Sakura wasn't overly invested in interfering in her friend's already ongoing relationships. She'd rather sit back and make sure they were happy, only intervening if something was wrong. Somehow, she always ended up getting dragged into it regardless, and was forced to take sides completely against her will.

It happened one day on her way back from class. The sun had already set, and the moon was casting it's pale glow over the campus. Sakura was nearly at the dorms when Ino ran around the corner and past Sakura, inky tears running down her face. Sakura barely had time to turn around before Ino skidded to a halt, realizing suddenly who she had run past.

"Sakura," she panted, wiping her face furiously.

"What happened?" Sakura asked, depositing her bag and textbooks on the ground and moving towards the blonde.

"That- that idiot, Shikamaru!"

"What about him?" Sakura said, trying her best to calm Ino down.

"He knew that I liked him, and yet he parades around the campus with- with her!"

That was news to Sakura. In all their years of friendship, Sakura had no idea that Ino had any interest in Shikamaru. They seemed like polar opposites, and although they had been friends for years, Sakura couldn't see them as a couple no matter how hard she imagined. But Ino was still crying, despite her best efforts, so Sakura had to believe her, as incredulous as it seemed.

"Who? And why did you leave the building anyway?"

"I don't know her name- the blonde girl who was at Neji's party as a nurse." Ah. Sakura felt her stomach fall- she was party the reason they were together, if they were at all.

"Temari."

"Stupid name," Ino mumbled, flicking her hair over one shoulder. "Anyway, I was leaving anyway because I told Choji we'd go get food, and I saw him outside and was gonna invite him to come with us, so-"

"Wait, you saw Shikamaru outside?"

"Yes, billboard brow, keep up!" Ino snapped. "As I was saying, I was about to say to him when he stopped and saw Temari or whatever coming in the distance. I was gonna call out to him, but then they started walking towards each other, and I don't know, they started talking and it looked pretty intimate. He definitely likes her, at least."

Sakura felt to guilty to tell her that it was probably her fault that Shikamaru and Temari were talking (how dare they!), and merely nodded the whole way through Ino pouring her heart out.

"And then what happened?" She asked, rubbing Ino's back in a comforting manner.

"Temari saw me, and then Shikamaru looked round, and I don't know… he looked kinda guilty, I guess. And then I left." Ino stretched out, wiping the last of the tears that were left falling down her face. "Ugh, I probably look a mess. I said I wouldn't cry about boys ever again!"

"That didn't last, did it?" Joked Sakura. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she fought with the tight denim to extract it.

5:46pm

{Shikamaru} Can you find Ino? She looked kinda sad.

Sakura sighed; checking that Ino wasn't looking at her before tapping out an answer.

{Sakura} I'm with her right now. She's pretty upset.
{Shikamaru} Oh shit. That's probably my fault.
{Sakura} Yeah, pretty much :c are you busy right now? I'd like to meet up with you. I don't think Ino's in too good a mood to talk with anyone right now.
{Shikamaru} I'm with temari
{Sakura} I don't want to intrude.
{Shikamaru} It's fine. We're in the café in the lobby. I can pull up another chair for you.
{Sakura} Alright. I'll meet you in five.

Sakura sighed, picking up her bag and tossing her phone into it. She collected her textbooks, turning back to Ino.

"Why don't we go back to the dorm? I'm pretty sure this requires ice cream and waffles," Sakura suggested, taking Ino's arm.

"Good idea," Ino sighed, willingly walking forward. Sakura hurried her into the dorm building and up the stairs, trying her best not to let Ino see Shikamaru and Temari in the lobby. Ino hesitantly unlocked the door, before throwing herself on her bed.

"I'll get you some food. You put one of your trash shows on."

"Hey, Pretty Little Liars is good!" Ino protested, her voice slightly muffled from the pillow.

"You just like psychoanalyzing the characters to figure out who did it."

There was no reply to this, and Sakura smiled, knowing that she was right. She lifted the icecream from the freezer, and the waffles from the cupboard, and found a spoon, and threw them at Ino.

"Enjoy. I'm gonna find Shikamaru and fight him." This wasn't exactly a lie, but Sakura couldn't tell her the real reason.

"Please don't," Ino begged.

"Too late," Sakura said. "I'm already out the door."

Thankfully, Shikamaru and Temari were still in the lobby when Sakura finally made her way downstairs. Temari waved her over, and she awkwardly took a seat at their table. They were sitting as far away from each other as they physically could, and Temari was absentmindedly looking through her phone.

"You know, I don't mind if you two are together," Sakura said, and immediately the two relaxed, Temari putting her phone on the table and Shikamaru unfolding his arms. "In fact I'm happy, since I kinda helped set you up."

"Yeah, I never told you about that, did I?" Shikamaru said, shifting in his seat. "After you left the Halloween party and I was pretty drunk, I went up and talked to her and got her number and we've kinda been talking ever since. This is our first…"

"Time out as friends. I'm not ready to date someone as stupid and lazy as him. I need time to adjust."

"Shut up."

"Well anyway. I just want to say that Ino's really upset, so you might want to talk to her and apologise or something. I don't know."

"I don't really want to apologise for something I didn't do," Shikamaru sighed.

"I didn't even know she liked you until today," Sakura confessed, folding her hands neatly on her lap.

"Neither did I. She told me she liked me last year, but I kinda just assumed she'd got over that since she never mentioned it again."

"Maybe she was waiting for you to ask her out," Temari suggested, and both other pairs of eyes fell on her. "What? Girls are like that."

"You're a girl," Shikamaru pointed out.

"I'm aware," Temari replied, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe she's right. Either way, you really need to talk to her. I'm gonna go back up and check she's okay, but please, even text her." Sakura pushed her chair back, leaving the table. "Have fun on the rest of your date!" She added, with a wink in Shikamaru's direction. He flushed red, and as Sakura walked away, she could hear Temari laughing at him.

Ino stayed in her state for the rest of the week, only leaving the dorm to go to class, and even then, she walked robotically, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to her. Sakura was worried about her, but despite her trying, Ino ignored everything she said. Shikamaru had tried talking to her, and even Temari had texted her apologizing, but Ino was still in a bad mood.

{Shikamaru} Hey, Ino, I'm really sorry about what happened. I thought you had gotten over your crush and I would've said something if I knew. Sorry again.{Shikamaru} Hey, will you answer? I'm worried
{Shikamaru} Me and Choji are grabbing lunch. Want to join us?
{Shikamaru} Ino, everyone's worried about you. Please talk to me.
{Shikamaru} Or even Sakura.
{Ino} Would I not have replied by now if I wanted to talk to you?
{Shikamaru} Sheesh, sorry. Stay safe.

As much as Sakura tried, she couldn't convince Ino to leave the dorm. It was strange- the opposite was usually what happened between them. But this was different. Sakura didn't want to go to parties or to clubs, but Ino didn't want to walk outside or go to the shop to get food. In fact, Ino didn't want to do anything but binge watch TV and eat.

"Ino, this is ridiculous," Sakura said after a week and a half of moping. "You need to do something."

"I don't want to," Ino mumbled.

"Oh, come on! You've been in here for eleven days and haven't left apart from for class! Shikamaru and Temari are dating, big deal! It's not like you and him ever had a thing anyway!" Sakura pointed out, at the end of her patience for dealing with Ino. The blonde sat up, her face a mixture of anger and offence.

"And if it was Sasuke and some other girl, you wouldn't be sad?"

"Of course I would be! But not crying for eleven days and refusing to talk to anyone sad!"

"Shut up, Sakura. You don't understand."

"Ugh. Seriously, Ino, you're just being stupid. Text Shikamaru and say you've forgiven him."

"I haven't."

"So? Maybe by pretending you have, you'll end up actually doing it."

"Sakura, you're not helpful at all." Ino rolled over on her side, away from Sakura. Sakura sighed, sitting down on her bed. She had been starting to believe that Ino was a hopeless case, but she saw a faint light illuminate Ino's face, and her faith in her best friend was slightly restored.

{Ino} sorry for being such an ass
{Shikamaru} It's fine. Glad to hear you're feeling better.

After the fiasco with Ino and Shikamaru, life calmed down on campus for a few weeks. Thanksgiving was fast approaching, and Sakura was hurriedly making plans to go back home to her family. Among the chaos of planning for that, she still had piles of schoolwork to deal with, classes to attend, and people to be sociable with. She and Naruto had arranged once again to meet with Gaara, and this time, along with the forced escort of Temari, he actually turned up.

"I don't wish to be here," he stated at the start, immediately putting Sakura and Naruto on edge.

"Alright, Gaara, we're getting coffee!" Naruto said, in fake cheerfulness. He put on a smile and pushed Gaara in the back towards the coffee shop, while a mildly bemused Sakura followed behind them.

Naruto dragged Gaara into the café, practically throwing him into chair at a table by the window. He sat himself down, and tossed a few notes towards Sakura to order coffee and food. She sighed, reluctantly heading towards the counter and ordering drinks for herself, Naruto and Gaara. It was a struggle to carry the overfilled tray back to the table, but she managed, barely spilling any of the coffee. She set the tray down, sitting herself between Naruto and Gaara. The latter had his arms folded, and was staring out the window, clearly trying to ignore the other two members of the party.

"Hey, Gaara! Where do you come from, anyway? I've never seen you before this year!" Naruto practically yelled, taking his coffee from the tray and stuffing half of him muffin into his mouth. Gaara didn't respond, and Sakura could pretty much hear him roll his eyes.

"Gaara, Naruto asked you a question."

"I don't wish to answer it," he said, continuing to stare into the street outside.

"Do you want me to call Temari?" Sakura threatened, and Gaara sat up straighter, reluctantly taking his coffee from Sakura.

"I'm from Sunagakure," he answered shortly, taking a sip of his coffee and glaring at Naruto.

"Ah, cool! I've always wanted to visit there!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Really? That's the first you mentioned it."

"I want to visit all of the five great nations, so duh."

"It'll be hard to get to Sunagakure with a brain like yours," Gaara smirked, and Sakura shot him a glare.

"Don't be rude. Naruto may be lacking in brains, but he makes up for it in determination."

"Yeah! I'll become Hokage and rule this land someday!"

"He says that a lot," Sakura explained, while Gaara rolled his eyes for what must have been the millionth time that day. "It'll probably never happen, but at least he's got a dream."

"I'd like to become the Kazekage too," Gaara said shortly. Naruto looked across the table incredulously before outstretching his hand.

"I knew I liked you!" He confirmed, and Gaara hesitantly took his hand, shaking it and offering Naruto a half smile.

Sakura was running late to maths class as usual, this time because Ino was having a dilemma with the hair straighteners. The lesson was due to start in two minutes when Sakura arrived (that was late for her, okay), and she slid into her seat beside Sasuke, offering him the usual greeting.

"Hey."

"Good morning."

These three words were the only exchanges between them since they went out for coffee that Sunday morning. Sakura hadn't joined him and Naruto for lunch last week because of the Ino fiasco, but this week she was going to make the effort, so she had an excuse to talk properly to Sasuke.

"We still on for lunch with Naruto after this?"

"Didn't think you'd be joining us."

"I'll take that as a yes."

The teacher walked in after that, and the class proceeded in silence between the two. Sakura often wondered why she still had to do maths. She had passed her class in high school with the highest possible grade, and she knew Sasuke had passed it too. It confused her, but she wasn't about to put up her hand in the middle of class and complain about the fact that she was still being forced to take this class. Luckily, since she was actually good at it, the class passed quickly, and they were let out for lunch after.

"Naruto says he'll meet us there," Sasuke commented, and Sakura had to assume that he found out this information in the time he was on his phone during class. She didn't even know is Sasuke ever paid attention during class, but no one seemed to complain, and his grades weren't slipping, so they didn't have any need to.

"Alright," Sakura replied, lifting her bag and books and leaving the classroom, Sasuke following behind her. "I assume we're getting ramen again?"

"I've been eating ramen every lunch time since September, so I don't see why we should change that pattern now," Sasuke half joked, causing Sakura to laugh.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sakura asked rhetorically, but of course, Sasuke had an answer.

"Because it's Naruto."

They left the building and started heading towards the front gate. The November air was still cold, with no hint of getting colder, and Sakura had to pull her coat towards her more to keep the biting wind from chilling her further. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Sasuke wasn't wearing a coat, only one of those light jackets that all the guys seemed to be wearing these days. She exhaled loudly. At least she could recognise if he was getting hypothermia.

"Are you not cold?" She asked after a moment, concerned.

"Not really."

"Why don't you have a coat?"

"I do."

"A proper one."

"Because I don't like them."

"There are some really nice ones in the shops at the minute," Sakura commented absently, not really implying that he should buy one.

"I'll think about it."

"N-no, I wasn't trying to imply-"

"I should probably get one, you're right. And you're the doctor, so you would know."

"I'm not a doctor," she mumbled, hoping her scarf would muffle her voice.

"Whatever you say, Doctor Haruno," Sasuke smirked, elbowing her gently.

"Hey, I'm not a doctor for another four and a half years," she protested.

"It's weird to think that you'll still be here when we've all graduated."

"Don't remind me," Sakura sighed. "I'm planning to leave the dorms when you all leave. I don't really want to stay on my own."

"I don't blame you. After putting up with Ino for three years, I don't know how you could have another roommate."

"I don't know how I even put up with her," Sakura confessed, laughing slightly.

"What was up with her last week?" Sasuke asked, glancing down at the pink haired girl.

"Boy problems, wouldn't you know."

"Ah."

This answer seemed to satisfy Sasuke, and he didn't pry any further. By this time, they had reached to front gate, and Sakura was finally starting to warm up from walking. They still had to get to Ayame's Ichiraku, which, unfortunately for them, was across the other side of town. How Naruto got there so quickly after class every day was beyond Sakura, but she couldn't complain, because he was probably giving Ichiraku more money than they would get in this city otherwise.

A thought popped suddenly into Sakura's head, unwanted and out of the blue. This sort of thing didn't happen to her often, and when one of these thoughts appeared, she usually just ignored them until they went away. But this one stayed as they walked through town, past the gym and up the hill, heading towards the countrywide famous ramen shop. She thought back to that night in the club, trying her best to recall all the events in chronological order.

She had met up with Hinata after being dropped off by Shikamaru and Choji. They wanted to dance, but she didn't. She tried to flirt with Sasuke (god, even the thought was making her blush) and ended up punching Naruto. She went home and did some work, before Ino came back in. Ino told her about Sasuke being outside. She ran downstairs, and…

She had remembered correctly after all. Sasuke was talking to someone who she couldn't really make out- someone who didn't really want to be seen. They were talking, and it looked pretty dodgy, but she didn't dare interfere properly. She called out to Sasuke from a safe distance and the other person disappeared. She still had no idea who this was, but she wasn't particularly keen on finding out. Whatever Sasuke was up to was probably not completely above the law, and although Sakura cared deeply for him, she didn't exactly want to be involved in anything illegal. Still, she was curious, and wanted to find out who he was talking to, even if just for herself. There was only one way to know who that was, and the answer was standing right beside her.

"Hey, Sasuke?" She asked as they started climbing the hill Ichiraku was located on.

"Hm?"

"Remember that night when I punched Naruto? Who were you talking to outside?" She turned her head away quickly, not particularly wanting to see his reaction. He paused halfway up the hill and took a deep breath before answering.

"My brother."

AN: Who saw that coming? Probably everyone, tbh. Hope you enjoy! Next update will be next Monday, and please review if you enjoy!