For science!

by zackfairfirst

Summary:

Sakura is trying to use her medicinal knowledge to advance Konoha's knowledge of secondary genders. She wants to create a way to stop omega's heats from consuming their lives for a week every three months. Ino wants Sakura to achieve her goal but also sees a chance for Sakura to get over Sasuke and loosen up a bit.

Chapter 1

He groaned into her neck. "You smell so good. So good. So perfect." His body was curled around hers, his hips constantly thrusting. He was constantly playing with her neck, licking it, biting it, smelling it. "So perfect. So good. My beautiful omega. I love you. I'll protect you. I'll always take care of you." He repeated his praises and promises while mouthing at her neck. She grabbed his head, pushing stretching her back and pushing his face even further into her neck. He moaned loudly, his hips stuttering to a stop as he came inside her. "Perfect omega. So beautiful. I'll always love you. I'll always take care of you." She moaned. His knot felt fantastic and the friction against her clit had felt fantastic. She was more than satisfied. The constant affirmation hadn't hurt either. This test has been a complete and utter success.

 

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Green chakra enveloped her palms and cast a weird shadow on Ino's face. "Ugh. Green is so not my color! You owe me big time!" Sakura couldn't care less. She was currently analyzing Ino's scent glands and was so far very happy with the results. "According to my scan, we both have the same general layout beneath our scent glands. The pheromones and semiochemical compounds are both produced and released in the same area. Also the sudoriferous glands are larger than the rest of the body! Furthermore-" "I'm going to cut you off right there." Ino pulled away, breaking Sakura's scan.

"You said that if I let you scan me, you would go clubbing with me tonight and not talk about your new project, which, don't get me wrong, is super important and I really want you to succeed, is atill work! Take a break! Now come." Sakura pouted. She regretted her promise. But it had been the only way to get Ino to agree to her scan. It was just, all this new information in her head and the implications! She was so much closer to preventing omegan heats than ever before! She had learned the substances were secreted onto an epithelial surface by way of a duct. She could either prevent secretion or maybe limit it to a certain-" "FOREHEAD!"

She had gotten caught up in her own thoughts. Right, clubbing. Go home and hide from Ino and hope she forgot. "Sorry, sorry. I'll go home now to get changed and meet you at the club?" "Nice try, Forehead. You already ditched me once before, I'm not letting it happen again." Damn Ino. On to plan B: sneaking away from Ino at midnight. Ino grabbed her arm, pulling her along. "Put on that sexy black dress you have. The one that goes to your thighs. And those heels I bought you." The heels that Sakura had hidden deep in her closet, hopefully out of Ino's reach. Along with the dress. It was much too revealing.

"How about him?" The music pounded through Sakura, her legs already tired from walking in those damn heels. Stupid pig and her ability to find Sakura's most revealing outfits. Ino had pointed to a random ninja on the floor. He looked handsome, but Sakura wasn't interested. "No." "Why not? He's pretty cute. I bet he'd be good for a one-off." "I don't want a one-night stand. I want something meaningful." "Ugh." Ino sighed dramatically. "You need to get over him."

Sakura resolutely ignored her. They had had this conversation a million times before.

"Look Sakura, you need a little fun and experience. You work too much. Loosen up for a day. Maybe try a civilian if you're worried. You know you can crush them like flies. And for fucks sake, get over him! He's not coming back!" Ino huffed and strutted to the dance floor, ready to find her victim on the night. At least she hadn't gone into more detail. Maybe she was sick of repeating herself every few months? Whatever. She wasn't going to think about Ino and her stupid obsession with Sakura being 'happy' by finding some guy and screwing his brains out. Why would a guy make her happy anyway? And. Wait, no. Not thinking about it.

Sakura sat in the corner at the bar. Counting the minutes. And thinking about it. Why couldn't Ino understand that she couldn't just go up to random guys like she could? She wasn't a bombshell like Ino. She wasn't well-developed like Hinata. Tenten had confidence and was just so cool. She was average with a huge forehead. And she didn't even work that much! Speaking of work, she gazed at the clock. Two hours until midnight. Perfect. She might as well keep theorizing about her current project. What if she closed off the acinus... She swallowed the last of her drink and grabbed a bar napkin and a pen from her pockets, sketching the general outline of a gland. Now that she thought about it, she realized she had been going about it all wrong. It wasn't the glands that were the problem, it was the production! Heat would happen regardless of whether she closed off the apocrine glands or the eccrine glands. It was the pheromone production that needed to change. But you couldn't stop producing pheromones. Or could you?

"Well," thought Sakura, "No better time like the present" and she lifted her hand to the scent gland on her neck, keeping the glow of her chakra to a minimum. It was a little harder than usual to concentrate, maybe it was the alcohol? But no matter, she was the best damn doctor in Konoha, after Tsunade-shishou of course, and she wasn't going to let some alcohol (she had lost count just how much) stop her from a scientific breakthrough! Controlling the hormone regulation in her glands should be child's play. She began running her chakra up and down one of her sebaceous glands directly located in the middle of the scent gland on her neck. Her research so far had shown that these glands produced the most out of any type. But it was more difficult than she had expected. Where were the pheromones even produced? So far she had found a muscle which sent the produced pheromones to her skin, but not the production itself. There was too much uncharted area. Damn Konoha and its medicinal focus on war injuries only. Omegan heat aids could have come so much farther if she had only lived in a civilized world. And that wasn't the only problem. She was only working with one gland. She'd have to stop production in all of them. There had to be thousands! Maybe she should do this while she was sober. But wait, she had an idea! Maybe if she spread her chakra into the duct she could see where the production happened? She hadn't thought it would be easy, but she also hadn't expected it to be this difficult. She could only send razor thin strips of her chakra into each duct and then she still couldn't make heads or tails of what was inside there. At least they were all the same. There was also some weird receptor and what felt like little anemones and something else? Some sort of button. What would happen if she used her chakra to just nudge it a little...

"Forehead!" Sakura jolted. The green glow faded abruptly from her hand, wisps of chakra disappearing from her scent gland. Ino had caught her. Damn it. "I'm just curing my hangover!" She squeaked out. "Yeah yeah, you can take the nerd out of the hospital but you can't take the hospital out of the nerd." She winked to let Sakura know she was toying with her. "Just try talking to one guy and then you can leave." Sakura saw her chance. Whichever guy Ino chose would take one look at Ino and go for her instead. She nodded and Ino pulled some random chunin out from behind her back. He looked cute enough with long brown hair and a slightly larger than average stature. Sakura just didn't feel any attraction towards him and apparently neither did he towards her based on the lackluster conversation that quickly faded between the two of them and the way he constantly turned his gaze towards Ino.

She managed to politely excuse herself (Ino would chew him up and spit him out alive) and ran home, not willing to risk a shunshin. She pulled her dress off, kicked her shoes into the corner of her room and flopped onto her bed, letting sleep take her.

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She woke feeling fine. Maybe a bit hungover, but it wasn't anything she couldn't quickly fix. She quickly got dressed and headed to the hokage tower to meet with Tsunade. Today she would be working on some advanced healing methods.

Chapter 2

Sakura was exhausted. Three surgeries, the last requiring her entire focus, not to mention nearly her entire chakra. She was tired. She was sweaty. She was done.
Except she wasn't. She still had to give Tsunade her report on the poison she had extracted from the totally not anbu she had just treated. Not that she had had time to really study it in the lab yet. She dragged herself to Tsunade's office. No the Hokage wasn't allowed to work in the hospital due to 'safety concerns' but Sakura was allowed to trek for ten minutes every time there was a report with sensitive information to be had. Fucking Hokage and fucking ninja villiage with its stupid secrecy.

"The toxic seems to have been injected via senbon as its path could be traced using the victim's blood flow. I currently consider it to be a nerve agent or a organophosphate. It did not attack his blood, but instead caused hallucinations, oral secretions, vomiting, sweating, autonomic instability and generalized weakness, according to his teammate's reports. I have already sent a sample to the lab and will be further analyzing it and its components to determine its origin and target."

"Thank you, Doctor Haruno. Please update me on the status of your research and any breakthroughs. A full battle report will be sent to you to help your research." Tsunade nodded and a masked anbu member leapt out the window. Sakura and Tsunade both visibly relaxed, Sakura dropping herself into the nearest chair and Tsunade pulling a full sake glass out from a drawer. "Damn anbu and their stupid protocols" she muttered under breath.
Then, with a louder voice: "You look dead, Doctor Haruno." Tsunade smirked. "Shishou. I had three - THREE - surgeries. I'm drained. And the poison was... difficult... It fought me at every turn. Whoever engineered it is experienced." Tsunade's face grew stern. A poison that caused her apprentice trouble was troubling indeed. Ha. Trouble to troubling. Maybe she was more drunk than she thought. Normally she only felt this lightheaded and happy after multiple nights out.
"I'll look into it. In the mean time, go home and rest. You'll just get in the way as you are now." She began to circle some chakra through her system. She couldn't afford to be this drunk yet.
Sakura nodded. Without chakra, she couldn't heal and as drained as she was, she was more likely to fall asleep than be able to help a patient. She pulled herself to her feet and began to leave the hokage's office. "Oh. And good work today. If you had trouble with the poison, imagine how likely someone else would have failed." A sobering thought for the both of them. They should really work on the medic-nin policy soon. So much to do.
"And Sakura, don't forget to take a shower. You have some nice, underlying scent, but you mainly smell like shit." Ah shinshou, always so uncomfortable with praise. Sakura nodded and left. Outside of Tsunade's office, she discreetly sniffed herself. Ew, she did reek. But it was the same as always. Maybe it was from the poison? She hadn't touched it, she had only used her chakra to contain it. Touching it would have been a rookie mistake. A quick diagnostic showed that her system was as clean as always. Maybe the poison had a scent? She'd check tomorrow. Right now, she only wanted to go home and shower.

 

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Sakura jolted awake. There was someone in her house. She grabbed the kunai under her pillow and turned to face the intruder. "Good morning, Forehead!"
Ugh. Not this. "What do you want, Pig? This better be important." "Oh. It is. Do you remember those incredibly rare flowers you wanted? The really ugly ones that had, and I quote, 'more value in their stem than I will ever have in my entire life'." Sakura instantly perked up. "You mean the nosudore?" Disbelief colored her voice. "The plant that I've been waiting for for months?" Ino grinned and Sakura started talking faster. "The plant that will help me get further into my research?" "Yes, Forehead." Ino interrupted her. "And I'm hurt you doubted me. I only had to convince daddy it was worth importing from the Hidden Mist despite their policy of isolation and the fact that no self respecting person would be caught dead with a plant that symbolizes dirt, sweat and labor." She looked at her nails. "All in five minutes work really."
"And I appreciate you for it, you crafty little minx. I wonder if your 'oh so respected and wise father' even realizes he's wrapped around your finger." Ino scoffed, "Of course he doesn't. I'm actually good at what I do. Now come, it was hard enough to get it here alive, I don't want it dying on you because you forgot to water it."
Ino led her to her kitchen table where the ugliest flower Sakura had ever seen stared back at her. "Ino... I think you brought me a suicidal plant." She cackled. "It does look that way, doesn't it? The only way it could be more suicidal was if it decided to spar Gai in taijutsu only twice a day."
Sakura looked at it again. This shit brown flower was the answer to her problems? It already looked half dead, drooping at a 90° angle. "Are you sure it's not dead?" "I know my plants! It's not dead. We had to order from specialist merchants who know how to care for the damn thing! Your damn nosudore has to be watered based on how much sunlight it received throughout the day. Who even has time to count how long it was in the sun? And it guzzles water like no other plant. That's probably why it grows in the Bloody Mist and nowhere else. And it has to have 'special soil' which translates to shit. Do you understand Sakura? You have a shit plant." Now that Ino mentioned it, her house did smell like shit. And EW it was on her kitchen table. "Get it off my table you damn Pig!" Ino cackled, and picked up the plant, holding the pot and supporting the flower with her other hand. "Knowing you, you wouldn't be able to keep it alive for a day! This was just payment for me taking care of it for you. The damn shop is going to smell like crap for weeks!" Ino danced out of Sakura's house, which conveniently kept her out of Sakura's reach. Not that Sakura would've hit her. At least, not while she was still holding her precious, world-changing plant. "I'll be sure to cultivate it and if you ever need it, just give me a heads up and I'll bring you your shit plant. It needs to be handled with caution!" "It's not a shit plant! It's a nosudore! Do you hear me Pig?" Damn she loved her best friend, not that she'd ever tell her that.
She checked the time. She was wide awake now; the excitement of finally having her long-awaited NOT shit flower arrive had made any chance of sleeping fly out the window. Now that she had her flower, she could finally continue her research and there was no time like the present!

Chapter 3: What now?

She had a substance. She had done it. And holy shit was that the sun? Fucking damn it she had a shift oh kami Tsunade was going to kill her. She glanced at the clock using all her ninja skills to make herself ready for work as quick as possible. Oh kami it was 7 she was late oh kami! She had worked the entire night? Oh kami she had used a good amount of her chakra too. At least she had remembered to shower. She pulled her scrubs from yesterday over her head. They would do. And with that she shunshined to the hospital. Breakfast was only for people who remembered to go to bed on time.
Even though she had fallen asleep at work, it hadn’t been too bad. She had worked with the poison she had extracted yesterday. She knew the steps to analyzing poison by heart and while the poison had been interacting with various agents, she had taken a nap. Her brain wouldn’t have been capable of interpreting her findings anyway. And apparently, not a single mission had gone awry enough to warrant her healing skills. ‘Maybe because they had died instead of being injured’ a dark voice whispered. Seems like she still needed more sleep. Inner always reared her head when she was tired. Or emotionally drained. Or in a bad place. Maybe she should list when inner was quiet instead. Whatever. Her shift was done and she was going home. She was going to sleep the day away and the night and then go back to work the next day. Although… Today had been fine. She would also be analyzing the poison tomorrow. That wasn’t too difficult. She could maybe, no she couldn’t, unless, possibley keep working on her heat suppressant? It wouldn’t take that long. She would just see how it interacted with certain receptors –she hadn’t been able to try that yesterday- and how the scent worked and maybe if there were any side effects. Also she had to recheck her documentation before she forgot the process. What if she had documented it incorrectly and she couldn’t remember what she had done tomorrow?! She nodded, sure she had made the right choice; it was time to go home and triple-check her work.

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Of course she had documented everything correctly, she was her and she was good at documenting things. But she couldn’t just stop there. She had so many ideas! She had to see the reaction between suppressor and human skin to make sure there were no negative side effects! And so far, there had been none! Her skin hadn’t turned red or broken out into hives despite waiting for half an hour! Now she just had to test it on a gland. Wherever could she find an omegan scent gland at –she looked at the clock- 5 am? Her brain stalled. 5 am? She had work tomorrow. Well, today. It –and as much as it pained her to say it- would have to wait. She couldn’t slack two days in a row. And if an emergency happened, well, it was her responsibility to save lives. She nodded to herself. She had a duty to Konoha. She put her suppressor away. Maybe tomorrow she would finally come up with a name. Calling it suppressor all the time wasn’t doing her substance justice. And the term suppressor already existed and she did not want her creation to be associated with those incredibly damaging suppressants omegas could ingest to stop their heats. Hers would not have any of those nasty side effects.

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She had gotten lucky. Thank kami this hadn’t happened yesterday. She finished washing the blood off her hands and slumped to the floor exhausted. They had just been in that ninja’s chest. His heart had stopped and she had to manually keep pumping it. But she had managed to keep going despite her chakra being so low from the beginning of the surgery. She was an idiot. She had almost killed a person because she was too excited to work on her pet project. She knew she should have stopped earlier. She sat there with her thoughts, too tired to move.
“Doctor Haruno”, a nurse walked in. “We have a second patient that needs immediate surgery. How are your chakra levels?” She pulled herself together. She didn’t have time to wallow. Lives were on the line. A quick check showed her chakra levels were low, but not too low. “My chakra levels are too low for a longer operation. I can assist, but we’ll need backup.” The nurse nodded. “OR 3, we’re starting now.” Sakura hummed and pulled herself to her feet. It was time to do her job.

Chapter 4: Dun dun dun

He had made it. A kunai had hit his shoulder and punctured the soft flesh near his armpit. The only reason it warranted surgery was because the wound had been jostled so much on the way home and pieces of the kunai had broken off. Thanks to that, Sakura had used nearly all of her chakra. And she once again found herself on the verge of passing out.
“Good work everyone.” Kokomi looked around the room, nodding her head towards the occupants. “We did well today. I’ll write up the details. Those of you who still have chakra may continue, the rest should go take a nap in the waiting room, injuries wait for no one!” She smiled and the other iryo-nin began to leave the room. Bless Kokomi. “Doctor Haruno?” Sakura looked up from the floor to see Kokomi looking down at her, a questioning smile on her face. “Do you need help getting to the waiting room?” Bless Kokomi. “No no. That’s not necessary.” She began to pull herself up to her feet using the bed as support but faltered before she could stand up all the way. “Woah!” Kokomi grabbed her and helped her up. “I got you. C’mon, let’s head over Dr. Haruno.” Bless Kokomi.

“You had two surgeries today, didn’t you?” Sakura hummed, too tired to force herself to follow social convention. Kokomi would understand; she had been working in the hospital for years too. “I heard the other surgery went well too. That’s wonderful news!” Kokomi shifted so she could carry more of Sakura’s weight. She had noticed that Sakura was close to the verge of passing out. “Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe get you a glass of water? Or tea? Maybe a nice blanket to keep you warm while you rest?” Sakura hummed. “All three it is then!” They had finally reached their destination. Kokomi helped to tuck Sakura in and left some tea and water by the bed. “Good night, Dr. Haruno. Sleep tight,” and with that she left the room. Sakura’s last thought before passing out: Bless Kokomi.

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She blearily opened her eyes to the sound of her pager beeping. It hadn’t been enough sleep but it never was. She ripped her covers off, chugged the cold tea and water and then noticed the other glasses on her bedside. And the extra bed sheet. And the pillows on her bed. She didn’t even know the hospital had pillows. Kokomi was truly an angel sent from heaven. Also much too kind for her own good. But whatever, she had a job to do! She left in a hurry, rushing towards the room where a patient was crashing. It was close enough to the break room that she got there first. “The fluid is draining into his lungs!” Sakura pulled her gloves on with a snap. “We need to drain them asap!” The nurses rushed to follow her orders and she used some of her restored chakra to help his lungs. Only once the fluid was successfully drained did she finally stop the flow of chakra. Another patient had been saved. And now Sakura was truly done for the day. There had been a limit imposed on iryo-nin by Tsunade herself once she began to reorganize the hospital and Sakura had just crossed the max amount of chakra she could use in one day. Tsunade hadn’t wanted ‘walking patients’ to be working in her hospital. She peeled her gloves off and resigned herself to the walk home. “You did great today, Doctor Haruno.” She turned to see Nurse Sato, a nurse who had just assisted her, looking at her with a smile. “Thank you, Nurse Sato. Your assistance was very much appreciated.” Sakura turned to leave. Nurse Sato followed her. “Do you still have work left to do today? Maybe our shifts end at the same time? We could go out to eat after?” Nurse Sato looked at Sakura hopefully. “My treat,” she smiled. Sakura stared. What was going on with Nurse Sato? They hadn’t really ever interacted before, outside of work-related events of course. Had she truly been that impressive during the crash code? “Uh,” Sakura replied eloquently. “I…” Nurse Sato began to talk again. “I can get you whatever you want. I know how tiring shifts can be,” Nurse Sato cajoled. “Thank you, Nurse Sato, but I don’t feel up to lunch right now. I’m just going to go home and get some rest,” she smiled politely, “However, thank you for your offer. Maybe some other time.” Nurse Sato looked heartbroken, but her emotions quickly changed to concern. “Oh no! You’re tired! Do you need help getting home? If you’re sick, I can take care of you.” Her nostrils flared and she looked Sakura up and down for any injuries. “I’ll be fine.” What was going on, Sakura wondered. “Thank you for your offer. Goodbye.” She fled, not wanting to be part of this weird interaction any longer. At least she didn’t have to feel guilty about lying, she was going to head home, maybe not to sleep but Nurse Sato didn’t need to know that. All she had left to do was change out of her filthy scrubs and then she could head home. “Doctor Haruno.” She jumped. She hadn’t even noticed the other doctor in the changing room. “Doctor San, I didn’t see you there.” She turned to see Doctor San looking at her. He was known as one of the most uptight doctors in the hospital, fighting Tsunade’s policy changes every step of the way. Sakura didn’t care much for him.
He smiled at her. “I heard you did well in surgery today. It seems despite your lackluster mentor you are shaping up to be a fine doctor indeed.” He looked at her expectantly. ‘Did he really think that was a compliment?’ she wondered. With a smile that looked similar to a grimace she replied: “Thank you for the compliment. Have a nice day.” She pulled her shirt on and rushed out, more than eager to leave him behind and tuning her finely honed ninja senses to ignore him. She only slowed her pace once she had left the building, a sigh escaping her. She could finally relax.

“Sakura!” Or not. Another one? What was going on? “Hey! Wait up!” Kiba stopped beside her. “Long time no see! How ya been?” He beamed his toothy grin. “Same old, same old. Hospital keeps me busy and missions keep me busier. How about you?” She wanted to go home damn it. He laughed. “Nice one! Good as well. I’ve been completing my missions with a really high success rate! And Akamaru and I’s teamwork have never been better! Also we’ve been working on a bunch of new jutsu!” He puffed his chest and his eyes scanned her face. He seemed to be looking for her approval? “Wow, that’s amazing Kiba!” His smile grew. He took a breath. “Say, would you like to hang out? We haven’t spent time in so long. We could go out to eat. I’d pay.” He gazed into her eyes, something about him off. Sakura couldn’t put her finger on it but she had never had a conversation with Kiba that went like this before. “Uh. Thanks Kiba but I just got out of work and want to head home. Thanks for the invite though, maybe some other time!” She scrutinized his face, looking for any hint as to what else he wanted. Disappointment obviously, his mouth pulled together slightly and his eyes closed somewhat. Then concern, he looked back up at her, his eyes widening again, his body moving slightly closer and then looking her up and down. ‘Just like Nurse Sato,’ Sakura thought. “Was work OK? You’re not too tired, are you?” Sakura felt a weird sense of deja-vu. “No, I can manage. I’ll be fine, thanks for your concern.” Now he looked pleased. That his concern had been noted? He was preening, now that she looked harder. And his eyes. His pupils were larger than average. She had never taken note of his pupil size though, maybe it was an Inazuku thing? Also his nostrils were flaring. Inazukas were known for their sense of smell. And his scent… He had moved closer and she could smell him now. He was increasing his pheromone production. Subconsciously, of course. His alpha felt that there as omega worth impressing. Her? Why her? He had never looked at her be- Her mind stuttered. She was an idiot. She hadn’t washed off her experiment. What a rookie mistake! It was now having adverse effects on her and potentially those around her! She had to leave now. “I need to go!” She blurted out. Kiba, highly tuned to her at this point, noticed her panic. “How can I help? What do you need me to do?” He moved closer. “No! Stay there!” Sakura raced off jumping to the rooftops to hasten her retreat. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Everyone knew to wash off whatever substance you were testing. How could she have forgotten? She was late for work but that wasn’t an excuse! She reached her home and immediately jumped into the shower, taking her clothes with her. She could only hope the effects weren’t permanent. At least she wasn’t tired anymore. She pulled her clothes off and grabbed her soap. It would help wash away any residue. She rubbed the area she had spread her substance on raw. She would take no chances. Finally, she scanned the area with her chakra. There were no foreign substances she could find. It seemed she had gotten lucky. What had even happened? How did her heat blocker cause Kiba and maybe even Nurse Sato and Doctor San to act that way? It made no sense. Maybe even Kokomi? She recalled Kiba’s behavior to the forefront of her mind; she had paid the most attention to his state.
His symptoms were consistent with an alpha in the mating phase, which wasn’t a permanent state. It was only when an alpha was interested in an omega. Of course, it only happened after they had been courting for a long time and had already gotten to know one another. To see such strong reaction in a party previously completely uninterested in the other party was unheard of! At least, scientifically.
Now that Sakura had time to relax and think about it, she realized she wouldn’t actually know typical alpha courting behavior. She had only read about it. But she knew who did.

Chapter 5: Let's go girls

She had a plan and she had set it into motion. It was dangerous and had a low success rate but she was a ninja damn it and she feared nothing. She had it all planned out. Every possible option. A billion contingency plans. Nothing could go wrong, she hoped.

“It’s finally time! You’re growing up!” A shrill screen echoed through the room and Sakura covered her ears. Some sake cups were scattered throughout her apartment. Sakura had decided to wait for Ino to be slightly inebriated before she made her move. “You’re finally interested in alphas! It’s time to become a woman!” Ino’s voice pierced through her hands. She looked much too thrilled at the prospect. “Which guy are you interested in? Who changed your mind?” She had expected Ino’s questions. She had resigned herself to the interrogation for information. “It’s Kiba, isn’t it?” Sakura choked on her spit. “Wha- What? How did you get there?” Ino smirked. “I have my ways. I heard he made a move on you. Are you interested in him?” Ino eyed her with a sly look on her face, ready to spot any lie.
“I- No! I’m not interested in Kiba that way.” “Good,” Ino interjected, you’re much too smart for him anyway.” Upon seeing the somewhat offended look on Sakura’s face she added “It’s true. Don’t get me wrong, I’d die for him, but we both know he’s not the brightest crayon in the box. Remember that time he flirted with a store manikin?” Sakura giggled. She did remember. “And what would you even talk about? Dogs? Your entire life would go over his head.”
“Alright, alright I get it. Don’t be too mean, Pig.”
“Then tell me, who’s your mystery guy? Who piqued your interest in the not-so-fairer sex?”
Sakura knew this question would come. She knew she couldn’t lie, so she had to tell something as close to the truth as possible. “I want to understand how it works.” She glanced at Ino who didn’t seem happy, but also not disappointed. Sakura kept talking. Maybe Ino would stop looking like that if she explained it? “I mean, it’s just, well, everyone else seems to be doing it and maybe I should do it too because I might be missing out and I know you’re an expert so I came to you but maybe this was a mistake. I’m sorry?” She looked up at Ino. Ino still had that same expression on her face.
“Do you…” Ino trailed off. It looked like she was choosing her words wisely. “Do you feel like you have to do this?” Ino gazed at her imploringly. ‘This isn’t fair’, thought Sakura. ‘She’s had much too much sake to be this alert.’
“No Ino. I want to do it.” She looked right into Ino’s eyes. This was the only way to show she was telling the truth. “I want to know for me.” Ino leaned back and smiled a small smile. “Good. Because you shouldn’t feel pressured into it doing anything just because everyone else does it. And I love you just the way you are, Forehead.” “Awww. I love you too, Pig.” They scooted towards each other and hugged. Sakura leaned her head against Ino’s shoulder and Ino wrapper her arms around her. She knew she could always count on Ino.
Eventually they separated slightly. They were still side-by-side, but not as tightly wound as before.
Ino turned her head towards Sakura and smirked. So you’ve come to the master? The person who you knew was the best at dating, hmm?” Sakura rolled her eyes. She had also known this was coming. “Yes yes. I thought of you.” “Who am I exactly?” Sakura sighed an overdramatic sigh, a small smile on her lips. “The smartest, most intelligent person I know.
“Go on.”
“Literally the best at everything, including, and not limited to, her knowledge about the not-so-fairer-sex.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I guess I have no choice but to help you. Let’s get started.”

 

"So what exactly are you looking for? A hot guy?" Ino wiggled her eyebrows. "A cute one?" She looked at Sakura pointedly. "Or a healthy, boring, long-term relationship?" She made barfing motions. Sakura smiled at her friend's antics. "I was thnking maybe just, learning the basics? Like how it all works. What does flirting look like, how to do it and what is good flirting? That sort of thing." She waved her hand in the air. "There's just so much that isn't covered in books. Like how to tell if someone is interested. And I've seen what can go wrong with just reading books." Both girls shared a pointed look at each other. Ino put her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't let you become a Sai." They both stared into the distance, each imagining the nightmare a socially inept Sakura would be.
Sakura shook her head. "Back to what I was saying. I just feel like I should know more about this topic in general before I start trying to get into it. And I know we've talked about it a bunch, especially when we were in the academy." "Back in the good old days when we only cared about Sasuke-kun." Ino's voice shot up in the end as she clasped her hands together and wiggled her body in a mock imitation of them as young girls. "Kyaaaaaaa~", Sakura joined in. They laughed at themselves, reminiscing about the past. "But yes. Exactly. And we didn't have the best track record for what boys liked." Ino scoffed. "Speak for yourself."
"And before I get myself into something I have no idea about, it'll be best to learn everything I can." She made a fist, "In order to be prepared for every outcome."

Ino took a look at her. "You know this isn't a battle, right? Regardless of what Bat Penetar says, dating isn't a battle. It's just a song." "I know that! It just... feels like one. And the worst thing is, I can really hurt someone who I care about, emotionally. And I'd feel horrible. So I just want to do it right. Make sure no one gets hurt, you know?" She knew telling that Ino eould have picked up on her telling anything but the truth, but damn was it hard to admit. Ino began to laugh. Sakura stared. Her confusion quickly morphed into anger. Here she was, bearing her soul to her best friend and she began to laugh?! She was dead. Sakura pulled her fist back, ready to strike. "Wait wait." Ino managed to get out. "Just, just give me a second." She continued to laugh.
Finally, she calmed down enough to ask: "So the reason you've turned down people all this time is because you were too scared to hurt someone? Isn't that sort of, counter productive?" Sakura blnked at her. "Also, what was your plan? Date withut anyone getting hurt? That's not how dating works." "W-w-w." Sakura stuttered. "I- You're mean! We're talking about people here! They have feelings! And me breaking up with them can hurt them!" "Well duh. But you ndon't you think that's somewhat narcissistic? Like you dumping or rejecting a guy will haunt him forever? Oh no I've been dumped by Sakura! However will I go on in this cruel, cruel world! I have nothing left to look forward to!" "Oh my god! Stop! You know what I meant!" Ino continued: "And not even the sight of her incredibly hot best friend can help me out of this deep depression I've fallen into! Alas, I've lost the only maiden I shall ever love, Sakura! Why hast thou forsaken me?!"
"No you don't understand! These are emotions! People will get hurt! I just don't want to hurt anyone!", she yelled at Ino.

"Ok, ok. Relax. I understand but listen. You're always going to hurt people regardless of what time of relationship you have with them. Enemies, friends, lovers. Everyone always gets hurt. Take our friendship. I'd say we've hurt each other more than some enemies have hurt us and we obviously didn't intend for that to happen." Sakura could see the logic in that. And the truth. "And rejecting people trying to ask you out shouldn't be a huge deal for them. It should be more like, someone disliking your clothes." Sakura looked at her. "Like yes, it is personal, as in you chose your clothes and they represent you as a person, but it isn't meant as a personal attack, it's just a matter of preference. And anyone, alpha, omega, whatever, whoever, reacts to your rejection like it's the end of the world, is the problem because they never learned how to deal with rejection." She let that sink in before continuing. "Do you know how many jerks I had to deal with, who thought that they were entitled to me and my body? Who felt that I owed them something, juat because I had smiled at them a few times or because they had given me something?" Ino narrowed her eyes, lost in past memories. "I've had to deal with so many jerks. And the first time it happened, I felt like trash. Like I owed him something. I thought we were friends and when he asked me out, I said no because I didn't like him that way." She smiled a sad smile. "And you know what he did? The asshole made me feel bad about my decision. First came the 'But I thought we were friends', then came the 'But I've done so much for you' and the 'But I've only ever liked you'. And it didn't stop there. Of course not. Because he saw just how bad I felt and knew he could get what he wanted. And you know how I got out?" She chuckled. "By having my mother explain just how wrong he was. WHich she knew because other alphas had tried the same thing on her." She paused and looked at her hands. She had begun to open and close them. "I've drifted slightly off topic, I'm aware, it's just, this is a subject that has affected me personallyand I don't want you to fall for the same crap I did but I also don't want you to stop experiencing life just because you're scared. That's no way to live. There's a lot to talk about, more than we'll be able to cover tonight or in a week of sleepovers, but if there's one thing you should take away from this conversation, it's that no one who truly cares about you, will ever make you feel bad for the way you feel. You can't help what you feel just as much as any other person. You can only control your reaction. So you not feeling the same way as the other person isn't bad and rejecting them nicely isn't bad. Them trying to change your answer or pressuring you into accepting their advances is." Ino looked Sakura in the eyes.

Sakura stared back.

A heavy silence fell.

Both girls thought about the conversation. What it meant to reject someone. How to deal with rejection. How much better the world would be if people were just kind to each other.

"I'm tired." Ino broke the silence, her voice weary. "I'm going to bed."
"I. Yeah. Of course."
Ino laid down on the couch. "I hope I could help somewhat. Sorry for bringing the mood down. I am looking forward to helping you out with dating. Please don't let what I just said get you down. It can be a truly wonderful experience, there are just some assholes to watch out for." Sakura nodded. "Good night, Forehead," Ino smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Chapter 6: Lazy Day

She didn’t know why she had agreed to this. Stupid drunk Sakura. Stupid Ino. Stupid boys.
She stared at the outfit Ino had chosen, opting to wait to try it on. Maybe if she waited long enough, Ino would go away.
“Aha!” Ino ripped the curtain to the changing room open startling Sakura. “I knew it! You’re hesitating!” Damn, her flawless plan had failed. “What’s shinobi rule number 34? Never hesitate! That means you’re a bad shinobi if you don’t put those clothes on!” Jeez, Ino needed to calm down. It couldn’t be that exciting trying to dress her. “Do you have nothing else going on in your life? Why do you have so much energy? Are you OK?”
Ino scoffed. “Stop trying to distract me and put the clothes on!” “If you can even call them clothes,” Sakura mumbled. “Whine whine whine. Moan moan moan.” Ino mocked Sakura with her hand. “Besides, those clothes are perfect to distract from your ginormous forehead.”
Sakura’s fist went flying but Ino nimbly dodged her way out the booth. “You better be out in five, or I’m coming in there!”
Her first day off in ages and she had signed herself up for this torture. Curse past Sakura! But she wasn’t going to shy away from this challenge! She was a ninja of the leaf damn it! Some clothes wouldn’t phase her!

This was a mistake.

She poked her head out of the booth to holler Ino over, not willing to be seen in public in these… scraps. “Well? Let’s see it!” It turns out Ino had been waiting right outside, her threat of coming in not empty in the least. “I-“ Sakura hesitated. “I don’t like this.” Her gaze dropped.
Ino’s excitement instantly disappeared. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to force you into something you weren’t prepared to do. I let my excitement get the best of me and ignored your feelings of discomfort.”
Damn, Ino was good at apologies. “Damn Ino, you’re good at apologies.”
She smiled brightly at Sakura “I know!”
“Can’t even be upset anymore which just pisses me off more, “ she grumbled, going back into her changing room and putting her normal clothes back on. Only once they exited the clothes store did they hesitate.
“So…” “Uh.” “Hm.” “Well..” “Tea?” “Tea.”

The rest of the day was spent together, walking around, chatting about life in general, and complaining about every other ninja in the city. It was nice. It was the perfect day off. And tomorrow she’d go back to the hospital and work on her heat blocker, but today she’d spend the day with Ino, enjoying life to its fullest.