Most people think Sasuke is Kakashi's favorite student, and some think it's Naruto, but I definitely think Sakura is his favorite.

Mostly because she's the only one not causing all the problems. She does what she's told and follows rules. Meanwhile, Sasuke's off being a war criminal and Naruto is doing whatever he wants even when people trap him on an island to spicifically keep him out of the way.

Someone commented saying Sakura is a teacher's pet. I agree. I bet Kakashi is thankful to have at least one student who isn't crazy.


Akatsuki was very different without Konan.

There was a certain amount of disorder in her absence. On paper, Konan's duties included making schedules, hiding their identities, creating contracts and managing customers. In reality, her job was so much more. Without her, there were twice as many fights within Akatsuki. Hidan and Kakuzu were constantly on the verge of killing each other. Now that he was working alone on the Jinchuriki copies, Sasori was especially grouchy. Anyone who went into his work station was attacked on sight, just for bothering him. Once, Sakura brought in an order of puppet parts while Sasori was working on poisonous gases. She very nearly choked to death and, after giving her the antidote, Sasori ripped into her for ten minutes, lecturing her for interrupting his work.

Deidara was a ticking time bomb, and Tobi was always pushing him to explode. Their days consisted of spending long hours in the training room, learning to work together. Even from a floor above, Sakura could hear Deidara yelling at Tobi right and left. Apparently, Tobi was a spontaneous fighter. He ran into battle, with no warning and no planning, and it was driving Deidara up the wall.

"If you charge in without telling me, my bombs might hit you," Deidara scolded.

"I didn't know your aim was that bad, senpai," Tobi laughed.

Deidara grabbed Tobi's neck, pulling him close. "Want to say that again, un?"

"Artists are so temperamental." Tobi struggled out of his grasp.

If Konan was there, she would put everyone in their place. Just her presence was a reminder to behave. Even though Sakura tried to use her own feminine charm to sway her coworkers, she didn't have the same power over them. Akatsuki was slowly falling into chaos without Konan, and the worst of all was Pein.

Their leader never left his office. He was twice as cold and emotionless these days. Everyone avoided him, save for Sakura who was picking up most of Konan's duties. She came to him with requests and orders, needing approval, but most times Pein would look over the papers she presented with a very distant glance, like he was somewhere else entirely. Sakura brought him meals, but she would come back hours later to find them untouched.

The only time Pein came to life was when Zetsu checked in.

Since Konan was deep undercover, Zetsu made reports on her behalf. He appeared in the office randomly, sporadically and without warning. Once, Sakura came down the hall and swore she saw Zetsu crawl out of the wall, peeling himself from the paint like a horror movie.

"Did you just-" Sakura looked from Zetsu to the wall he pulled himself out of, confused.

"You saw nothing," Zetsu said. "We need to speak to Pein."

No matter what Pein was doing, he dropped everything whenever Zetsu showed up. They spent hours discussing Konan's mission. When Zetsu left, Pein fell back into his lifeless state.

Sakura took refuge in Itachi's office.

She came in, fell into one of the chairs and sighed from exhaustion. Itachi made them tea, adding extra sugar to hers. He asked, "Rough day?"

"I don't know how Konan does it," Sakura said.

"She is a miracle worker," he agreed.

"I hope she comes back soon. I can't take much more of this." Sakura sipped her tea slowly.

"Why don't you take tomorrow night off? You need it," he suggested.

"If I'm gone too, this place will really fall apart."

"I think we can hold it together for one night," Itachi said. They both imagined what it would be like, with Sakura and Konan gone and only the men left to their own devices. "But just one night. Any more than that and we'll probably kill each other."

Sakura convinced herself to accept this offer. True, she had weekends off, but that time was usually spent catching up on school work. It was a wonder she had time to spend on her relationship at all. If they didn't work together, dating Itachi would be near impossible with her schedule.

"I do have some vacation time saved up." Sakura hadn't taken a single day off work yet.

"Pein would understand," Itachi said. "It's Kakuzu you have to worry about."

"Yeah, I imagine getting paid time off is his worst nightmare." Sakura finished her tea.

"Need help convincing him?" Itachi flashed his red eyes for effect.

"Nope. Just a kiss for good luck." Sakura stood, leaned over his desk and pecked Itachi sweetly. Then she hardened her resolve and went to Kakuzu's office, only a little afraid of asking for a paid day off.


True to her word, Sakura made an effort to be Sasuke's friend.

This came with a few challenges. Sasuke was not a friendly person by nature and most of the things friends would do together annoyed him. He didn't like going out to dinner or going to coffee shops. He disapproved of frivolous shopping and didn't care for music or art shows. Left to his own devices, Sasuke would spend all his time either studying for class or training for his security career.

Sasuke's saving grace was Naruto, who was his best and only friend. Being a social butterfly, the college life really suited Naruto, who made a point to attend every frat party and every tailgate, quite literally dragging Sasuke along for the ride. Sakura had never met a more opposite duo. What surprised her most was how easily she fit with them. Somehow, Sakura meshed very well with Naruto's playfulness and Sasuke's aloof attitude.

Naruto took to her right away and made a habit of flirting with her every now and again. The first time he came onto her, throwing an arm over her shoulder and saying, "Nee Sakura, why don't you come out to dinner with me sometime? I know a great ramen place," she smacked him upside the head.

"You know I'm taken right?" Sakura huffed.

"It was worth a try." Naruto rubbed his cheek, where an imprint of her hand swelled red.

"As if she'd be interested in you, idiot," Sasuke scoffed.

Being with Naruto and Sasuke was a pleasant change from all the time she spent with Akatsuki. Naruto and Sasuke treated Sakura like a normal person, and the change of pace was humanizing for her. Unlike at work, assassinations and murder never came up in conversation.

Naruto made an effort to invite her along to every gathering. Since Akatsuki worked at night, Sakura rarely had a chance to go along on Naruto and Sasuke's adventures. Her demanding medical degree also took up most of her time. Predictably, when he heard Sakura finally had a night off, Naruto made plans. Some friends were throwing a party to celebrate the beginning of summer break. Throwing a box of beers, a bag of snacks and Sasuke's ass in the car, Naruto came to pick Sakura up at her apartment.

"Geez Sakura, you're beautiful," Naruto exclaimed.

"Thank you." Sakura blushed. Since this was her first college party, she went all out. Makeup done, hair did, dress tight, she was bouncing with excitement. For once, she would be a regular college girl.

"Is this what you always look like when you're not tired?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke eyed his best friend suspiciously. "Idiot, don't say it-"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura demanded, frowning.

"Well, it's just you look so run down and exhausted all the time-"

Sakura punched Naruto's arm, leaving a fresh bruise. Honestly, he was always sticking his foot in his mouth. Naruto had a pattern of complimenting Sakura one second and insulting her the next, and her temper would not stand for it.

Sasuke sighed. "Just drive, idiot."

The party was in full swing when they arrived. Naruto's friends rented the house, and it was completely obvious college kids lived here. The yard was unkept, the furniture sparse, the party loud. Naruto secured each of them a drink then promptly abandoned Sasuke and Sakura to make rounds of the room. It seemed everyone at the party knew Naruto and, even though many of them treated him like an annoying nuisance, they were all friends with him. It was awing to see the effect he had on people.

"He's like the sun," Sasuke said, when he caught Sakura watching.

"Bright and blinding," she agreed.

Always the opposite of Naruto, Sasuke claimed a corner of the house and refused to leave it. Sakura stuck around and shared some drinks with him, but then another challenge of being his friend became apparent.

Sasuke was, one, very hot and, two, a huge asshole.

As such, every girl in the room was crazy for him. A crowd of women built up around Sasuke, slowly pushing Sakura away like a fish stuck in a strong current of female hormones. Before too long, she was left alone. Sakura wondered the house, trying not to feel too out of place. These were her people. She was a college student, just like them, and so she tried very hard to fit in.

She spotted Naruto in the dining room, playing a very aggressive round of beer pong with a guy who had a dog on his head. When she came over, Naruto said, "Hey Sakura, want in on this round?"

"It looks like you already have a partner." Sakura glanced at Naruto's beer pong teammate.

"Yeah, but I'm tired of hassling Shikamaru into playing." Naruto smacked his teammate on the shoulder and said, "It's your turn! Hurry up!"

"I'm going, I'm going," Shikamaru groaned. With hardly a glance, Shikamaru tossed the ping pong ball and it landed in the center cup.

"No way! How'd you do that?" Their opponent yelled. "You definitely cheated!"

"Shut it, Kiba. We fight fair and square," Naruto laughed.

Kiba turned to his partner. "It's your turn, Shino. You better not miss." The dog on his head yapped in agreement. His partner, Shino, looked even less enthusiastic than Shikamaru did.

Sakura watched their game for a while, but slipped away when another of Naruto's friends came over and started flirting with her. His name was Lee and his all-green outfit was shocking. Unlike Naruto, Lee would not get the hint when Sakura rejected him. When Lee was distracted by Naruto's beer pong game, Sakura ran away.

In the backyard, the party was more relaxed. Close knit groups of friends were lounging on the patio, sharing drinks and stories between them. A few couples were spread out in the grass, sneaking kisses. One such couple was looking up at the stars, wrapped around each other like they were completely alone in this world. Looking at them, Sakura felt a deep longing for Itachi. The memory of laying together in bed came to mind, and Sakura felt his presence with her like a shadow.

Maybe these weren't her people. She felt so completely alone here. Her mind was back at Akatsuki, worrying about Konan's mission. She thought of Pein, who just wasn't the same without Konan nearby. Sakura wondered about Sasori, if he was tired and overworked from making all the Jinchuriki puppets. A short to-do list formed in her mind for Kisame, who was becoming impatient with the healing time on his wounds. Were Deidara and Tobi getting along? Sakura made a mental note to check in on them soon. The possibility that Deidara would kill Tobi was very real.

A familiar hand pulled Sakura out of her thoughts and back into reality. It was Gaara.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I make an effort to socialize," he answered.

"Seriously?" Sakura eyed him.

Gaara shrugged. "Temari dragged us here. This is her boyfriend's house."

He pointed through the kitchen window, where Temari was standing next to Shikamaru. She seemed to be nagging him about something, and Shikamaru kept trying to soothe her. Naruto and Kiba stood nearby, teasing and poking fun at the couple.

"Are you having as much fun as I am?" Sakura asked.

"What's wrong?" Gaara frowned, picking up on her tone.

They found a spot on the grass, far from the rest of the party. The people and the music were background noise to their conversation. Sakura told him about her work troubles, which he understood completely. Being the only Jinchuriki Akatsuki let live, due to Sakura's actions, Gaara felt indebted to her. He listened to Sakura's venting patiently.

"It's a hard job, but you're good at it," Gaara said.

"I know, but I just don't fit in with normal people anymore," she said.

"I've never fit in with them and I never will," he said. "That's just who we are."

"Cheers." Sakura clicked her cup to his. They drank and looked back at the party house. "How are things going with Sanu anyway?"

"Very good." Gaara smiled softly.

He told her about the changes he made to their secret society. Gaara allowed his people to bring in outsiders now with special clearance. He made an effort to be friendlier with his people, to know them and be known by them. Temari and Kankuro made this easier, sticking up for their little brother whenever someone questioned him. Now people were more scared of upsetting his siblings than upsetting him. Kankuro could be especially fierce when defending Gaara, and Temari was known to attack first and question later.

"You should come to the hideout again," he said.

"I don't know when I'll have the time," Sakura said. "Honestly, this is my first night off in months."

Suddenly, a very drunk man stumbled out of the house and into the backyard. He was a chubby guy with long hair. After stumbling around a bit, he leaned over the porch and threw up onto the grass. Shikamaru came bustling out and held the big guy's hair back, saying, "I told you not to eat so much, Chouji."

Gaara looked back at her. "Your first night off and you chose to spend it here?"

"My friend invited me. He's always asking me to come along and I never have time, so I figured I owned him." Sakura shrugged.

"Who's your friend?" Gaara asked.

She looked over and pointed. "Him."

Naruto came out to both help and tease Chouji. He helped Shikamaru carry their drunk friend back into the house, laughing all the while. Sakura supposed this was what made people love Naruto, he had a never ending need to help people. Being a healer, Sakura loved this quality in her friend. He was annoying and loud, true, but Sakura had an understanding with him.

Gaara touched Sakura's shoulder, surprising her. He wasn't a very affectionate man, and his hand put a certain gravity on her. Gaara studied her eyes, as serious as ever, and asked, "Sakura, do you know who he is?"

"It's Naruto." Sakura blinked.

Gaara squeezed her shoulder. "Do you know what he is?"


Sakura came back to her apartment very tired, very drunk and very confused.

Itachi waited up for her, sitting in her bed with a book propped open. He smiled when she came in. "Did you have a good time?"

"Not really." Sakura took some pajamas to the bathroom. Wiping her makeup away, her reflection never looked more exhausted.

She was both relieved and worried to have Itachi waiting for her in bed. Since their trip to Mount Fuji, it was a habit for him to stay over at her apartment. Often times, Itachi drove her home after work and would stay, sleeping alongside her until Sakura had to leave for class. After a while, Sakura gave him her spare key and Itachi started staying over most nights. He slept better with her.

Sakura loved having Itachi treat her home as his own but, after what she learned about Naruto, she was a little cautious around him. As always, when Sakura came to bed, Itachi put his book away and turned his full attention to her. He asked, "Did Sasuke spend the night moping in the corner?"

"Nope. He spent the whole time fending off fangirls," she said.

Itachi smirked, petting her hair fondly. "Was his blonde friend the center of attention?"

"Only a little. Have you known Naruto a long time?" she asked casually.

"As long as Sasuke has known him," he answered. Itachi looked down at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious about him," she explained, and this wasn't completely a lie. "He never talks about his family or his past."

"He's an orphan," Itachi said. "He and Sasuke have that in common."

"And you, too." She looked at him.

Itachi kissed her softly and tucked down into the sheets. His arm came around her and, in moments, he was asleep. Whenever the subject of his parents came up, Itachi was quick to distance himself. Even wrapped around her, he was very far away.

Sakura was tired down to her bones, but she couldn't sleep. She kept replaying her conversation with Gaara over and over but it just wouldn't add up in her head. What he told her about Naruto, what she knew about Jinchuriki, what was expected of her as an Akatsuki, was not adding up.

(End)

I'm learning Spanish. Specifically, Spanish used in Mexico. It's hard.

Spanish is very gendered. Like, everything has a gender. Even inanimate objects. You would refer to a table in a feminine way and a book in a masculine way. I wonder if it's hard to be a nonbinary or agender person who speaks Spanish. Like, is it hard that everything in your entire language is either a boy or a girl when you do not identify as either?

In America, I feel like everyone's very careful to not gender anyone or anything because we're scared of offending anyone. So it's kinda weird to learn a language that's forcing me to gender things that aren't even alive. Sometimes when I'm learning Spanish, I'll stare at my notebook and wonder "What makes a notebook a boy?" or I'll hold my pen and be all "Why would someone think this is a girl?"