Disclaimer: Owning Naruto is SOOOOOOOO overrated. Pouts.

A/N: This one is dedicated to MidnightShadow0110 for a review that made me all bubbly inside ^^

BTW, lol, I got some seriously passionate reviews about the last chapter. Can't imagine why ;D

hugs to misscheekiness for another solid review :)

Her heart was heavy when she stopped by the school to pick up her little sister. But Soya – sweet, ignorant Soya – was nothing but skips and giggles as she bounded up to meet Sakura.

"Sissy!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Sakura's waist.

Returning her hug, Sakura said nothing.

"Sissy, guess what?"

Sakura cleared her throat. "What, baby?"

Soya took her hand and began pulling her toward the bus-stop. "Guess, sissy."

Her very feet seemed too heavy to lift. "Soya, baby, I'm not in the mood to guess."

Big green eyes stared up at her. Her miniature face darkened. Hands went to skinny hips. "Why not?"

"Sissy had a long day, Soya."

The bottom lip quivered. "You…you don't wanna talk to me?"

"No, baby," Sakura reached out her hands and pulled Soya against her. "No, I love talking to my little sister. How about you just tell me what you want to and I will happily listen. Okay?"

Soya's face brightened. "Okay, sissy. Amaya want me to play at her house tomorrow. She said we can go in her pool and play in her room."

Sakura froze. She had an unbelievable urge to bang her head against something. Amaya. Amaya Uchiha. She should've known she wasn't free of that family. She couldn't possibly tell her sister that the reason she couldn't play at her friend's house was because her 'sissy' was just fired by her friend's uncle. Well, not fired, exactly, but might as well have been.

While she was having an inner tantrum in her head, Soya was practically jumping up and down. "So? So, Sissy? Can I go?"

Sakura took the coward's way out. "We have to ask Momma, baby."

Soya's shoulders fell. "Oh." Then they lifted right back up. "That's okay!" she chirped. "Momma will let me go. She let me go to the party. You just had to come with me. She lemme go again. You just have to come again." Then she grinned like all her problems were solved.

Sakura felt like taking a hammer to her skull. Visits to Amaya's house no doubt meant running into Itachi at some point in time.

"Sissy, you okay?" Soya looked at her strangely.

Sakura took her hand again and they continued to the bus-stop. "Sissy just has a headache, baby. A really big headache."

"Oh! I kiss it and make it feel better. 'Kay, sissy? 'Kay?"

If only it were that easy. "'Kay, baby."

X

X

X

When Sakura came in view of their little tan house, she stopped dead in her tracks. A jet-black Mercedes Benz coupe parked off the street. Her mother's seasoned blue Corolla looked rather beat and tired in comparison.

Sakura frowned. Who did her mother know that drove not just luxury cars, but that kind of luxury car?

"Whose car is that, sissy?"

"I don't know, sweetie."

Shaking off her confusion, Sakura led her sister past the car and…well, she had every intention of leading her sister past the car but she couldn't help a little peak inside it. It was hard to squint past the tinted glass but – Sakura whistled – this car actually had leather seating. She'd never been in a car with leather seating. Her mother's car was grey cushioned and frazzled.

Jerking her head away – and Soya's hand in the process – she continued up the walkway and let them into the house.

"Momma," she called, "I'm home. I –"

She stopped. In her tracks.

Her mother sat at their dining room table across from none other than Itachi Uchiha. The man stood to his feet when she entered but her eyes darted to her mother. "I-I don't understand."

Her mother rose from her chair. Green eyes slid to Soya. "Soya, darling, will you play in your room for a little while? Momma needs to talk to your big sister."

"But who's that?" Soya pointed to Mr. Uchiha, who looked at her with a still expression.

"An acquaintance, darling."

"An acquay..acwain..a what?"

"Your room, Soya."

"Is he coming, too?"

"Who?"

"Him," Soya said, still pointing at the stranger. "I saw him at Amaya's party. 'E's her uncle."

"No," their mother said. "Amaya's uncle is staying out here with us."

"Oh. 'Kay." With a little wave, Soya ran to her room.

"Sakura." His quiet voice snapped her head in his direction. His liquid black eyes bore into hers.

She swallowed. "Why are you here, Mr. Uchiha?"

Sakura's mother sank back into her seat. "Sit down, Sakura."

"But, Momma –"

Naomi Haruno rubbed a hand over tired eyes. "Sit."

Sakura licked her lips but moved forward to pull out a seat.