AN: This is written purely for fun and I make no profit from it.

Sakura's breath, voice, air, thoughts caught and tangled into a lump in her throat, choking her.

What had happened?

What was…

She turned away from the river, shaking her head under the blazing summer sun, her brow furrowing. The… what was that?

Instinctive by now, her hands were already glowing as she touched just above her heart, then her head, her confusion mounting.

"Hn."

Swallowing, perplexed at what she found—increased heart rate, flush, rapid breathing, unusual hormone production, no sign of injury or genjutsu—Sakura looked up at Sasuke's level eyes.

"Something felt a little funny. Just checking," she explained, straightening her shoulders.

"Injury?"

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head.

He nodded once, lifting his katana again. "Ready?"

"Yes."

They resumed their spar. Behind them, skimming across the coursing surface of the Naka River, a shirtless Naruto and a dripping Kakashi continued their own training; on the river's rocky edge, Kakashi's shirt lay in a sopping heap just behind Sakura where it had landed a moment before.

At their usual counter stools, hunched over steaming bowls of ramen, Sakura felt Sasuke tap her stool with his foot.

"What happened?" he asked, stirring the broth with his chopsticks to blend its aromatic flavours.

"When?"

He gave her a look. "This afternoon."

It took her a moment to remember. She shrugged. "Not sure. It was weird."

On Sakura's other side, Naruto leaned over, bracing his elbows on the "What happened to Sakura-chan?"

"Nothing. I think things were just too hot for me earlier," she explained, smiling at Naruto. "I should have joined you on the river." Her expression turned rueful. "Well, maybe in the water."

"The temperature's supposed to stay above average this week," said Kakashi, just as half his noodles disappeared behind his mask. After his dip beneath the cool river water that afternoon, his poor hair stuck up more strangely than ever. For a second, it fascinated Sakura.

And then it happened again; her heart began a rapid descent into madness, her hearing narrowed, her skin flushed as she found her throat no longer permitted her to breathe normally, and what was—

"—kura-chan? Sakura?"

"Hmm?" She twisted to look at Naruto, tongue-tied.

He looked at her askance. "You okay?"

"Yes. I think so. Just the heat," she said, smiling and wondering if she needed more tea. "I'm going to crank the AC a bit higher when I get home."

"That's detrimental to your muscles," said Sasuke, before he sipped from his spoon.

"Thank you, Doctor Uchiha," said Naruto. "Next, will you be offering advice on—"

"Don't finish that," said Sakura, voice hard. "I know where it's going."

"Aw, but—"

"No." She cut her eyes at Naruto and narrowed them in warning.

"Listen to her, Naruto. I'd like to eat my meal in peace," said Kakashi. He had less than a quarter-bowl left.

Sulking for a moment on his stool, Naruto saw Sasuke watching Sakura.

"You're okay, though, right?" Naruto asked her, his chopsticks paused in mid-air.

"Yes. I'll take a dip in the water tomorrow like you two and I'll be just fine," she said, relaxing again.

"Okay. How about we all bring our suits and take an ice cream break around—"

Sasuke glowered at him. "Training is not about splashing around in the water and filling your stomach with garbage."

Familiar squabbling surrounded Sakura once more, and she enjoyed the rest of her evening. And cranked the AC until it hummed like a lawnmower engine that night. Such a strange day. Maybe she'd take an extra iron pill in the morning.

Itachi sighed under his breath as he nodded to his father in respect and left his parents' kitchen. Another scorching day beat down on him, even in the early morning, as he gradually caught up to his brother.

He looked across Sasuke, noting his relaxed training attire of clan shirt, wraps, and light trousers. "No mission today?"

"Cancelled." Sasuke's eyes flicked to his. "Again."

Itachi understood; there was no need to explain. They continued walking.

"Train well," said Itachi, as they parted at the gates to the Uchiha District. He noted one of Sasuke's teammates, Sakura, waiting outside the gates for his brother. He turned away.

"Hn," replied Sasuke, nodding to Itachi before joining Sakura.

Itachi watched them with interest from the corner of his eye before he continued on his way to ANBU headquarters.

"Everything okay?" she asked as they reached the training ground by the river.

"Hn."

She eyed him, arching a brow.

"Clan stuff," he admitted reluctantly. "That's all."

She nodded, turning back to the water. "Swim first?"

"We're here to train."

"Fine, I'll swim by myself. Call me when Naruto and Kakashi arrive," she said, shrugging off her shirt and shorts and heading for the promise of the cool water.

She felt him stiffen beside her at her casual disrobing, and almost laughed when he relaxed upon sight of her swim suit. She quite liked her black boyshort tankini; it was cute. She grinned when she heard him sigh.

With some doubt, he asked. "Did you bring a towel?"

Already wading in, she called back to him. "I packed a few. They're in a storage scroll in my bag." She looked over her shoulder and splashed at him. "Come on in, the water's great!"

He grumbled under his breath but joined her within a moment, also in his own navy swim trunks.

Her heart warmed as she made her way deeper, Sasuke just beside her. "I knew you'd wear them."

"Hn," he grumbled, but she caught the slight upturn of the corner of his lips before he could hide it.

"Relax for five minutes. Enjoy yourself, even if it pains you, Sasuke," she said, swimming out further when her feet no longer touched the bottom.

He made a disgusted noise in his throat, which made Sakura laugh, but continued swimming, even flipping over to float on his back for a few minutes.

"Is anything wrong?"

"Hn?"

"The clan stuff. Is anything wrong? Can we help with anything?"

Sasuke sighed. "No." He frowned a moment, and Sakura felt a trip of guilt that she'd interrupted his peaceful moment with her question. "Itachi is handling it."

Surprised he'd admitted as much, Sakura swam closer and treaded water, before floating on her back, too.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," she said quietly, and gave him a grin as she shrugged in the water. "I won't step in anything to interfere, but I could wiggle some negotiation room with Tsunade-Shishou, if you or he need it, okay?"

It was a moment before she heard his relaxed exhale. "Ah."

"Anytime," she said, understanding his gratitude through his tone.

"Anytime what? Are you offering personal favours to your teammates, Sakura?" A gray-haired head popped up beside hers in the water from below, taking her off-guard. "Why was your poor old sensei not invited? That's age discrimination."

"Kak-gahck!" Arms flailing, Sakura overbalanced and sank into the water, choking. It took her longer than she'd have liked to admit to regain her senses and slap at her sensei for startling her. "Would you stop eavesdropping and taking things the wrong way!"

"Is there a right way to take it?" he asked.

"Who's taking what all the way? Oh, and… Cannonball!" burst in Naruto, dive-bombing into the water. After thoroughly splashing everyone, he popped up again spitting a fountain and laughing. "I want in!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and glared balefully at her former sensei.

"He followed me," said Kakashi innocently, and Sakura just sighed and climbed to the surface using her chakra to form foot-ledges in the water. To her surprise, Kakashi followed her lead, and she noticed that he, too, was wearing swimwear.

And damnit all to… Sakura's legs wobbled and she lost her footing, her balance abandoning her as well as her breath.

"This is getting to be a bad habit," said Kakashi, catching her. His tone was playful, though his lone visible eye was watching her carefully.

"Believe me, I know," grumbled Sakura. She lifted her arms, and, after a half-second's hesitation, pushed herself upright, her hands bracing against Kakashi's firm, defined chest… and hello, abdomen. No, eyes up here, eyes up here. Chest only. Phew.

Her face alternately paling and flushing, Sakura swallowed and looked away.

"I'm just… going to go sit for a minute." Possibly dig a shallow grave and die in it, she mentally added.

"If you think so," was all Kakashi said, though it took a moment for the words to reach her ears. She waved him off.

Sasuke looked between the two, his eyes narrowing.

"Spar?" he asked Kakashi.

Shrugging, Kakashi nodded. "Sounds good. Rules?"

Sasuke smirked, and Kakashi chuckled. Right. Like 'rules' really applied to them, outside of, "Don't burn it down entirely", and Sakura's favourite, "Don't burn it off the whole way."

Kakashi lay back on the field on the far side of Konoha, his nin-dogs gamboling about through the treeline and obstacles they raced past.

He considered Sakura's strange behaviour the last several days. While his pups dodged and leapt and wrestled with each other, he mulled over the symptoms and peculiarities of Sakura's recent days before chastising himself and his fanciful leanings with a sigh and returning to mind his pups.

But…

No.

With another small sigh he closed his eyes.

This wasn't supposed to be happening right now.

"Uh huh, sure you are."

The woman's voice was smug.

"I really don't have time for this, Ino," sighed Sakura.

"You need to take a step away from your boys, and a step into the wonderful world of being a woman, Sakura. I know you love them, but they need to learn to function socially without you. And vice versa."

"But I keep getting called to the hospital to put them back together again, whenever I let them out of my sight," moaned Sakura.

"Stop mothering them and they'll stop seeking your attention! Better yet, get out and date a bit and maybe they'll learn how to behave and respect your autonomy a bit more. Unless you're planning on settling down with a member of your team, you need to get out a bit more, Sakura. I'm not just saying this as a friend, I'm saying it because it is true. I don't want you to settle for someone. I want you to be happy. Chouji and I are on our way with number two, and you're... " She sighed.

He heard Sakura sigh in turn, and his brow furrowed. They weren't that bad, were they? They'd tried to back off a bit. It wasn't their fault the rest of the shinobi in Konoha were… lesser, than they were… lesser and therefore not meeting their expectations and standards in order to be good enough for her attention. But… were they the ones holding her back, now?

"They're trying. On missions, they're so much better. It's… day-to-day stuff that challenges them," muttered Sakura. He had to strain to hear her.

"Really." There was a telling note to Ino's voice that set his nerves on edge.

"Honestly. Even with my other work—..."

"Understood; the work you can't talk about—"

"Others give me my space and I am respected. It's… the separation of team-work and team-personal life that… we're all sometimes bad at keeping apart."

"I don't remember the last time you followed Naruto, Sasuke, Sai or Kakashi around on one of their dates, tricked said date into leaving with them via sexy-no-jutsu, and then interrogated their dates on their sexual and mission history. In the bowels of the Torture and Interrogation department."

Sakura sighed. "At least I tracked them down and unhooked the battery cables before they got a little too carried away. Idiots," she said, a combination of frustration and fondness in her tone.

"So. This brings us back to my point, and this lovely folder I brought with me—"

"I can't believe you signed me up on a dating site without my permission, Pig. Aren't there laws against this?"

"There would be if we weren't ninja and therefore above the law."

"I'm guessing there's a method to your madness?"

"You should be grateful to me for vetting and background checking these for you already," sang Ino. "And yes. So, I took your preferences and required qualities for a suitable mate, cross-referenced them against those who could provide you with a challenge, and weeded out anyone who couldn't provide for you financially, and then ranked them by hotness in uniform."

There was a shuffling of papers, and then soft murmuring.

"These aren't their uniforms," breathed Sakura appreciatively.

"A well-fitted suit is a man's uniform," purred Ino.

Another pause.

"Close your mouth, Sakura. Drooling is unattractive."

On his branch in the tree outside Sakura's home, Kakashi watched the light flush on Sakura's cheeks as she paused on one of the portfolios. And bit her lip.

Itachi looked up at his brother as he stood in front of a pair of elders. To Itachi's surprise, they were outside the clan compound, near the village restaurant district, and it seemed the elders had stopped Sasuke from entering the restaurant. Itachi noted several of Sasuke's former colleagues inside, one with a baby in his arms. Everyone inside looked to be relaxed, happy, and celebrating going by the open bottles of wine, the balloons, the gift-wrapped presents piled on a nearby table.

Immediately Itachi's gaze sharpened, and he felt the push against his eyes from the inside, and he stifled the Sharingan's response to his heightened emotion.

No one pushed his brother into a corner.

Certainly not the overly entitled elders from their clan.

Without a word Itachi approached and stood at Sasuke's side, glaring down at the elders.

He waited until their gaze shifted to him before he tapped Sasuke's shoulder, nodding towards the restaurant. "Go," he said.

"We were in the middle of a conversation," snapped one heavily lined old woman.

"Clan affairs take place on clan time and territory," said Itachi, his gaze never leaving the meddling group.

At his side, Sasuke shifted and glanced up at him before nodding. Now that he was closer, he could see the small gift Sasuke held in front of him. Wrapped in playful animal-printed gift paper and a bright yellow bow.

The door of the restaurant opened, and Itachi heard a somewhat familiar voice call out, "Sasuke! There you are, we've been waiting for you. Oh good! You remembered it." The pink-haired woman, Sakura, Itachi recalled, smiled so genuinely at Sasuke that it transformed into a beautiful, beguiling creature that caught Itachi's breath in his throat. This was the bond his brother had with his team. Genuine. Caring. Supportive. Real.

His brother's neck and back relaxed, and he nodded at Itachi. "Hn." Thank you, it implied.

Sasuke joined Sakura and together they joined the party assembled to celebrate the birth of their friend's child. The Yamanaka, he recognized from their blond hair.

There came the sound of mumbling and criticism, analysis and disdain from the manipulative, unfortunately non-senile group before him, and Itachi swallowed his sigh.

"... Hokage's apprentice…"

"... shame, not an Uchiha…"

"... unpredictable, uncouth…"

"... but incredible chakra control and promise…"

"... influence?..."

"... fresh bloodline, though…"

"... but for which one?..."

"I will see you back to the compound," commanded Itachi, his voice soft and even and territorial.

It was a slow trip back to their homes, and it would have made Itachi late to his appointment had he not sent his summon ahead of him to locate his host.

In a far corner of the village, away from prying eyes, Kakashi set down his book to glance at the familiar black raven. He nodded at it as it relayed its message before watching it hop and fly off.

Her green eyes fierce, Sakura ducked and swung her right hand around in a tearing backfist that went straight through the enemy nin who'd tried to sneak up on her from behind. Her other hand remained firmly planted on Kakashi's chest, glowing green as she reconnected his collarbone and various nearby sinew and muscle.

"I swear, if those two are one-upping each other again instead of finishing up, I am going to reroute their digestive systems manually," muttered Sakura, her eyes sweeping around her as she heard more rustling from the nearby bushes.

Kakashi gave her a patented eye-crease smile. "We can go check—"

"Shut up and heal, sensei."

His shoulders drooped, with a faint grunt of pain. "Hai, scary-Sakura-chan."

She glared at him, before scoffing under her breath. "Stubborn shinobi."

He pointed at himself. "You mean handsome. Handsome shinobi."

To his delight, a burst of crimson flushed her cheeks, leaving him chuckling as she pressed her lips together tightly, shooting more chakra into his system.

"Weird sensei," she muttered, and backhanded another not-so-intrepid nin who tried to take advantage of her diverted attention—or so he must have thought.

Kakashi winced at the crunching noise of the man's facial trauma, and cleared his throat. "Feeling much better," he assured Sakura. She ignored him.

After sparring practice, late one afternoon.

"This makes us even," muttered Sakura, arms crossed, as Kakashi lifted her across her threshold, into her apartment.

"Fine, fine," he murmured around a chuckle.

"I could have still walked. My chakra's done for the day, but I could have still walked," she insisted. And pouted.

His eyes creasing with fond adoration, Kakashi's chest rumbled with his muffled laugh.

"Your leg is broken in three places," he pointed out. "And your other ankle is sprained."

"Che." It was the same tone she used to harang Sasuke and Naruto when she called them 'babies' when she had to reset their bones.

"I'll tell the boys to come by and help you when they finish up with the Hokage."

"... you did what to my apprentice?... what do you mean she'll be out of commission for a few days…? Uchiha, don't talk to the floor, look at me when I'm talking to you… "

They heard Tsunade's voice booming out across the village as Sasuke and Naruto went to apologize for perhaps forgetting themselves during that morning's spar.

Sakura bit her lip as she tried to stifle her giggle.

Kakashi chuckled again, and gave Sakura a quick squeeze as he settled her down on her couch. Instinctively Sakura's arms shot up to clutch his shoulders, her eyes widening as they met his, her mouth falling open slightly in surprise. The moment held, his visible eye holding hers, his arms lingering around her as they breathed, too deeply, too shallowly, too much and yet not enough. Too slowly he straightened, his fingerless gloves a bit rough on her skin, his fingers trailing fire a bit too hot in their wake as he stepped back. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Do you need anything?"

Sakura tried to swallow, to clear her head, to understand.

"For groceries, or for medical supplies?" added Kakashi, his voice aiming for feigned nonchalance and yet still revealing an underlying note of tension that hadn't been there, when they'd spoken before. Or had it?

"I'll make a list and give it to the boys," she said. "If you wouldn't mind supervising them, when they go, that would help." So they didn't turn even shopping into a competition, and knowing Naruto, some kind of near-religiously-fervent ramen-supply mission.

"Hai, hai," he said, easy smile back in place beneath his mask.

"Thank you, Kakashi. Sensei." She tacked on the last word with a twinge of uncertainty.

"Anytime, Sakura...chan," he said, his eye flickering as he cleared his throat and turned to leave.

She watched him go, he felt her eyes, and they both swallowed as the door shut between them.

Late one evening, Sakura's place.

Naruto set down the bowls of piping hot ramen, Sasuke passed around bowls of freshly chopped and tossed salad, and together they helped Sakura over to the table.

"Make room," called Kakashi from the kitchen.

"What have you been doing in there so long?" asked Naruto, craning his neck around to see what Kakashi carried.

"Tempura!" cried Sakura, upon seeing the crispy mess of vegetables and seafood Kakashi had heaped into a large mixing bowl. She looked up at him, her smile so wide it lit up her entire demeanour. The last several days she'd been on bed-rest due to her healing injuries had been frustrating for her. "My favourite!"

"I know," he said, arranging all the dipping sauces around her. "This one is hot sauce, this one is mustard, this one is soy sauce, this one is hoisin, this one is oyster, this one is teriyaki, this one is sesame and garlic…"

Naruto pouted. "Eh? I thought you liked ramen, Sakura?"

Refusing to give in to the urge to shake his head, Sasuke bit the side of his tongue and went to put out the small fire Kakashi had forgotten to douse in the kitchen. He had a feeling that the reason there were so many sauces was because their former sensei wasn't as confident in his cooking abilities as he'd hoped to convey. He glanced at the happy glow around Sakura, and the way Kakashi hovered at her side, bringing closer any dish she requested. Then again, he had tried awfully hard.

A month later.

The morning heat had not abated, and with the loss of summer winds had in fact escalated into a humid mess, heavy and smothering throughout Konoha. The pair of men stood facing each other in the side street that led to Sakura's home.

"She's not home."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke curiously, his visible eye flickering between them.

"You're on your way to Sakura's. But she's not home," said Sasuke, his hands in his pockets.

The afternoon sun was hot overhead, and Kakashi tilted his head to find some shade. In his calloused grip he held a bag of iced drinks. At least half a dozen bottles and cans clinked together, their condensation clinging to the plastic of the bag, making it semi-transparent.

"She should be back in a few days," offered Sasuke after a few seconds of awkward silence between them.

"She left a note?"

Sasuke glanced around, taking a step closer to Kakashi. "I know of someone else who had to leave a note, and it said they should be back in a few days."

Kakashi's eyes rested on Sasuke's a moment longer before Sasuke saw the light come on in his sensei's eyes. Itachi. ANBU. Sasuke nodded.

As the heat beat down on them, Kakashi seemed to come to a decision as he smiled down at Sasuke and continued on his way to Sakura's apartment.

"Sensei?"

"Ah?"

"... please don't start any more fires in Sakura's apartment…"

Kakashi chuckled and waved. "Of course not. I'm going to put these in her fridge. She'll probably be thirsty when she comes back."

Letting out his held breath with some relief, Sasuke watched Kakashi disappear around the corner, onto Sakura's street proper.

The next week, Sakura offered a small, if densely packed, bento to Sasuke as they sat atop of the Hokage monument. She had invited him up while Naruto was holed up in Tsunade's office.

"What's this for?"

"Thanks for watching my apartment for me. Oh, here's a thank-you note for your mom, too."

Brow furrowed, Sasuke did not immediately accept the card.

"My mother?"

"Yeah. She made me all those frozen meals, right? My freezer's full. It was really thoughtful of her to make them for me. I'm sorry if I put her out of her way. But I really appreciate it. It was so nice to make it back in and be able to heat something up quick to eat in the middle of the night, instead of having to go out and find a convenience store."

Leaning back on her hands, Sakura gave him an odd look. "The flowers were a nice touch, by the way, but I feel bad about your family spending money on me. This was way too much, but it was really sweet. Let me know when your mom's going to be free, I'd love to stop by and invite her out for tea, to say thank you."

Blinking slowly, Sasuke felt his hands go numb as things fell into place.

An awkward grimace twisted his features for a split second before he recomposed himself.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?" There was something hesitant in his expression, a please-don't-push-right-now that he conveyed clearly enough for her to actually read, for once.

She looked at him a moment before smiling to herself, letting him off the hook. "Nothing."

He huffed under his breath as Sakura began chattering on about something else as he ate the bento. He was 99.9 percent sure it had not been his mother, but he would double-check, to be sure.

Several days later.

"It wasn't your mom?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Then, who could have…?"

Clearing his throat, awkwardly, Sasuke glanced away. "Just after you left, I saw Kakashi heading towards your place. He had a bag of drinks with him."

Sakura looked at him, unblinking.

"Did you find any drinks in your fridge when you came back?" he asked, meaningfully.

Sakura tore her gaze away quickly, biting her bottom lip, deep in thought.

Sasuke sighed under his breath.

Kakashi's eyelids lowered. Rose. Lowered again, slowly.

At the threshold of his apartment peering in, hand still clutching his doorknob, he sniffed.

He closed the door. Waited a moment.

Then opened it again. Sniffed, again.

Glanced down, his brows drawing together. His floor was clean. Very clean. Everything was very clean.

His traps were still in place, but… closing his eyes to half-slits, he reached out with his chakra, faintly picking up the tendrils of another, familiar chakra signature. One that immediately put him at ease, usually, but recently had led to some internal confusion as his heart rate had taken to spiking when he sensed it near.

Like it was doing now.

In his now immaculately clean apartment.

He took a step inside, and blinked when he came to see all of his nin-ken, freshly washed and groomed, lined up in a row to greet him.

"She installed a first aid station at the kitchen table, and another at the couch," said Pakkun in his usual tepid, grumbly voice.

Cautious, Kakashi approached the table and spotted the first aid kit screwed into the leg of his table… and let out a low chuckle.

"Did she leave a note?" asked Kakashi, wandering over to the kitchen counter to set down his meagre groceries. He was a bit short this week. That was okay, he'd mooch off everyone else.

"No."

Pakkun shared a glance with his compatriots, and, following a brief canine whimpering consult, he took a step towards Kakashi.

"Would you like us to deliver a message to her?"

"No."

The pups grumbled and whined at this, and Kakashi's brow sagged. Traitors.

His lips quirking in a half-grin, he swallowed his sigh and shook his head to himself.

Inside their family home, on a small sofa in their living room, Sasuke watched his brother yawn, closing his eyes a moment. They remained closed.

Shocked, Sasuke stared. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his brother so... vulnerable.

"What do you need?" asked Itachi, his voice level and soft. His eyes were still closed, but Sasuke knew better than to try to sneak away.

"Hungry?"

Itachi wasn't distracted. "What is it you mean to ask, Sasuke?"

Of course Itachi could tell when he was prevaricating. Sasuke swallowed his sigh, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall in their living room.

Well, if Itachi was going to give him an opening… "What's happening?"

Itachi's lined face was as impassive as ever; for a second, Sasuke was sure his brother was going to ignore him. It surprised him when he spoke up.

"Clan business is… conflicting," Itachi admitted quietly. "They can't decide which direction to go, and so are spreading themselves thin with divergent motives and actions."

Sasuke took a seat across from his brother. Rarely did his brother confide in him what bothered him; he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to talk. Itachi had included him in his life in some way, of course he was going to take advantage of it.

"What are they arguing about?" This time, he added mentally.

"Hn… Their priorities, and thus, the clan's priorities."

Sasuke watched his brother's face at his carefully worded answer. "Does this affect us directly? You and me?"

Itachi nodded.

Sasuke mulled this over briefly. "About the lack of heirs, following after us?"

Itachi's brow twisted before settling again. "In a manner of speaking."

"What now?"

He saw Itachi's chest rise and fall, though he couldn't hear his sigh.

"They are concerned about the Sharingan, and are debating the benefits and consequences of mixing another bloodline into the Uchiha bloodline. In part because neither of us has accepted any of the potential brides they have so graciously proposed."

A small chill shivered down Sasuke's spine. Ugh. After a talk or two with Sakura, he had firmly clung to the belief that his wife, should he ever marry, would hail from outside the Clan, thank you very much. The—cringe—illustrated lecture she'd given him regarding the pitfalls of inter-clan breeding had been all the birth control he'd ever needed. Perhaps he could ask her to give the lecture to the elders…

"Sakura has some experience with," well-documented congenital birth defects and inbreeding, "the effects of shallow gene pools and the benefits of greater genetic diversity, specifically how they strengthen a pool's variety and resilience. I could—"

Sasuke's voice trailed off as Itachi lifted his hand.

"It's okay for now, Sasuke. I have advised them I will be looking outside the Clan, for the time being, to see if I can find a kunoichi of good standing who would consider assimilating into the Clan."

Sasuke couldn't stifle his snort. "Bet they took that well."

For once, Itachi's expression shifted, his lips curving into a smile. "It was… memorable."

"And they're accepting this?"

"There are some extenuating circumstances that are providing me and my arguments a bit more weight in their consideration."

Really? Sasuke leaned forward in spite of himself. "Like?"

Itachi's eyes opened, and held his brother's gaze. "What I am about to say cannot leave this room…"

Several weeks later.

The trio stared at Kakashi as he strolled into Ichiraku wearing a formal suit. Including expensive shoes.

Sasuke arched a brow. Naruto spit his ramen across the room. Paralyzed, Sakura sat rooted to her chair, her pulse fluttering in her throat.

With a girlish titter, Ayame blushed and skipped over, though Kakashi waved her off.

"The usual," he said, joining his former students at the counter. Though she knew it by heart, she passed him the menu anyway and gave him a playful moue; Ayame nodded and turned to relay his order to her father in the kitchen.

Naruto's blue eyes were huge as he gaped. "What the—who are—Kakashi-sensei, why are—!"

Kakashi sighed as he took his seat accepting a cup of tea from Ayame, whose cheeks hinted at a blush before she turned to help another customer.

Swallowing his ramen, Sasuke watched the man as he feigned innocence.

"Lost a bet with Gai?" guessed the Uchiha, a small smirk hinting around the corner of his lips.

Kakashi shrugged, his eyelids lowering in acceptance of his fate.

Naruto's expression turned incredulous as he gestured at Kakashi's attire. "What kind of bet did you—Sakura-chan?" He swung around in his seat at his soul-sister's wobbly attempt to stand.

"Be right back," said Sakura weakly, holding her napkin to her face.

Naruto's brows dipped together as he sat; she'd waved off his concern.

Sasuke, meanwhile, held their former teacher's profile firmly in view out of the corner of his dark eyes. He saw Kakashi's shoulders tense, his adam's apple bob, his eyes remain unfocused as he glanced at Sakura's back—barely a flicker—before he glanced down at the counter he rested his elbows upon. Too quick. Too casual. Too uninterested where normally he would have teased, or at least, asked her about her sudden exit.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura's empty seat, turning the situation over in his head.

When Kakashi's steaming bowl of ramen arrived, Sakura still hadn't returned. Kakashi's shoulders slumped once more, and Sasuke rose from his seat, dropping some money on the counter.

"I'll be right back," he said when Naruto looked up at him. As they had sometimes taken to, in recent years, their communication was silent, conveyed entirely through their eyes. Naruto nodded, and Sasuke left, searching for Sakura.

He found her not too far away, at the Yamanaka Flower Shop; she was in the rear courtyard, splashing a bit of water on her face. Patiently he folds his arms and leans against the side of the brick building. She glanced at him, nods, and turns off the water. He offers her a folded handkerchief from his sleeve, and she takes it with steady hands.

With a dark, silky eyebrow arched in her direction, Sasuke waits.

She gives a heavy exhale, forces a smile.

"Hn?"

"Just feeling a bit off. I'm fine now."

A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"Think you can handle your ramen?"

"Yes, why?" She asks, eyeing him curiously.

He shook his head, amusement in his dark eyes. He fought the urge to shrug.

"What?" she asks, her brow knitting. She offered him back the handkerchief.

"Keep it," he said. Together they turned back towards the restaurant, leaping up over the flower shop's roof.

Sasuke wasn't sure how long it had been going on, or what 'it' was, exactly, but… perhaps he could keep Naruto distracted for a while, and see what happened?

Glancing at Sakura, Sasuke noted the way her feet slowed as they approached Ichiraku's, the way her gaze zeroed in on a particular man's back, the way the suit fit around his shoulders, and the way his feet, likely pinched by the fancy leather shoes, rested on the lower rung of the stool he sat upon.

With a fond, silent breath, he lifted her limp hand back up to her face where her nose had begun to trickle blood once more; his handkerchief still held in her loose fingers stemmed the flow.

"You know Gai's out of the village on a mission right now, hn?"

The wide-eyed look she threw at him would have made him laugh, if he were anyone else.

To be continued.

AN: This... has been bobbing around my (very distracted) head for some years. Please forgive me for abusing plot clichés! And YES, this one is based within the Naruto-verse, though it is obviously non-massacre. I have no update schedule for it, as it isn't completely written. Please let me know if you find any typos or errors. I am, admittedly, not scrubbing it as stringently as usual.

Also, I admit, I'm not going into much introspection with this one (at this point). (It is not a strength.) I hope it makes you smile, though!

Much love to you, lovely readers! (Especially Nikolita, to whom this is dedicated!)

Cheers!