourite food. Or… was it?

Had she been asked out on a date by her new crush and she hadn't even realized?

Karin tugged on her hair in frustration. She shouldn't go to their meeting with any expectations, but the thought, once it had materialized in her mind, persisted. If Sakura had truly asked her out, then Karin had severely underestimated her skill in deception.

One way or another, she would find out on Monday. Karin could hardly wait.

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AN: Thank you so much for reading! I had half of this fic written and sitting in my WIP folder for years. In honour of this Femslash February I finally dusted it off and finished it. Also, thanks to some wonderful feedback I changed the ending. I would be grateful for all your comments! Please share your thoughts :)

Until next time!