Got a review saying that I should've put trigger warnings on earlier chapter. Sincerely sorry about that, it slipped my mind. I'll be more mindful about it in the future.

After that little escaping mishap, Sakura, Jinora, and Karui were reunited. They had all used their medical skills to alleviate the headaches they received from whatever it was that was used to subdue them. Hugs, tears, and whispers of thankfulness passed between them for the next hour.

Sakura could tell that they were in Kumo. The familiar landscape, the hospital layout, and all the familiar faces proved so. The girls were shocked to find so many people from the international program gathered together after being released.

The ANBU guards had hastily let them go. When they shared their entrapment stories, the trio had all broken out from their cells and given the ninja charged with releasing them hell. They laughed to hold back the tears.

The trio was currently standing in the village center watching as people passed by. Familiar faces from around town greeted them amicably. It felt nice to be back together in a place that was so formative for their growth.

They were on the lookout for Killer B when a heavyset woman came running towards them in an elaborately decorated green kimono. "Girls! Girls!" she panted as she ran them down with her arms flailing to and fro.

The girls stopped in their tracks and watched as the woman approached them. Mrs. Yamabuki was a boutique owner who made posh clothes for the elite. On special occasions, she would create luxury ninja gear. It was completely unnecessary and often times so gaudy that it hindered movement. People indulged her anyway.

She, much like Lady Jin, was another person that was hard to refuse. Speaking of Lady Jin, Sakura would have to make sure to check up on her soon. Mrs. Yamabuki was finally in front of them bent over and out of breath from her jog.

Jinora moved over to the woman to gently pat her back. Mrs. Yamabuki gazed up at her with a smile after catching her breath. "Oh, I'm so happy you all are back!" the portly old woman cheered. "They took you all away so fast, I couldn't even say goodbye properly."

The abrupt ending of the program had affected everyone greatly. Mission requests and completions had experienced a major halt in the wake of Team B's investigation. Many people had become very fond of the international teams that the program created and refused to use other ninjas to complete their tasks.

Another reason the council's so angry with me.

"You know, when you guys got caught up in all that controversy, a bunch of kids were sending in and signing all these petitions to reinstate the program and demanded for you guys' release. It was so moving, it made me feel young all over again," the shop owner drawled on as she looked off with a faraway stare.

Sakura had learned about all of the aftermath of her capture from the guards that had released her earlier. Team B had started something they hadn't even planned for. They'd thought of themselves as nothing more than three girls on a team. Somehow, they became a face of a movement in their time away.

The underlying implications of those petitions went deeper than the trio's relations to the ninjas they had met along the way. Many of the ninja a part of this program would not have gotten the opportunities to improve upon their ninja careers as they had through the program. This program gave them access to previously closed off, ancient documents including techniques that hadn't been used in decades. That, along with other effective social infrastructures had people coming back in droves.

"Oh! Before I forget! I planned a little surprise for you when you came back, but then everything happened so I couldn't," she rambled. Sakura rolled her eyes. She didn't know why she was entertaining this woman. "I made some cute new outfits for you girls! Come back with me to my shop so I can show you!"

She wasn't really asking them. It was a demand. She had already grabbed all three of the girls' hands and started walking. She kept rambling on about all the things that had happened while they were gone. The girls exchanged glances every now and then. They rolled their eyes at certain parts of the shop owner's story. She could be full of herself when she wanted.

More familiar faces passed them and laughed at their misfortune. Everyone knew that Mrs. Yamabuki wasn't someone you wanted to cross paths with when you had something important to do. The woman was relentless in her pursuit to get you to do what she wanted you to do.

The trip to the shop was exhausting, but they'd finally made it to the storefront. A sign saying she was on lunch break was hung up in the shop window. Mrs. Yamabuki unlocked her shop door while still holding onto all of their hands and led them in. She led them in to the back where only she and the other employees were allowed.

No one was here besides them now, most likely because she'd lost most of her staff with the end of the international program. But mannequins with beautifully crafted clothes stood everywhere. Mrs. Yamabuki grabbed a pile of clothes from somewhere she'd disappeared to as they looked around and handed them pieces of clothing separately. She pushed them into dressing rooms and urged them to try on her new creations.

Sakura held her articles of clothing up in disappointment. She should've known that this would happen. Most people held the same opinion as Ino about her clothing choices. She was a young girl with a great body who shouldn't be afraid to flaunt it. It was hard to even find the words to explain to them why she chose to dress the way she did.

Dread filled her as she replaced her comfortable sweat pants with a red miniskirt. The white waistband only reached so far, so you could still see her belly button. At least the miniskirt turned out to be a miniskort. The black shorts underneath eased the worried girl's mind.

The crop top is what really worried Sakura. It covered half of her forearm, so she wouldn't have to worry about shaving that much, but it was out of her comfort zone. She was hoping that since the skort was already so short that she'd be able to have a large shirt make up for it.

Shrugging off her baggy sweatshirt, Sakura yanked the crop top over her head. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt disconnected from her body. She felt nothing like herself.

The last item was the pair of black boots that stretched up to just underneath her knee. They weren't so bad, but she hated having her feet out. She'd switched to sneakers in her time away from Konoha and she really liked them.

Sakura sighed. There was no way she could complain about this revised outfit anyway. Mrs. Yamabuki took precious time out of her schedule to craft this for her. She didn't want to come across as ungrateful.

"Girls! Are you done? Let me see you!"

Sakura emerged from her dressing room trying to put on a brave face. She turned to see her other teammates in their new gear. They looked just as uncomfortable as her.

Karui's outfit had the same color scheme as her previous one. It now was just a mini dress that cut off midthigh and really form fitting. A nice, dark blue cape hugged her upper body nicely and stopped at her belly button. She wore the same thigh high black sandals as before.

Jinora was wearing a skintight, yellow jumpsuit that extended into boots of the same color. A silver band wrapped around her torso. She looked like a super cool spy.

The girls shared exasperated looks. Mrs. Yamabuki, oblivious to their inner turmoil, flitted around happily taking pictures and speaking highly of her seamstress abilities. A sweatdrop formed on the three girls' foreheads. They would definitely have to keep their complaints to themselves.

…...

There were no words to describe how incredibly pissed off he was.

Sasuke was settling into one of the many set aside rooms in the apartment complex nearest the Raikage tower.

First, he got one of Itachi's throwaway missions, then he becomes a glorified babysitter for a girl who'd made it very clear that she would want nothing to do with her former team if it was up to her. He didn't know if it was bad luck or some type of delayed karma, but he was getting sick of having to pick up on other people's slack.

To make matters worse, the international program was being reinstated. This had nothing to do with Sasuke directly, but it affected his living arrangements. Most people shared fairly large apartment spaces together in groups of four. An exception was made for him to live in a single room as a result of his sham of a mission.

The room was the size of a shoebox. If he turned too quick he'd face plant into a wall. He'd checked earlier just to make sure, but his bathroom and bedroom were the same size. The narrow corridor he walked in and out of to get to either room was enough to trigger anyone's claustrophobia.

Sasuke unpacked the last of his belongings into the measly dresser they'd given him. If he were one to show emotions freely, people would be able to tell that he was humiliated. It seemed like there was always someone trying to lowball him.

Sasuke exited his underwhelming apartment. He was met with the hustle and bustle of jovial ninja who were all reuniting with each other. Smiles were shared, hugs exchanged, and there were squeals of joy coming from everyone. His lip curled in disgust. He wouldn't make it here. This was worse than having to sit through Naruto's endless rambles about ramen or his tirades about his pursuit to finally best his rival.

Making it to the elevator proved to be harder than it looked. Fighting his way through all the people rejoicing was hard. He had been nudged and pushed around more times than he could count. The elevator was crowded with people moving in their belongings. It rank of sweat and wood. It was boiling hot inside of it to boot. He was relieved to finally get off of it.

Sasuke was supposed to be heading in the direction of Sakura's team's apartment. For some reason, they had been able to negotiate with the Raikage a deal that allowed them to stay in a fancy apartment building nearest the hospital. From what he'd heard, most of the people living there were monied. How the hell they'd negotiated such a deal was beyond him.

It was a stretch to make it there. There weren't as many businesss stands as there were in Konoha, but the streets were still pretty full. The streets were teeming with even more happily reunited ninjas than that god forsaken building he'd just left. He struggled through the crowd angrily, growing more pissed by the minute.

Sasuke finally reached the building where Sakura's team was assigned and wanted nothing more than to curse. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. The building had plexi-glass that allowed you to see who boarded the elevator from outside of it. The pathway up to it was nicely trimmed with bushes, low cut grass, and exotic flowers. There were large fountains featuring beautifully crafted statues inside. The inside of the building was even more fascinating. From the linoleum lined floors to the gold encrusted walls, these people were living in the lap of luxury. If Sakura was going to be staying in this building, why couldn't they reserve a room for him in here, too? How was he even supposed to guard her like this?

Sasuke walked up to the register. When he asked for Sakura, he was promptly told that she wasn't in right now and to meet her at the hospital if he really needed her. Sasuke grumbled to himself as he walked out the door. This "mission" would be the death of him.

….

Everything about this situation was weird.

Sakura made a point to keep her eyes from wandering as she cleaned test tubes, beakers, and wiped down surfaces with high grade disinfectant wipes.

Today was another late shift at the hospital as she'd become accustomed to. It was almost 11 o'clock and she was about to head out for her comfortable apartment. She was thankful that this shift wouldn't have her staying into the wee hours of the morning as they usually did.

Today was pretty good. She'd immediately gotten back in contact with her therapist and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. They would be meeting up tomorrow morning with their beloved sensei Killer B to train and just bask in the warmth of each other's presence. Her hospital schedule was also being re-regulated to fit the new negotiated terms.

Sakura was excited to learn about the kind of day that Karui and Jinora had. There was just one thing about this entire day that had bothered her.

Sasuke.

It wasn't like she hated the guy or anything, but his presence made her uneasy. He was assigned as her guard indefinitely and she could see the irritation etched all over his face. He didn't want to do it and Sakura wasn't in the business of forcing him to. She'd learned long ago that there was nothing in her power that she could do to make the brooding boy happy. All her displays of affection or kindness were met with ruthless cruelty. She wouldn't waste her time trying to appease him ever again.

When the last of the materials were done being cleaned, Sakura gathered her belongings and walked out of the doctor's office. Sasuke, with his hands clenched together and his back hunched over, was sitting in a spare chair outside of the door. His head snapped up when he heard her footsteps.

Sakura held her messenger bag closer to herself. She was dreading this interaction. Subconsciously, she'd been avoiding him all this time. She was surprised when he sat next to her at her welcome back party in Konoha. She didn't think Lady Jin's mission would last that long, so she'd kept away from him. But now, everything seemed out of whack.

Sasuke rose from his seat and headed towards the exit without sparing her a glance. Sakura followed behind him cautiously. He was in one of his moods again. He was standing outside the building waiting for her with his foot tapping impatiently.

She gave him a once-over with a scowl. She was just as unhappy about their arrangement as he was. At least she had the manners to hide her disdain.

He saw her come out and started walking ahead of her again. Sakura wanted nothing more than to slap the shit out of him.

"You know; you don't have to stay for my hospital shifts. They usually go pretty late into the night," she exclaimed from a distance. "I wouldn't want you to miss out on your beauty sleep."

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and faced her. Sakura was still standing fairly close to the hospital with her arms folded in dismay. She didn't have time to deal with his childish anger. Not again.

In a moment's time, he had flash stepped next to her and pulled her forearm roughly as he speed walked. Sakura was barely able to move her feet coherently without tripping over herself.

"My job is to monitor you at all times," he hissed. "This can all go by much more easily without you talking to me."

Sakura stumbled when Sasuke suddenly let go of her hand. They were standing in front of her luxurious apartment building. She raised her hand to slap him, but he grabbed it before she could make impact. Sakura recollected herself and faced him head on with a deep scowl.

"I was just trying to make your "job" easier," she snapped.

He watched her with squinted eyes. Sakura was very familiar with that look. He always did it right before he said something disrespectful. Unbeknownst to him, she'd beat him to the punch.

"I'm sure Itachi would've understood me just fine."

….

It was a little bit past midnight when Team B snuck out of their luxury apartment to a basement on the ground floor of the building. A long kept secret that existed before the emergence of this new building that now served as an escape for Kumo's newest residents.

It was a long walk down to the locked kitchen. Jinora used her former klepto skills to unlock the padlock holding the door closed. 'Twas quite a feat to see.

Further in, on the floor in front of the trash chute was a huddle of badly arranged tiles covered in whatever the slime of today's food was. Jinora, with a pinched nose and a twisted face, toed the soiled tiles away with her perfectly manicured foot in her strappy, gold heels. The wooden door lifted open to let them down into an underground tunnel.

The trio lowered themselves down the drawn ladder. The vibrations of the loud music reverbed off the mud walls. The rocky floor made it extremely hard for the girls to walk in heels.

Sakura was still peeved about earlier with Sasuke. He always made something out of nothing. Couldn't he be considerate of her feelings for once?

She adjusted the straps of her silky, white dress. She wouldn't let Sasuke ruin her night. She and her friends were headed out for a night of hard partying. As they got closer to the party's entrance, the lights from the room flashed against the walls.

A tall, lean figure emerged from the wide, double doors. The figure turned towards them with a wide smile and open arms. "AAAAHHHH! THE PARTY'S FINALLY ARRIVED!"

Giggles flew all around as they rushed into each other's arms. It felt really good to be surrounded by familiarity. Especially with people as reckless Inuki.

Inuki reminded Sakura of Haku, the young boy they'd – well, her teammates - had fought while she attended to the bridge builder. They had that androgynous look about them that was so alluring. The balanced energy of the feminine and masculine really came together to balance one extremely captivating being.

The makeup they usually wore only made the mystery surrounding them even more enthralling. They preferred outlining their features with bold colors instead of contouring traditionally with foundation. Sometimes, they highlighted their cheekbones with bold splashes of pink that brought out their supple cheekbones and complemented their sleek, black bob. Tonight, however, they settled with pink eyeliner that formed a heart near the ends of their eyes and dramatic black eyeliner on the lower eyelash that faded into a soft gray glitter that covered their cheeks. It made them look like they had been crying, but in an aesthetically pleasing way.

Inuki had been one of the first people that Sakura had become close with in the beginning of her settling into Kumo. They were really fun to be around and full of raw, sometimes unwanted wisdom. Karui reached over to give them a kiss on the cheek.

"So good to see you, Inuki," Karui chirped. Inuki gave one of their signature sly smirks.

"Likewise. You look scrumptious in your two piece."

Karui giggled playfully as she made a show of twirling around to show her rose embroidered outfit. Sakura was sure she had the goofiest lovestruck look on her face as the girl before her twirled around flirtatiously.

Inuki caught Sakura's eye and smirked. They grabbed her hand and lead them into the crowded underground basement chocked full of sweaty, dancing teenagers.

"Come with me. I'll do you guys' makeup."

The crowd was intense. Everybody and anybody was shoved up against each other in every corner. Between body odor, glitter, and smoke, the gang wasn't sure how they were able to push themselves through it all.

Along the mud encrusted walls were doors that led to small rooms. Most were occupied by those doing drugs while others were full of friends just hanging together amicably. Finding an empty room was proving to be exhausting. After ten minutes of no luck, Inuki finally opened the door to an empty room.

They switched on a light that casted a purple glow all over the room. There was a seedy looking mattress with no headboard plopped down in the middle. A small, dusty dresser with a large mirror was set aside not too far from it. Karui ran over to the dresser and fixed her makeup in the mirror. Sakura watched carefully as Karui decked her face in silver glitter and rhinestones.

A hand shot out to tug Sakura. She looked up to see a smirking Inuki. She blushed redder than a tomato. They walked over to the bed and patted an empty spot.

"Sit."

She complied without resistance. She allowed herself to fall back on the bed with her arms spread out wide. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jinora holding Karui's head back as she applied glitter generously all over cheeks.

Inuki brought their legs onto the bed and straddled themselves over Sakura's crotch. With a makeup bag handy, they searched through numerous tools and put them in a neat showcase row.

"How do you want your makeup?"

"Like yours."

"I don't think you're ready for something like that," they chuckled light-heartedly.

They lowered themselves down and applied the brush dabbed with a pale blue eyeshadow underneath and around her eyes. The constant dabbing was calming. It wasn't hard to get lost in her thoughts after a while. Inuki's steady breathing and watchful eyes also helped to keep her in place. Sakura closed her eyes and allowed the background noise of the party to overwhelm her senses.

She didn't notice when Karui and Jinora made a break for the dancefloor. She awoke from her mini-nap to see Inuki still dabbing away at her face. They looked so concentrated despite all that was going on outside of the door.

"I see you're still chasing after Karui."

"Shut up!" she barked back in embarrassment.

Their breakup was still a touchy subject even a year later. Neither one of them liked to bring it up and avoided the discussion at all costs. Inuki knew that and felt like being an asshole anyway.

"Just admit you still like her!"

"What does it matter if we can't be together again?"

"I thought you said the breakup was mutual…"

Sakura sighed, "Yeah…I know. But it's more like it had to be for the sake of the team or we wouldn't have been able to complete any missions."

Inuki whistled. "Wow. That's rough, buddy."

Inuki rose from their straddling position and dusted themselves off. They reached a hand out to which Sakura took and was hoisted out of bed. They both laughed, the tension immediately eased.

"Well…what's going on with you now? I heard you're on 24/7 watch by the ANBU."

Sakura rolled her eyes. This night was to escape the nightmare that was Sasuke. She hated even having to bring him up.

"Yeah. I got stuck with this bastard I used to share a team with back home," she scoffed. "I got in an argument with him earlier."

"Oh! I think I saw that guy earlier with you at the hospital. He's the one with the dark hair and eyes to match and a nice body, right?"

Sakura pretended to gag much to Inuki's amusement. "Yeah. That sounds like him."

"Total hottie. Why were you guys even arguing? I doubt I'd be able to focus around him enough to hold a grudge."

Sakura turned to hide her blush, "Tch. It was a really dumb argument, but he always manages to make mountains out of mole hills."

"Hmmm," Inuki hummed with a raised eyebrow.

Sakura felt her blush deepen. She knew something was afoot with a glance like that.

"Sounds to me like you used to like him."

"Oh, fuck off! That's beside the point!"

They both laughed as they exited the room together into the liveliness of the party.