If memory served, she asked for a QUIET place to study. Right? Those were her exact words. She has to wonder how she ended up in quite possibly the loudest room in the house. How did things get like this? Like what the actual—.

"Fuck. I can't concentrate like this, guys!" It was like they were competing to see who could be the loudest among the three of them. Three being Naruto, Sasuke, and Shisui. To make matters worse, they weren't even all in the same room. Each happened to be engaged in their own separate activity that was equally as noisy as the others.

First, Sakura started off in the kitchen, at the table. It had the most space for all her books and notes and flashcards and tablet. Then in comes Naruto, presumably to prepare a meal of some kind. What time was it? Surely, he couldn't be making dinner already. It was only half passed three!

"What the…where's the pasta? Oi! Sasuk—oops, sorry Sakura-chan…" Sakura ignored him. Or she tried to. However, Naruto's voice is not one so easily overlooked. Sasuke joined the mix soon after Naruto failed to locate the pasta he'd been slamming cabinets and doors opened and closed looking for.

Only to do the exact same thing.

"Idiot, where'd you put it?"

"Where I always do! On top of the fridge!"

"Who the hell puts pasta on top of the fridge?"

"Who the hell moves it?!" And their argument progressed on from there until Sasuke expertly located the pasta. It had fallen behind the fridge somehow. That prompted another disagreement which ended with Naruto agreeing to stop throwing things on top of the fridge and Sakura packing up her things to move to a different part of the house.

The den is where she dumped her things next. There wasn't as much room as the kitchen, but the couch was definitely more comfortable. She used the coffee table to spread out her things then got to work on her studies. It was peaceful enough, though she could still hear Naruto in the kitchen cooking up a storm in the distance, it wasn't as disruptive.

Until Shisui walked in.

"Nah, I'll be there in fifteen, I swear. Just gotta find my keys and…hold on. Yo, Sakura-chan. You see my keys?" Oh boy. Here we go again. Sakura looked up from her stack of flashcards and shook her head as if to say 'No I haven't now shut up.' To which he nodded, ended his phone conversation with a swift 'I'll call you back' and ransacked the den while on the hunt for his car eyes.

"You've gotta be kidding…"

"Yo Nards! You see my car keys?"

"…uhh. Nope. Check your pockets?"

"Yeah."

"Coffee table?"

"Oh wait, no. Sorry Saks, I'll be out of your hair in juuuuuust a sec…nope. Not there."

"Behind the fridge?"

"What…?"

"Never mind…"

"Shit. Where are my damn k—oh!" She'd little time to react to that look on his face that basically said forgive me later.

"Wha—Shisui!" He basically leapt on top of her with one arm jammed between the couch's cushions and the other wrapped around her waist. She would've beat him senseless with her chemistry text had she not been so flustered! Plus, he was heavy.

"Sorry sorry! Ah! Got 'em!" And arose victorious with his body still hovering over the pinkette, giving her ample room to jab him really quick in the lower abdomen.

"Oof! O-Ow…damn, S-Saks…" Took the wind out of him.

"Tch. Serves you right." Thus, she was packing up her things again. Not only because of his antics but because she distinctly remembered Naruto parking his car right behind Shisui and if Naruto could misplace pasta, he'd definitely misplace his keys.

So, she moved a third time, this time to probably the most unconventional place in the house.

The bathroom.

The peace surprisingly lasted for a while mostly because they assumed she may be having some issues with her bowels instead of the trying to make sense of some molecular structures.

Thirty minutes in and there was a hesitant knock on the door.

"Uh Sakura-chan? How much longer are you gonna be in there…?" Naruto called from the other side of the door. She. Was. So. Close.

"I don't know Naruto. It might be awhile…" Was her response, laced carefully in pain to make it more believable. She could hear him groaning and subsequently walking away. That…that actually worked? Heck yeah, she might actually get through this chapter after all—.

"Sakura, I know you're faking it."

"Fucking hell, Sasuke! I'm just trying to study in peace!"

"Come out of the bathroom before Naruto pisses on himself."

"I wasn't about to do that!"

"…Fine." For what felt like the umpteenth time, Sakura gathered up her belongings and begrudgingly opened the restroom door just to see Sasuke and be gently shoved out of the way by Naruto who may've been cradling his crotch. The shove all but launched Sakura right into Sasuke who was as solid as ever and hardly budged once she barreled into him. Her forehead fell right against his collarbone, a true testament to much taller her was than her.

"Idiot. Come on, follow me." Seemingly unfazed at by her basically nuzzling his upper body, Sasuke turned on his heel to lead her down the hallway toward what looked like a bedroom. She'd visited their place a handful of times but made it a point to stay away from their rooms. It just felt weird to be in them in her honest opinion.

"This is Itachi's room. You should be able to study just fine in here." But wait. Wasn't he against her being in here from the start?

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be in here?"

"Obviously it's not, Sakura. Otherwise I would've let you in here at the beginning."

"This sounds like suicide."

"Probably is."

"Should I be concerned about how okay you are with me dying?"

"I'm probably going to die too so what's the point?"

Annnnd the sigh. Well…this seems to be her only other option aside from calling an uber to take her to the library, which given the circumstances would've been a much better alternative. Oh well!

"As long as he knows this was your idea." And in she goes as he opened the door. It was like the gates of heaven had opened for her. Light spilled into the hallway, nearly blinding the pinkette as she captured a view of one of the most well put together, pristine rooms she'd ever seen. Everything was so neatly placed, clean, neat, spotless. Did he even sleep in here, she wondered?

"Wow…"

"I think it goes without saying that you shouldn't tou…Sakura? Are you listening?"

"Yeah, whatever. I gotta study." Blindly she shoved him back of the room and closed the door behind her with a satisfying click. Then she just stood in middle of the floor, basking in the silence and warmth of the setting sun filtering in through the curtains. This…was harmony.

About three hours in and she felt refreshed somehow. The aura in this room was magical! She didn't want to leave! How Itachi managed to get out of bed in the mornings must be a miracle!

Knock knock!

"Dinner's on the table if you're hungry!" Supposing she could use a break, Sakura dog eared the page in her notes and reluctantly left the room. And when she stopped out, she was glowing. Her skin was clear. Her crops were watered and growing. And it seemed like the prior events of the day had all but left her mind.

Knowing she didn't have a lot of time to waste, she made short work of dinner and scarfed down the noodles and stir fry Naruto had prepared then bolted back to the room to commence her tranquil studying.

About three hours later, she'd fallen asleep with her face pressed against her chem book, a flashcard stuck to her cheek and a small bit of drool escaping the corner of her lips. And that was exactly how Itachi found her when he came home from work that evening. Was this what Sasuke meant by Sakura staying with them? Because it wasn't what he had in mind…

"Hn…"

When Sakura woke the next morning, it wasn't at the desk with her head resting on her book as a pillow. It was in the softest bed she's ever slept on beneath a weighted blanket with her head basically cushioned by an actual cloud. She inhaled generously, instantly recalling the scent Itachi's room carried.

Wait.

Itachi's room?

"!" Honest to God, she'd never shot up from a bed so quickly. You'd think it was one fire the way she scrambled from atop the mattress and fell to the floor. How'd she end up on his bed? In his bed? Beneath his sheets? Was he…? No, he wasn't there, thank the heavens! Didn't even look like the other side of the bed was even slept in.

As she tried to gather her wits about her and calm down, a sticky note seemingly appeared out of nowhere, falling to her lap. She picked it up and read the neat handwriting aloud.

"Good luck on your exam. We'll talk when I get home. Itachi. Oh fuck…" Why did he sound so much like her father?!

"Gods, what time is it? Seven thirty. I'd better get going…" Sakura sprang up onto her feet, cleared Itachi's desk with one quick scoop and jammed all her belongings into her backpack. She rushed to another part of the house where the boys had deposited her trash bag collection of belongings, retrieved a clean pair of clothes, then beelined to the bathroom for a hot shower. Not bothering to wash her hair, she was out in record time with a toothbrush dangling from her lips as she rummaged in the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She was pleasantly surprised to find an apple sitting on the counter alongside a bunch of bananas.

"Good luck, Sak'ra-chan…" Muttered a voice from the couch. A quick investigation led her to Shisui who, for whatever reason smelled faintly of alcohol and was giving her a groggy thumbs up. What the heck, who gets drunk in the middle of the week…

"See you later, Shisui…" She then tiptoed out the door, closing it with a soft click only to come face to face with Sasuke as she stepped onto the porch. Must like yesterday, he was dressed in athletic gear, sweaty, and somewhat out of breath.

"You're leaving already?" He asked while prying an earbud out in favor of clearly hearing her response. She gave him a nod before stepping around him to head down the steps.

"Yeah, I want to get there early to get some last-minute studying in."

"You taking the bus?"

"Yeah?"

"Wait here."

"What? Sasu—." Annnd he was already gone. Seeing no other choice in the matter, Sakure idly ambled down the steps while reciting some notes in her head. It would help her remember when she took the exam. It ended up being a good use of her time seeing as Sasuke took about fifteen minutes to come back. From the looks of things, he'd showered, changed his clothes and had Shisui's keys.

"Let's go." With that, he brushed passed her, unlocking the doors with a quick click of the button on the remote. She blinked, clearly surprised by his actions.

"You really don't have to give me a ride." She commented after making herself comfy in the passenger's seat. He promptly ignored her comment before backing out of the driveway and heading toward the main road. They rode in silence for the most part, his eyes on the road and Sakura swiping through flashcards and mumbling the answers to herself. At some point she realized she had to say something to him.

"Thank you. For all the help yesterday and today. Honestly, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't shown up when you did." She chuckled a bit, recalling that irrational idea she had about getting a motel for god knows how long and hauling herself up in the library until her exam.

"That's what friends are for, right?" It was odd. She knew they were friends, Sasuke and her. But she can't ever recall him actually saying those exact words before.

"Yeah…" She considered herself fortunate to have someone like Sasuke around. And Naruto. And Itachi.

Maybe even Shisui.

"Call me when your exam is over."

"You're not giving me another ride, Sasuke." She quickly rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the car, closing the door behind her. He scoffed and rolled down his window.

"Quit being unreasonable."

"Can't help it. Thanks for the lift."

"Whatever. Good luck." He was bid farewell with a wave and small smile before she ascended the steps toward the science department. Campus was very scarce given how early she'd arrived. The first set of classes were probably already in session and her test wasn't for another 45 minutes. That gave her enough time to study and even eat the apple she'd snagged earlier. And she had Sasuke to thank for the extra time.

"I'll have to get him a really good birthday present this year."

A/N: Another short chapter. I actually wrote this in one sitting so that's pretty exciting. What's also exciting is how much traffic this story has gotten in the short span of a week! It's certainly encouraging! Since a lot want me to continue, I'll be planning to drop a new chapter on Saturday's. Probably not every Saturday but we'll see! Also, any guesses on who the fifth housemate is? You'll find out next time!

Thanks for reading. Drop a review of you'd like!