fic - contender; naruto
Fandom: Naruto
Title: Contender
Chapter: N/A, complete oneshot
Characters/Pairings: Sakura; Sasuke; Ino; Moegi; phone-call!Tsunade; mentions of Shizune
Genre: General/Humor
Rating: PG-13ish? Some swearing, mentions of mild violence
Disclaimer: If you recognize it here, it isn't mine.
Prompt: "SASUKE and SAKURA" + "PROTEIN SHAKE" from like six years ago i am so sorry ahzheejhei
"Who's the eye candy?" Ino leaned over Sakura's shoulder, invading her personal space to get a better look at the new member photo open on her monitor. She quickly clicked out of the window, spinning to face her best friend.
"Some new fighter," Sakura answered. "Tsunade poached him from Sound of Success. Apparently, he's a contender for the belt. Jiraiya wanted him bad."
Ino cooed. "What's his schedule?" she demanded.
"Rigorous, I'm sure," she shot back drolly. She knew trying to dissuade the blonde was next to useless, but she had to try. Letting Ino sink her claws into her boss's newest client was not an option. Tsunade would rip her head off if Ino distracted another contender. She was still tetchy about the Neji thing from last year.
"Oh, calm down, Forehead," Ino sang, flapping a hand in her face. "I'm seeing someone else right now."
"He won't be up for grabs next week, either, Pig," Sakura spat. "This is my job. My career. Do not--"
"Sakura," Ino interrupted. "I remember, alright? Tsunade reamed me, too, and I don't even work here. He's safe. You're safe. He's just really pretty."
Sakura forced a deep breath out through her nose. Ino looked genuinely contrite. She couldn't have stayed angry at her oldest friend, anyway, not after she noticed the thick scent of her homemade stew.
"You brought food?"
Ino nudged the plastic container toward her. "'Course I did. I made it for Dad as a thank you for keeping Toshi this weekend. And it's my turn to feed you."
Sakura waved her off, ripping open the lid and inhaling greedily. Ino produced a spoon from seemingly thin air.
"How'd you get back here?" she finally had the sense to ask, through a mouthful of the steaming food.
"I may or may not have bribed Naruto with a buy-one-get-one for Ichiraku..."
"That boy is such an easy mark," Sakura grumbled.
"Are you complaining? Do you want me to take the soup away?"
She snapped her teeth at Ino's teasing fingers. Ino giggled.
"Where to next?"
"Gotta finish logging this guy, then I'm relieving Konohamaru at the juice bar," Sakura replied. "I'll be here all day. My long day. Tsunade's still on vacation."
"I've got a date at 4, but I'll be back to get in my workout." Ino pecked her on the forehead and made to leave.
"Thank you!" she yelled after her friend's retreating back.
"I want it back with cookies in it!"
--
Sakura emerged from the back office into the main gym area, where the smell of sweat and metal nearly assaulted her. But for all its strength, it comforted her. Some of her best memories were of a gym. Her godmother and biggest influence, Senju Tsunade, had owned, operated, and fought out of a gym just like this one for nearly forty years.
Tsunade had given up a brilliant future in medicine to pursue a career in martial arts. She kept all her medical certification up-to-date and treated most of her prize fighters herself. She'd taught Sakura in her youth, fostering a passion for medicine and martial arts nearly as strong as her own. She was 100% of the reason Sakura had majored in sports medicine to become a physical therapist and eventually part owner of Leaf Street Gym.
She also held several black belts in various disciplines, had a number of awards from competitions, and taught several classes a week. In addition, she ran one of the smaller branches almost completely alone. Today, she was at her location, Leaf on Winding Way, and it was time to relieve her juice bar worker.
"Kid!" she called. "Office. Homework, now!"
Konohamaru looked up, startled, from where he'd been attempting to flirt with one of Sakura's boxing students, a cute redhead named Moegi. He groaned.
"But--"
"No buts," Sakura barked. "You know the deal--your grades slip, I get that ass for a month. Go."
Grumbling, Konohamaru slunk to the office.
"Call if you need help!" Sakura said, saccharine sweet. She chuckled at the dirty look the boy shot her. Moegi giggled. Sakura's gaze narrowed her on her.
"You here to work out or are you just distracting my staff?"
"Just a distraction, sensei," Moegi answered honestly.
"Laps," Sakura growled. "Twenty minutes at the bag, and a spar--with me--sometime in the next week. Go." For good measure, she flicked a cap at her. Moegi ducked but obeyed without complaint.
Sakura took up the position behind the counter, pulling a rag and their cleaning solution to her. Cleaning was not something Konohamaru did well or often. She doubted anyone would be coming in within the next hour--the gym was all but deserted.
She was on her knees, scrubbing the wall under the sink when a smooth, deep voice startled her. Jerking, she tried to stand only to crack her head on the counter.
"This dump is empty," it said. "Tch."
Sakura shot to her feet, incensed. "My gym is not a dump," she hissed. She was so angry she almost didn't recognize the slim young man in front of her. "Asshole."
"Some greeting," the man snapped. He lifted an almost delicate hand to brush raven-dark hair from his equally dark eyes. "I'm your new fighter."
"I know who you are," Sakura snapped right back. "Uchiha Sasuke. Featherweight contender. Why are you here? You should be at Tsunade's location."
"She sent me here," he said coldly.
"I was not informed of this." She'd have to double-check her email later. Tsunade usually kept her apprised of things like this.
"Not my problem. I'm going to warm up. Have a peanut butter protein shake ready in an hour."
"Go fuck yourself, you arrogant bastard," Sakura told him. "I'm not your servant. You can make your own goddamn shake."
He almost looked confused. She almost felt bad.
"Look," she said, more gently. "You're a fighter, not a regular member. You have access to the office and the juice bar--at least, you will once we get you a card made. You'll eventually get a key to Tsunade's down on Leaf. We train you. You take care of yourself."
"Laziness," he muttered.
"Self-sufficiency," she retorted. "Let me guess: your old trainers coddled you. Cleaned all your equipment. Micromanaged your diet. Made everything for you."
Sasuke's silence was enough for her to infer the answer--yes, his previous trainers had done everything for him. She snorted.
"That is laziness. We aren't here to wait on you. We are here to train you to win this title. Get used to doing for yourself or get the hell out of my gym."
His mouth twisted into a snarl, but he didn't argue further. She watched him stalk off toward the locker rooms at the far end of the gym. When he reemerged several minutes later, his knuckles were taped and he was holding a jump rope. He went through his warm-up routine, and Sakura observed.
After a while, he began to move through forms. He was good. Really good. Sakura started to warm up herself, abandoning the bar. It was past time for it to be closed anyway. She'd count down the drawer and finish cleaning later.
"Alright, pretty boy, let's see what you can do," she finally called. "Mats. We're going to have a little spar. First blow to land wins."
Sasuke sneered at her. She leveled him a disdainful look. "It's a rite of passage," she said. "Think I can't fight? Tsunade herself taught me. Let's go. My gym, my rules."
He won, but barely. Moegi, Naruto, and the few others in the gym all looked on, actively rooting for her. Afterward, he demanded access to the bar, where he just stared at the cans and bottles of powder, looking lost.
Something dinged in her mind.
"Do you not know how to--?" she started.
"Of course I do," he cut her off angrily. Snatching a blender from a shelf, he also threw a jar of protein powder to the counter. Sakura allowed him to make a mess for a few minutes.
"You're not going to waste all my product," she announced. "Let me."
Sasuke was most ungracious about it, but eventually he stepped aside. Sakura mixed up a peanut butter shake for him and a strawberry-chocolate one for herself, explaining the steps as she went along.
He sucked it down in sullen silence, doing his utmost to make it look like he wasn't glaring at her. Sakura valiantly ignored him while she cleaned the bar and counted the drawer.
"Hey," Sasuke said sharply. She cut her eyes his way. "...thanks." The quiet word was barely a whisper before he disappeared back into the locker room.
Not all arrogance, then, she thought satisfactorily. Still, it's gonna be a long few days...
--
Sure enough, there was an email from Tsunade. It was just a few curt lines along the lines of Sasuke is coming early so I sent him your way take care of him until I get back thanks.
Opening a reply window, she typed, Get your ass back here, pronto. Your fighter is a prick.
Sent. Her phone rang almost immediately. Cackling answered her.
"Of course he is, sweetheart," Tsunade managed. "Did you think I poached him for his looks? He's the best I've seen in a long time and he knows it."
"A little warning would have been nice," she answered dryly.
"I've thrown you worse. Suck it up, buttercup."
"I miss you, too."
"Shut up."
"He doesn't know how to make a protein shake. I had to show him. I'm sure there will be other issues that arise later..."
"Probably, but we'll cross those bridges when we have to. Just keep him occupied until I get back, alright."
"Done and done. You're due back Friday. If I have to send Shizune to drag you out of a casino again, neither of us is going to be happy. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. See you when I see you."
"Later, old lady," Sakura said quickly, then hung up before Tsunade could launch into her tirade. She was in for it when Tsunade came back.
--