"Seriously Kurenai, I'm fine. I don't need some big night out to have fun. I'm perfectly happy staying in tonight." I knew my pleading had fallen on deaf ears. She had been dying to drag me out for drinks in some lame attempt to cheer me up after my breakup.
She rolled her eyes at me, dragging me down the bustling city street by my arm. "Oh please, it's been months since you and Genma split up and since then you've done nothing but mope around like your dog ran away."
I grumbled, "Because he basically did... but c'mon this is just too much too fast."
"Look, you don't have to pretend you're okay... but you also don't have to carry this alone. Just have fun for a little while then I'll make sure you get home alright, okay?" She dragged me through the bar entrance, keeping her arm hooked through mine.
This was a popular place for all the jonin to hangout and celebrate from time to time so it wasn't a shock when I saw some familiar faces milling around. At the bar sat Izumo and Kotetsu. As we walked by I could overhear Kotetsu telling the bartender about their latest mission.
"It wasn't six bandits. It was three," corrected Izumo.
"You're ruining the story," Kotetsu grumbled as he ordered another drink.
At our usual table near the back of the bar sat Asuma and Kakashi. Naturally, Kurenai sat next to Asuma on one side leaving me to take my place next to Kakashi.
The couple on the opposite side of the table sparked some conversation about their teams, sharing stories from their missions and which of their students needed more training in different areas. Meanwhile Kakashi had his nose in that little orange book of his, eyes never leaving the page even as you sat down.
I had to admit, the company was nice. Things started to feel normal again and, just for a little while, I wasn't thinking about Genma.
At least until he entered the bar with his new fling.
I watched as they made their way over to Izumo and Kotetsu, joining in on their conversation. Genma and I made brief eye contact before he settled into his seat. Although I was done crying over him, it still hurt to see he'd replaced me so quickly.
Kurenai and Asuma had their backs to the door and didn't see them enter, but Kakashi noticed my shift in demeanor. He looked up for a moment, following my gaze, then back at me.
The air in the room felt heavier, like all of a sudden I was underwater. My heart felt like it had jumped into my throat, my mouth drier than the desert around the Hidden Sand Village.
Kakashi closed his book and stuffed in back in his pocket, pushing his chair back to stand. The sudden movement caught my attention, noticing he had also been looking in Gemma's direction. He moved behind me and started walking towards the bar.
I grabbed his sleeve. "Kakashi... don't."
He looked down at me and smiled through his mask. "No worries, I'll be right back." I reluctantly let go of him and watched as he approached the bar, standing next to where Genma sat as he spoke to the bartender. Kakashi made light conversation with him while waiting for whatever he had ordered.
It appeared friendly, although I couldn't hear what was being said from this distance.
Kurenai nudged me under the table, "Hey, you still there?"
I blinked a few times, trying to remember I was there to spend time with my friends. "Yeah, sorry. I was just... lost in thought I guess. What were you saying?"
She didn't have to look behind her to figure out where my head had gone, she had always been able to read me like a book. "Nothing really, I just wanted to check in." She knew not to press any further, especially in front of Asuma.
