Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Menagerie – A Collection of Naruto Shorts ❯ Flowers, Sunshine, & Senbon: Genma & Shizune ( Chapter 8 )

Enter standard disclaimer here. Nope, not mine, not mine at all…damn…

For Kylara

Menagerie - A Collection of Naruto Shorts

Story Eight - Flowers, Sunshine, & Senbon

By - Wicked Innuendo

 

 

 

It had been her idea to stop and rest. The pair had been returning from a simple B rank mission; gliding through the trees when she spotted the clearing of marigolds. They were a sea of soft yellows and deep gold, speckling the field in a gilded blanket. Shizune's jaw dropped when she saw them; stopping so abruptly from her canter in the tree tops that she'd lost her footing and fallen from the thick branch. Genma had grabbed her wrist, his strong hands held her suspended above the forest floor, sixty feet below.

 

“That would have left a mark,” he grinned above her, talking around the senbon situated between his lips.

 

“Ehh..whups,” she half smiled and would've shrugged if she could, an embarrassed gesture that had carried over from her youth. Shizune reached up, grabbing for his other hand. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing, setting her down on the branch beside him.

 

“Take a break? Harvest some buds? Marigolds contain lutein; a monster of an anti-toxin, a medic can never have enough marigolds.” It was more of a statement versed as a question. Shizune didn't wait for an answer; she hopped down to a lower branch and continued onto the meadow of flora.

 

They sat together in the field of golden wild flowers. She watched him out the corner of her dark eye. The long senbon bounced in perfect rhythm between his lips; up, down, up, down, swivel, repeat. He appeared thoughtful, completely contrary to usual happy go lucky persona. Shizune plucked a long stemmed bud, perching the stem between her lips imitating the bob and weave of the needle like weapon in hopes of catching his attention.

 

He had removed his vest and navy Jounin shirt; the ever present backwards hitae remained knotted in his mussy hair. He closed his hazel eyes, tilted his face towards the sun, she swore his skin seemed to bronze before her eyes. “Penny for your thoughts, Shiranui.”

 

“Just enjoying life, Shizune.” Genma turned to look at her, chuckling when he saw her. The woman had been busy. Shizune had weaved a wreath of flowers and wore the buds like a crown in her black hair like some silly sprite. The flower stem still dangled between her lips, continuing to mock Genma's bouncing senbon.

 

“You know, you've got the tempo completely wrong,” he jested, sitting up to face her.

 

“Yeah?” She raised an eyebrow questioningly at him; the long stemmed flower still perched between her lips.

 

“You're a little slow on the swivel and the pace loses its consistency every other second repeat.” His tone was disinterested, pointing out the flaws of her technique to her like she was just another would be Gennin attempting go up in ranks and he, just another referee. His visage faltered, the corners of his lips turned upwards into slight smile.

 

“Everyone wants to be a critic.” She flopped backwards onto the soft bed of grass and flora, crossing her arms over her chest to pout.

 

“Well, flowers make for a poor substitution.” He offered, reclining back to lie besides her. “Trade?”

 

“Redemption,” Shizune smiled, snatching the senbon from his mouth and replaces the flower with it. Senbon perched between her lips, she started the oral exercise; up, down, up, down, swivel, repeat.

 

The stem tasted awful; bitter and gummy, the end frayed from Shizune's abusive chomps. Genma removed the flower from his mouth, choosing to pull off a petal at a time instead. “She loves me, she loves me not, she—“

 

Shizune paused, mid swivel to shoot a hard look at the orally fixated nin, “Don't push it.”

 

Genma sighed, producing a second senbon, seemingly out of thin air. He stuck the weapon in his mouth, synchronizing his senbon routine with his partner and started plucking at the flowers petals again. Playfully adding, “She loves me.”