A few days later Sasuke and Sakura were released from the hospital, Inoichi securing a promise from the older Haruno's to set up a therapy session for both eight year old's soon "Ready Sasuke" Mebuki smiled, relieved that he'd accepted their offer to come live with them.
Even if he'd rejected the idea of them adopting him, he was still going to be well taken care of by them regardless of that "Yeah sure" Sasuke sulked realizing that once he left the hospital with Sakura and her family he would never be able to go back to how things were ever again.
Though he didn't want to cry anymore tears pricked harshly at his eyes and quick as a flash he dragged his arm over his eyes drying the unwanted tears on his sleeve "I know it's hard Sasuke" Sakura pat his other hand catching the movement.
Sasuke sighed figuring he wouldn't be able to hide anything from Sakura at this rate, she knew everything but he guessed it wasn't so bad having someone that understood the situation on his side "Come on then we should get going" Kizashi warned.
Wanting to have them home before academy let out for the weekend giving the two children a couple more days to rest, with that the four of them left the hospital behind and started down the streets of the Leaf Village.
Until they came upon their house and headed in, taking off their sandals before crowding into the living room "Oh right probably should show you to your new room Sasuke-kun" the blonde woman remembered before she sat down on the couch.
The boy in question jumped at the sudden outburst and forced himself to calm down when the woman looked guilty and flashed him an apologetic smile "Sounds like a plan" the raven haired eight year old grimaced already feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"I'll come to cause my room is right across the hall" the pinkette popped up from the floor following after her mother and Sasuke as they headed up the stairs, Kizashi on their heels, a few minutes later they stopped before a door.
And the two females gestured for him to go in, with a deep breath Sasuke pushed open the door to find everything he'd had in his old room back at the compound "We know we can't replace your parents Sasuke, but we can hopefully make you comfortable" the pink haired male explained.
Hoping that the personal affects that belonged to the boy didn't upset him as Sasuke headed further into the room looking at certain things before swallowing thickly "Dear me" Mebuki sighed when he broke down in tears.
Crying silently "Thank you so much, y..you don't know how much this means to me" Sasuke sniffled after a couple of moments giving up on being strong for the time being as Sakura joined him in his new room and took his hand in her own.
To pat it gently in a reassuring way that he'd grown use to over the last couple of years "Mebuki, let's leave them alone for a little while" Kizashi ushered his wife back to the living room leaving things to his daughter.
Who was the best friend any other kid could ask for "Ugh it's going to be such a pain being back in class on Monday all that homework we'll have to catch up on" Sakura said suddenly and Sasuke gave her a look that said she was crazy.
But his tears did slow to a stop and Sasuke couldn't help himself as he snorted "Easy enough for you but I struggle with a couple subjects remember" the raven haired boy scoffed under his breath and Sakura's lips curved upwards.
As she broke down in giggles, it was the first laughter he'd heard from her since that day and he found himself smiling at her amusement "I could always help you Sasuke" the pinkette suggested wanting to have a normal conversation that didn't involve them breaking down crying again.
"Nah I want to do it myself, make them proud you know, but if I do need help I'll let you know" Sasuke admitted quietly sliding to the floor with her following him as they sat seiza facing each other just talking really.
She understood all to well the need Sasuke had "Yeah so when do you think they'll set up that therapy session" Sakura mused flopping down to lay on her belly kicking her feet in the air head resting in an open palm.
Her friend just stared at her weirdly before copying her position on the floor "Who knows what do you suppose it'll be like anyway, think he'll make us talk about weird stuff or you know" the second to last remaining Uchiha commented.
Making her smile "Possibly Sasuke, the sessions are supposed to help us talk out whatever is bothering us" the rosette explained with a yawn, the two of them were on the verge of crashing right then and there when a loud knock from the front door filtered into their ears.
They scrambled to the foot of the stairs "Classes are over for the day, so I thought I'd bring their homework in the case they wanted to work on it so they could catch up before Monday" Iruka's voice floated up to them.
It was nice to know their sensei cared enough about them he'd do such a thing "Should we" Sasuke pointed at the stairs wanting to see his sensei for the first time in what felt like forever, when it had really only been a week.
"Yeah I want to see Iruka-sensei to" Sakura nodded in agreement as they carefully headed down the steps to the living room and poked their heads around the corner to peer into the foyer, almost instantly his gaze caught them out of the corner of his eye.
And Iruka couldn't help but smile in relief to see them doing alright "Don't just stand there you two, Iruka has brought your homework that you've missed out on" the blonde woman sensed the man's distraction then turned her head to see where he was looking.
Only to spot her daughter and Sasuke peeking at them at her command they shuffled forward "Hello Iruka-sensei and thank you very much for bringing our homework" the little pinkette was as polite as he remembered and he was glad that hadn't changed.
"Thanks Iruka-sensei and we'll be back in class on Monday" the raven haired boy sulked not wanting to let on that he was happy the man was checking up on them and wasn't pitying him like most adults were sure to do now.
Iruka nodded "Good, I know the whole class has missed you two, just make sure you rest up and if your not feeling up to it, let me know" the brunet breathed out able to go home that night without worrying for two of his students.
A few minutes later after handing off the packets, he left and the door was shut, the two children scrambled back up the stairs leaving the adults alone "Well I'm glad he's acting normal" the pink haired male chuckled.
Relieved that everything seemed to be okay for the time being "So about that first therapy session Inoichi-san mentioned I was thinking maybe next Saturday" Mebuki mused having thought about it a great deal at that point.
Her husband nodded "Probably for the best and every Saturday after that just in case their having problems, if they need additional I'm sure he'll tell us to schedule more" Kizashi shrugged wanting the best for the two kids in their care now.
Mebuki nodded then stood and headed into the kitchen to get started on dinner for the four of them now by the time it was done both Sasuke and Sakura were sitting in the living room with Kizashi reading from their lesson books and working on their homework still.
"Dinner is ready you three come eat before food gets cold" the blonde woman called from the dining room after setting up the table and making up the plates for the lot of them, a couple seconds later the two children were seated at the table with her husband a minute behind them.
Sakura broke into raucous laughter at his put out expression "Just how is it you two got ahead of me" the pink haired male pouted looking ridiculous while Sasuke covered his mouth to stifle his own laughter at the hilarious moment.
As his friend grinned "We're just that good" the rosette shared a secretive smile with Sasuke, who knew what she'd done, it seemed Shisui had gifted her with his skill at the body flicker technique and now Sakura could execute it just as well as he had been able to.
It was even funner being swept up in the technique disappearing from place and reappearing in another "Yeah Mr. Haruno" the raven haired boy nodded while Mebuki just smiled in amusement at their antics.
Before they all gave their thanks for the food and dug in eating while the food was still warm and chatting lightly about this or that until everything had been devoured and wanting to take responsibility for himself Sasuke did as Sakura did and washed his own dishes.
Then the four of them headed back into the living room "How does next Saturday sound for your first therapy session" Mebuki piped in when the kids got comfortable at the low sitting table and got started on their homework again.
Both of them shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them with only their eyes before they looked to her "That's fine Momma" Sakura nodded seriously, hardly able to wait but knowing when to be patient such as now.
"Good, good and then we'll schedule the sessions for every Saturday after that until the two months are up that Inoichi initially offered" Kizashi piped in, peering over his book at the duo on the floor working on their homework intently.
Neither child seemed to bothered by what they'd decided "I don't have a problem with it" Sasuke shrugged and with that silence settled around them until it was finally time for bed, Mebuki had drawn them a bath in separate bathrooms and after bathing they dressed in sleep clothes and got some shut eye.
With that the weekend passed by rather quick and it was with nervousness that Sasuke and Sakura marched off to the academy after a whole week of being absent from class, clutching each others hands tightly when they arrived and sat down in their usual seats.
Expecting the questions as the first person to arrive was Kiba and after a quick yip from Akamaru the boy sped towards them "What the hell happened I've been worried out of my mind" Kiba snapped furiously, anger and worry making for a volatile mix in the Inuzuka boy.
Sakura flinched while Sasuke gripped her hand tighter nearly cutting off the circulation "As much as we'd like to tell you Inuzuka, we can't, the Hokage told us not to, just know we're fine" the Uchiha blew out a breath.
Forcing himself to relax "So then you really were in the hospital all of last week and not skipping" the Inuzuka heir growled upset that he couldn't even get the truth out of his friends, it irritated him beyond belief but if the Hokage was involved he knew they couldn't tell no matter what.
"No we weren't skipping Kiba and yes in the hospital" the rosette shook her head assuring the volatile boy that they hadn't been skipping no matter what wild idea's he liked to come up with or think about sometimes, even if it was probably for the best everyone thought that way.
They couldn't because Iruka had already informed all of their classmates that they'd been in the hospital and they'd gotten a get well card while staying in a room signed by everyone, even the more obstinate students such as Ino or Ami, though she was sure they'd only signed for Sasuke and not her.
Kiba sighed and plopped down in the row below them determined to stick close from then on to ensure nothing else happened to the duo, in the next moment Sasuke and Sakura had to endure a repeat as Naruto charged into the classroom.
And immediately spotted the duo sitting in their usual seats "Sakura-chan, Sasuke I was so worried, how come you were in the hospital, did you get hurt real bad" Naruto cried lip wobbling as tears formed in his eyes upon seeing his two friends.
It was a little heart jerking and that grip tightened "Can't tell you Naruto, just know that we're fine now…for the most part" Sasuke added that last little bit under his breath to low for the knucklehead to hear thankfully.
This earned him a look from Kiba who had highly sensitive ears "Yeah we're okay Naruto-kun I promise" Sakura beamed as brightly as she could, forcing herself to not think on the incident so she didn't end up crying right there in the classroom.
She was sure it would set off Sasuke and he'd want to leave and go back home, but at the very least she wanted to sit through their classes to regain a semblance of normalcy it was what they needed to be surrounded by their friends to keep their minds off things.
Naruto sulked "Okay so long as you are" the blonde huffed joining Kiba in the row below the duo, intending to keep an eye on them like the Inuzuka had already planned himself to ensure his friends didn't get stuck in the hospital again for a reason they couldn't say.
Five minutes later Shikamaru trudged into the classroom and his eyes widened at the sight of them and the two of them hoped that he wouldn't ask them questions to as the boy walked over to them "Welcome back Sasuke, Sakura" Shikamaru greeted lazily.
"Try to stay out of trouble it's to troublesome to worry about you all the time" the Nara heir scowled taking his usual seat across the room and a few minutes after that their last friend showed his face in the classroom.
He took his seat silently peering at the duo that had stuck by him from the beginning of their academy days then pulled out a pile of notes from his bookbag "Notes why because if I didn't you would for sure fret over not getting to copy them down" was all Shino said.
As he placed the stack before Sakura "Also my father's planning another bug hunting expedition tomorrow if your interested" the brunet heir offered not expecting the sudden tears, Kiba and Naruto were immediately alarmed at the sight of them.
And they even drew Shikamaru from his seat until Sakura held up her hand forcing the image of Shisui out of mind knowing she'd never get to see him again or go on bug hunting expeditions with him or do anything really with her friend ever because he was gone.
Beside her, Sasuke grit his teeth knowing why she was so upset and so he patted her hand like she did him "He wouldn't want you to be sad Sakura" the Uchiha whispered softly for her ears only Kiba unable to hear this time.
Sakura nodded and wiped her eyes dry "Thank you Shino for the notes and I'll be there" the pinkette said giving Shino a watery smile the boys in the row below them relaxed and Shikamaru returned to his seat.
The worst was yet to come as the rest of their classmates appeared en masse and started firing off questions at them making the duo in question extremely uncomfortable when they wouldn't stop even after being told they couldn't tell them the reason they'd been absent.
Ino and Ami being the most persistent until their sensei entered the classroom "Enough everyone please take your seats and leave Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan alone, they only just returned to us so don't overwhelm them" Iruka clapped his hands and said that in a warning tone.
Making everyone scramble for their seats so they could start class, Sakura and Sasuke sent him thankful smiles as he began their history lesson knowing the two kids needed something normal to keep their minds off that terrible night and the things they'd witnessed or were subjected to.
With class in session finally Sakura managed to focus her mind on taking notes like she was use to, determined to keep up her perfect grades it was totally her after all and no one could take that part of her away.
Sasuke was as equally as diligent that day having promised to do his best from then on until it was lunch time, before the lot of them could head up to the roof, they were stopped "Hold up where do you get off holding Sasuke-kun's hand you pink haired freak" Ami spat.
Furious upon seeing the two holding hands like it was completely natural "Leave them alone Ami" Naruto crossed his arms with a deep frown on his lips, didn't the girl have the sense to be nice after something terrible had obviously happened to the two in question.
"Yeah Himekari so go bother someone else with your bullshit for once" Kiba snapped fed up with her crap and constantly picking on Sakura and calling her those awful names all the time, he happened to think her pink hair was unique and even suited her but that was his opinion.
Ami reeled back as if slapped "Indeed why because your bullying has gotten tiresome, leave her be" Shino took a stance, kikaichu crawling from their nest in his body hissing in agitation at their hosts emotions, the girl took one look at the insects and fled as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.
The others blinked at him just a tiny bit shocked he'd defended Sakura like that "Well that's one way to get rid of a bully, troublesome to" Shikamaru shook his head intending on hanging out with Choji but wanting to make sure Sasuke and Sakura would be alright.
Apparently he didn't need to worry about the two in question as Sakura smiled brightly and Sasuke covered his mouth to keep from full on laughing "Thanks Shino your the best" Sakura hugged Shino in a bone crushing hug.
Relieved to have such an awesome friend "You two as well Naruto, Kiba, thanks for that" Sasuke nodded at the two other boys as they started up the stairs to their usual hang out spot and Sakura unloaded the checkered blanket and opened up the four tiered lunch box for them to dig into.
"No problem seriously, Ami's crap needs to stop" the Inuzuka Heir shrugged as if it was no big deal, to him it really wasn't because the bullying had gone on long enough in his mind if he was being completely honest with himself.
The others understood that to "That reminds me Kiba, since I have things I do with Naruto-kun, Shino, Shikamaru and Sasuke, I'd like to find something we could do to hang out sometime as well" the rosette piped in suddenly.
Pausing mid-bite as she remembered what she'd thought before that awful day and only just now getting around to mentioning it "S'only fair since you do things with all of us Sakura-chan" the lone blonde in their group shrugged not jealous in the least.
Sakura hung out with them equally if they asked her to "Before you ask, Sakura trains with me, goes on bug hunts with Shino, plays Shogi with Shikamaru and helps Naruto with fuinjutsu" the raven haired boy explained.
As Kiba eyed her in confusion wondering what she did with the others "Indeed even tomorrow she'll be going on an adventure with me and my Father" the Aburame Heir added pleased that she hadn't rejected the idea even if she had cried.
When put that way he couldn't refuse "Okay how about day after tomorrow you come with me to my Sis's vet clinic, there's puppies that need looking after, we could do that together" Kiba suggested carefully.
Viridian orbs lit up for only the second time since they'd all arrived, the first being when Shino had stood up for her "Great I'll definitely tell my parents Kiba" Sakura smiled brightly then focused on eating her lunch again.
Next to her Sasuke forced himself to not feel jealous that she'd be doing things that weren't with him "Then after that could me and you work on my fuinjutsu again the following day in the library, Sasuke can come to" Naruto bounced.
All the tension drained out of him "Not a bad idea Naruto" Sasuke nodded at the same time Sakura did, relenting to his request, which meant that Sakura would probably go over to Shikamaru's one of these days to play shogi with the boy as well to hang out with them equally.
Which left him "Perhaps you could train with Sasuke as well" Shino suggested to keep things fair, of course Sakura wouldn't object to doing something with all of them when they asked her to as they finished up lunch and just sat around lounging until it was time to go back to class.
"Finally found you fore…Sakura" Ino appeared on the roof a couple minutes later huffing and puffing completely out of breath, she'd been searching for quite awhile now and was relieved that she'd managed to find her target.
Sakura immediately frowned while Shino took up a stance in front of her, ready to scare off another girl who kept bullying his friend ruthlessly "You don't have to do that I'm not here to call her names anymore" the Yamanaka Heiress scowled.
"What are you here for then Yamanaka" the Inuzuka Heir growled, crossing his arms over his chest ready to defend his friend again even Akamaru let out a little growl sensing his partners current mood of anger.
The blonde held up her hands "To apologize okay, I'm sorry for being a bitch to you Sakura, I was angry that you tattled on me but it doesn't condone what I've done to you, do you think you could forgive me and have a redo so we can finally be friends" Ino bowed.
"How can we be sure that your really sincere with that apology when your friends with Ami" the other blonde on the roof commented suddenly, Ino winced, knowing he spoke the truth, but there was something she could say that would hopefully get them to relax.
As she took a deep breath "It's true she and I are still friends, however I can keep her from bullying Sakura like she has been all this time even before we entered the academy" the slightly older blonde offered.
It was good enough for Naruto "And what about me, don't I deserve an apology to, since you stole my pencil and hurt Sakura that day, she had a really bad bruise on her cheek cause of you" the Uchiha in their class narrowed his eyes.
"O..Of course I'm sorry for stealing your pencil Sasuke-k…and for hurting you like that Sakura" Ino forced herself to not call the boy by the suffix, it was the only way to prove that she really was genuine in her apologies.
Shino glanced back to Sakura "Do you think that's enough, why because she seems sincere" the Aburame Heir asked seeing no point in making the girl suffer through any more as she'd already subjected herself to their harsh scrutiny.
Sakura nodded "Consider yourself forgiven Ino" the pinkette relented to the repeated apologies and as much as Sasuke wanted to groan in annoyance he didn't because Sakura finally had a female friend to do normal girly things with if she even did those things.
Ino brightened "Thanks you won't regret this I promise Sakura, oh maybe after academy lets out we can go to mine and do flower arrangements I remember you like that sort of thing" the blonde chattered before zipping down the stairs as the bell rang.
Then the day was over before they even knew it "Have fun Sakura, I'm just going to head back okay" Sasuke knew that Sakura was itching to hang out with her new friend but while she had what seemed like boundless energy he didn't.
"Right just let them know where I'll be please Sasuke" Sakura requested politely patting Sasuke on the hand before speeding towards Ino with determination in her gate and when she was close enough made a hand sign and in a swirl of cherry blossoms was stood next to her only female friend so far after a hellish couple of years.
The girl jumped at her sudden appearance "I know I offered but I didn't think you'd accept it right off the bat" Ino said when they started down the streets to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to hang out for the first time ever.
Her lips curved upwards "Well I don't like to procrastinate, plus I promised the others I'd hang out with them individually this week, Shikamaru to though he doesn't know it and this is the only day I'm not doing anything with them" the rosette admitted lightly.
"Can you tell me how it is you became friends with Shino anyway, you were already sitting next to him first day of class" Ino asked curiously having been wondering all this time but because of her own stupidity hadn't been able to ask until now.
A pained smile on her lips "Few days before academy started I was on a bug hunting expedition with someone who was my best friend in the entire world, he was like a brother, I accidentally rammed into Shino's Dad and so they joined us on our expedition" Sakura explained.
Feeling the tears pricking at her eyes and threatening to spill over, Ino caught sight of them and panicked "I..I'm sorry for your loss then" the blonde grimaced, catching on to the past tense in which Sakura had spoken about her supposed friend.
"Nah it's okay, he wouldn't want me to be sad about him being gone like this, anyway we're here" the pinkette wiped her eyes dry without shedding a single tear, picking up the pieces of her shattered heart no matter how hard it was and pointing to the building they were stood in front of.
Even as her mind flashed back to the day Sasuke's mother had asked her if she had a crush on someone, perhaps Shisui had been her first crush and she just hadn't realized it but now after that display when Ami had approached them she was sure she had a crush on Shino.
He'd stood up for her with a fierce protectiveness in his stance and she'd been in complete awe over it, her cheeks turned red in remembrance before shaking herself out of her sudden thoughts "Home already Ino-chan oh…..Sakura-chan it's been a long time" Aiko greeted them.
As they entered the house through the flower shop and took off their sandals "Me and Sakura are going to do flower arrangements" Ino avoided her mothers knowing gaze until it strayed to Sakura who ducked her head and slumped her shoulders.
Aiko itched to give the girl a hug and in the next moment did just that "Um Mrs. Yamanaka everything okay" Sakura wheezed out as her lungs were crushed usually only her mother was the one to hug her like this so she was kind of confused.
"Just peachy, now you two run along and enjoy yourselves" the Yamanaka Matriarch forced herself to put the girl down on her feet and usher them off to have fun doing flower arrangements like Ino had told her.
She watched the two girls scramble out the backdoor "So Ino-chan managed to settle her differences" Inoichi appeared after the door was shut, his wife nodded "Good that will hopefully take her mind off things some" the Yamanaka Patriarch sighed in relief.
It was an hour and a half later that Ino and Sakura trailed inside "See you tomorrow Sakura in class" the Yamanaka heiress waved seeing the girl off so she wasn't late in getting home for dinner even if she could just stay to have dinner with them.
The girl had proved to adept at flower arrangements and she was reluctant to let the girl go "Yeah absolutely, we'll have to do flower arrangements again, it was nice seeing you Mr. Yamanaka, Mrs. Yamanaka" the pinkette waved back.
Vanishing out the flower shop door and down the darkening streets, fear welled up on her remembering the last time she'd been out in the dark and quickened her pace to a near run making it home in record time.
Where her mother met her at the door to look her over, sighing in relief when she found her daughter in perfect health "Did you have fun with Yamanaka" the little Uchiha asked when Sakura was seated at the dinner table with them.
"Lots of fun Sasuke, arranging flowers is so interesting" Sakura piped in with a great big smile as her heart calmed down from her jaunt across the village, it was probably something she was going to have to talk to Inoichi about to see if there was a way to overcome her sudden fear of the dark.
Relieved that she did indeed have a good time "Good you'll have to do it again also I already told them that your going to have a bug hunting expedition with Shino tomorrow" Sasuke turned his head away cheeks red to Mebuki's amusement.
While Kizashi outright laughed "Yes so long as your back before to late you can go on that expedition" Mebuki nodded relenting to the hopeful stare, just glad that she wasn't rejecting the idea of doing something she liked just because Shisui was gone.
"And so long as you tell us you can hang out with any one of your friends" Kizashi added contributing to the conversation as light chatter flowed between them, Sakura doing her homework like Sasuke had already done once finished eating before bed time.
The next day after a long day at the academy and preparing for tests that the teachers were planning Sakura traipsed after Shino after unsealing her bug hunting gear from her storage scroll "Are you ready Sakura-san" Shibi inquired once his son and the girl were stood before him.
"Oh absolutely Shibi-san I wouldn't miss this expedition for the world" the pinkette beamed clutching the handle of her butterfly net tightly in her hands, determined not to cry for once at the reminders of Shisui as they trekked to the gates and signed out.
Leaving the village behind to the guards eternal confusion at the odd trio as they headed for the forest to get their expedition underway "What are you hoping to find, why because it's good to set a goal to accomplish it at the beginning" Shino piped in.
Instantly once they were in the forest "Mm I was thinking the panda ant, yes I know it's rare but I was hoping cause its something Sh…a goal I've had for awhile" Sakura said after a short pause in where she stumbled over a particular name.
Shino winced knowing who's name she'd almost said and knowing that, that very same name was also very taboo from even mentioning "Will you be keeping it if you find it Sakura-san" the Aburame Patriarch asked lightly.
Not commenting on that slight pause and Sakura nodded hesitantly "I want to help them so their not almost an endangered species anymore" the fuscia haired girl admitted determination burning bright in her eyes finally.
"That's a good goal to have, why because it will certainly help the species repopulate themselves without threat or danger of other things eating them" the brunet heir commented already thinking of everything his friend would need just in case they found the ant in question.
With that they began their expedition through the forest the Aburame's searching leisurely for any insects while the lone girl searched under anything and everything, through bushes, under leaves, rocks, decayed animals, anthills they ran across, even up tree's nothing was left unturned.
And just as she was giving up hope Shibi had an idea "Why don't you use your insect gathering jutsu son" Shibi said so suddenly that it startled Sakura and she nearly fell off the branch she'd been holding onto to climb out of the tree.
He was going to catch her to when she dropped from the tree anyway and landed gracelessly on her feet "Not a bad idea, why because that way the search will go faster" Shino nodded already performing the necessary hand signs.
Laying his hand on a rock to call insects of all types to him with the jutsu in question and just when they were about to call it a day before it could get to late on them "It's a panda ant" Sakura burst out spying the wingless wasp among all the other insects.
Then scooped it up in gloved hands to gently place in her glass tank before setting it down carefully and latching onto her friend chanting thank you over and over again in his ear as happy tears pricked at her eyes and slithered down her cheeks.
Shibi was worried until he saw the smile "Right we should probably get you back, perhaps next time we'll acquire a male for you to breed them and start your own colony, do you have a bug habitat ready at your home" the Aburame Patriarch questioned.
Sakura nodded "My Mom and Dad helped me set it up awhile back in case I decided on keeping any insect" the pinkette explained cradling her tank, hardly able to wait until the next expedition in hopes of acquiring the male of the pair.
"I'll see you tomorrow, why because we still have the academy to look forward to" the Aburame Heir reminded, still a little flushed from that hug she'd given him as they dropped Sakura off at her house, she nodded and vanished within to meet her parents and have dinner with them.
Sasuke was intrigued by the black and white insect she carried in her glass tank and was even surprised when Sakura tipped it carefully into a large glass habitat for insects "You really keeping it then" Sasuke asked.
"Mhm and the next time I'll get her a partner so they can build up a colony of their own" Sakura smiled proud of her accomplishment as she got started on her homework before going to bed and the rest of the week was like that to.
Where she had a lot of fun helping Kiba watch over puppies the next day, followed by working on her fuinjutsu with Naruto and Sasuke, even giving Shikamaru a surprise visit to play shogi until it was finally Saturday.
They knew what that meant to as a little after lunch Mebuki ushered them to put on their sandals and led them out the door down the streets "I won't always be able to come with you so remember the way" Mebuki told them.
As they stopped before a scary looking building "Okay Momma" Sakura clutched Sasuke's hand tightly but to her surprise they didn't have to go in and instead they went around the side to a smaller building that looked much friendlier in her eyes.
"Phew what a relief I thought we were going to have to go into that other place" Sasuke shuddered feeling much like Sakura had and liking that there was a separate building that had been built even though they'd never noticed it before.
Mebuki shook her head "Now just wait here patiently for them to call your name, I have some shopping to do" the blonde woman pat each child on the head leaving them to sit on chairs to wait until their names were called.
Not that they had to wait very long as five minutes after Mebuki had left "Inoichi will see you two now Haruno-san, Uchiha-san" the receptionist called wondering why both children were being called at the same time when it was standard to have one on one sessions.
Immediately the duo jumped up and followed her down a long hall to a room "Ah there you are I feared that you might not come" Inoichi smiled kindly at the two kids as they shuffled into his kid friendly office for their first therapy session.
"Unfortunately I think Mrs. Haruno would have our hides if we tried to skip out so…" the ebony haired boy trailed off crinkling his nose up and Inoichi stifled a chuckle of amusement glad that he seemed to be adjusting to his new environment.
"How about you Sakura-chan, is having Sasuke-kun live with you alright still" the blonde set his cerulean gaze on Sakura next starting off the session with a nice easy question while Sasuke stared at his friend in horror, not having ever thought to ask if she was okay with him living with her.
He was about to find out and he was scared as Sakura nodded "Yep I'm okay, Sasuke's practically been family since the day we became friends after all so it's not so different having him live with us" the rosette chattered.
And the man nodded, scribbling down some notes on a clipboard "Okay why don't you two have a seat, tell me all about your week" Inoichi lowered his pen down and focused his attention on the kids again asking a simple question.
"The first day was crazy, everyone was asking questions and Hokage-sama had already told us we couldn't tell anyone what really happened it was hard until Iruka-sensei got them to stop, other than that besides a few crying spells it was fine" Sasuke shrugged.
"I can't talk about Sh..you know him I can't even say his name or think about him without crying" Sakura on the other hand wasn't afraid to admit that she was struggling with a specific thing and Inoichi nodded understanding her trauma.
She'd lost someone important to her heart of course she'd have a hard time getting over Shisui's death to the point where she might not be able to say his name or think about him anymore for fear of crying and becoming an inconsolable mess.
But he was glad she was talking about it in a roundabout way "Now what about you Sasuke-kun, how are you coping so far" the blonde man inquired gently wondering if the boy would be as open as Sakura was.
It was clear that Sasuke didn't want to appear weak in any sort of way as he struggled to answer the question until he reached out and took Sakura's hand "I miss them so much it hurts and I want to hate Itachi but I can't not until I find out the truth" the ebony haired boy admitted.
Tears shining in his eyes as he spoke and clutching his shirt tightly where his heart lay agony plastered all over his face "Good, good it's okay to admit you miss someone Sasuke it's a part of the grieving process so is anger it comes in stages all normal I assure you" Inoichi explained.
As Sasuke took deep breaths to calm himself down Sakura patting him on the hand gently to help him out a little and Inoichi noted that down on his clipboard "What stage do you think I'm in Mr. Yamanaka" the pinkette asked shyly.
Worried no doubt "Between depression and acceptance I think, you know he's gone, your depressed about it but you've also accepted that he won't be coming back and you two can just call me Inoichi if you'd like" the Yamanaka Patriarch answered the question truthfully.
Helping the girl to relax a little "Let's move on shall we, are either of you still having nightmares, I'm all ears if you want to talk about them or any fears you have" Inoichi asked another questioned knowing it was the right one.
When both kids looked relieved and even nodded "Yeah I'm still having nightmares of that mangekyou sharingan and what I experienced in that jutsu that was used on me, all those dead people" Sasuke shuddered.
"That's a definite start Sasuke acknowledging your fears" the blonde wrote down more notes on his clipboard and Sakura peered at him curiously "Just writing down things to consider for our next session" he said.
And she sat back in her seat with a sheepish smile "The dark" Sakura announced suddenly feeling stupid for having such a dumb fear, Inoichi looked up at her in confusion before his expression morphed into understanding.
"Can you tell me why you fear the dark Sakura-chan" Inoichi inquired gently knowing better than to make fun of the girl or she'd curl in on herself and stop talking, he'd seen it happen time and again with people much older.
PTSD was a common occurrence for those who'd been through something traumatic "It feels like I'm back there again in the Uchiha Compound walking through the dark streets and I can smell that awful smell again" the pinkette admitted quietly.
Looking to her feet ashamed that she was letting it bother her as much as it was while Sasuke grimaced because unlike her he'd never smelt anything "How can it be stopped" the little Uchiha asked for Sakura wanting to help in any way he could.
Inoichi smiled even if the whole world was against them Sasuke and Sakura would turn out alright because they had each other to lean on and glancing at the time decided to wrap up the session "Several ways Sasuke-kun, nightlights or carrying a flashlight with you at all times" the blonde said.
"For you Sasuke, keep talking to those that surround you don't bottle things up to the point you nearly burst, you have Sakura-chan, Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san rely on them a little, with that your first session is over" Inoichi clapped.
And the two kids stared at him wide eyed "Well thank you Inoichi-san for taking the time to do this and help us" Sakura was the first to pop up from the chair she'd been sitting in for the better part of an hour and a half.
Hardly able to wait until she could ask for a nightlight or a flashlight to carry on her to help with her fear of the dark "Yeah thanks and I'll do my best to do as you suggested" Sasuke huffed feeling five times better leaving than when they'd got there.
Clearly having a trained professional to talk to did wonders for their abused psyche's as they met Mebuki in the waiting room, her arms loaded down with shopping bags to which Sasuke and Sakura took a few each to help carry as they hurried home.
Talking to the older Haruno's about how the session went where Kizashi disappeared to the markets to buy what his daughter needed to help her overcome her fears and later on having dinner before going to bed after doing their homework.