"What the hell were you thinking?"

"Clearly, I wasn't," groans Sakura as she tugs lightly at her hair. "How did I fuck up this badly? I'm never drinking again."

"You're stupid. How did you not recognize him? Of all people." Gaara's words came out a bit harsh, but Sakura knew better. He wouldn't purposely try and hurt her or make her feel bad.

"I don't know! I think it was the alcohol and the fact that he cut his hair," she says after a moment before adding, "You have to remember, his hair was way longer then before."

Sakura was beyond frustrated with herself. She couldn't believe that she wouldn't recognize Itachi of all people, intoxicated or not. Above that frustration, however, was confusion.

Did he recognize her?

Was Itachi drunk, too?

Does he hate her?

Surely he would have at least remembered who she was after waking up next to her.

"Why didn't you stop me?" She finally asks, settling accusatory eyes on Gaara who just rolls his eyes.

"Like you would have listened to me in the first place, but if you must know, Temari wouldn't let me. I was hoping you would see my glare across the club and magically understand what I was communicating mentally."

"At least you tried," she sighs out and falls backwards onto her bed. "Is Kankuro back with the UHAUL yet? I swear he left hours ago."

Her parents decided that they didn't want to wait before packing everything up. They already had a camper to live in and the only thing left was to close on the house. They had been in the process of selling for months now. She really wished they would have told her sooner.

"He only left thirty minutes ago," Gaara rolls his eyes. She was patient but only ever for the wrong things, never for the smaller ones.

Groaning, Sakura gets up from her bed and instead settles at her desk. The top was all cleared off but she hadn't managed to open the drawers yet. The bottom two drawers was old school supplies she hadn't used, but the top two had memories from her childhood and her teenage years.

Cards, trinkets, photographs and little notes.

She kept them all and she wasn't quite sure she was ready to go through the drawers just yet.

Her fingers trace the handles to the drawers as she stares at the blinds that cover her windows.

"I think I need a break," she murmurs as she stands up and steps around the boxes littered around her room.

"It was magical and so romantic," sighs Ino as she leans into Sakura. "I wish you were there to see it."

"I'm so happy for you," Sakura smiles. "Have you guys thought of a date for the wedding yet?"

"Oh, you know, I've always wanted a June wedding but Sai hates the heat. We're still debating all of that but we have time to decide."

"Very true." A silence lapses over them and Sakura finds relaxation in just being able to sit there with her friend. Living together can sometimes tear the closest of two friends apart but Sakura felt like moving in together just brought the two of them closer together.

"Did you do anything interesting while I was gone?" Ino asks and for some reason, Sakura feels like she already knows. She felt nauseous when she was reminded of what she did a week prior. She still couldn't fathom how stupid she had been.

"Not really," she settles. "Other than helping my parents pack."

"Oh," Ino says with slight disappointment. "That's boring."

"Yeah."

And they left the conversation at that.

"What do you mean you dropped out of college," frowns Sakura.

Naruto scratches at his head and gives her a nervous smile. "Not really dropped out, per se, more like.. Taking a most likely permanent break.." Seeing the look on her face he raises his hands in surrender. "Hey! I have a plan, don't worry. I'll be all fine and besides, I've got Hinata to keep me in line if I stray."

At the mention of the quiet girl Sakura hangs her head in defeat. Besides, he was his own person and he could make his own decisions. She couldn't try and shelter him forever. It wasn't her responsibility.

"What are you going to do instead?" Sakura settles with and adjusts her shirt slightly. They were sitting in the basement of Naruto's house and it was hot. She could feel the sweat pooling underneath her blouse.

"I'm going to become a cop and then I'm thinking about going back to school to become a homicide investigator, but I'm not sure yet." Naruto sighs and runs a hand through his blond hair. "I'm really just unsure. I really wanted to follow in my dads footsteps but a whole bunch of schooling just isn't for me and it really didn't leave enough room in my schedule to do things that I enjoy. It made me feel burnt out all the time," he lets out and Sakura sympathizes with him.

She knew school wasn't his choice. He had always hated it.

"Well, whatever you end up doing, I'm sure you'll do great," Sakura smiles and he beams back.

"Are you going to the beach with us later?" He asks and she has to stop her smile from faltering.

"I don't know, I might have plans," she makes up and his own smile falters. Sakura could see hurt flash across his face and she feels slightly guilty. Beach meetups were always their group thing. "I said might," she eventually adds and he perks up.

"We could always hang out here instead, it's supposed to get cold," says Hinata as she comes down the stairs. She looked as beautiful as ever. Her hair was slightly shorter than the last time Sakura had seen her, but it still framed her soft and round face perfectly. Her heart ached when she made eye contact with her and the petite girl gave her an understanding smile.

She understood why Sakura still didn't want to go to the beach.

"Lame, but I guess you're right." Naruto sighs out in defeat and leans back into the couch as she sits next to him. Sakura shakes her head, looking at him fondly.

"Before I forget, Ino texted me earlier about inviting a few other people from the city to hangout with us. Is that alright with you two?" Hinata asked softly and Sakura knew exactly who she was talking about. She wondered if Shikamaru was going to show if they did. She snickered to herself mentally. The poor guy was absolutely trapped by Temari.

"The more the merrier!" Laughs out Naruto.

Sakura missed that sound.

Sakura found herself among her friends on a pallet in Naruto's basement, just like she figured she would. What was surprising was Gaara sitting next to her. He wasn't big on meeting new people unless it was drunken hookups at five in the morning, but Sakura wasn't one to judge on that subject anymore. Not after the stunt she pulled.

"What are we watching?" Temari asks from where she and Shikamaru were propped up against a wall. They weren't being obvious about it, but Sakura knew. She could tell how he stayed aware of her and how he didn't move too far away from her either. Sakura thought that they were cute together, but she didn't know how Ino was handling it. Yes, Ino and Shikamaru were together a really long time ago and were more like siblings but the blonde was very protective when it came to him. Glancing in said blonde's direction, she caught eyes with her and they both gave each other an understanding nod and a smile.

Ino was happy that Shikamaru was happy.

"We are watching Gnomeo and Juliet," said Kiba as he sits down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and Akamaru on his lap. Kiba never showed up to a movie night without his dog. In fact, Kiba rarely showed up anywhere without his beloved companion.

"Lame," mutters Gaara and Sakura elbows him in his rib. "Ow, woman," he grunts and glares at her. Sakura just gives him a pointed look. A very clear warning for him to be on his best behavior. He just rolls his eyes and Sakura shakes her head.

"Do you have a better idea, new guy?" Squints Naruto and Sakura had to stop herself from slapping herself in the face. She didn't understand why Naruto always went with the intimidation tactic. It never worked.

"I do, actually, blondie."

"Well, too bad. My house, my rules," Naruto sticks out his tongue.

"Real mature," Gaara snorts.

"More mature than you!"

"Says the one putting in a children's movie."

"Alright guys, lets not fight-" Hinata tries to cut in but Naruto is already throwing popcorn. Sakura has approximately three seconds to unwrap herself from her blanket before Gaara is launching at Naruto with his own barrage of pop corn.

Rolling out of the way, Sakura watches in bewilderment as the two boys run around the room. They trip over blankets but it doesn't stop them from throwing whatever they could at each other.

"They never grow up, do they," mutters Ten Ten as she comes to sit down next to Sakura's new spot on the couch with Kiba and Akamaru.

"Nope," Sakura answers as Kankuro joins in with a battle cry of his own.

She wasn't sure how long this lasted, but she knew that they refilled their popcorn at least three times before it had stopped. Now all three boys and Kiba, who joined in at some point, were laying in the middle of the extremely messed up pallet in a dog pile with Gaara on the bottom.

"Do you take it back?" Naruto asks from his place on top.

"Never," snarks Gaara and Naruto's face lights up in pure evil delight as he shares a look with the other two boys piled up on Gaara. They quickly move off and before Gaara has a chance, Naruto is sitting up and plopping back down on him with all of his weight.

He groans and shares a look of despair with Sakura for help. She pointedly looks away and takes a sip of her apple juice. He was on his own.

"Fine, I'll take it back. Gnomeo and Juliet is fine," Gaara groans out and Naruto gets up looking pleased with himself as he walks over to start the movie.

By that point it was already late and Sakura quickly texted her mom that she was staying the night. As the movie carried into the night, her heart was content surrounded by all of her friends and them all getting along. Nothing could have been more perfect.

Winter break was over almost as fast as it had began.

Despite the initial hiccup, nothing eventful happened for the rest of her stay in Konoha. Her parents had sold the house and were moved out, she had gotten to hangout with all of her friends, and she was able to find time to actually enjoy herself.

Still, her mind wandered to Itachi often.

Why didn't he try to contact her? She had changed her number, but she knew he knew where she lived. He had taken her home over the years countless times and he only lived down the street. The only logical reason her mind could supply her with was that he regretted it and would rather forget it.

So why couldn't she?

Groaning, she pulls at the end of her hair as she sits up in her bed. She stares down at her lap and chews on her lip. She wouldn't deny that he was part of why she moved away. She didn't want to risk breaking his heart but she found herself wondering if it was his heart she was breaking or if it was hers.

The slight ache in her heart and the longing she felt when he came to mind was an answer she wasn't ready for just yet.

Instead, she would continue to push it down just like she has been doing. She would rather continue to run away from another romantic endeavor if it would save her the pain of another Sasuke.

She couldn't risk being hurt again.

Genki, Kankuro's son, was hanging off of Gaara's arm while Sakura scribbled in her notes. They were on babysitting duty while Kankuro was at work and Sakura cherished the time she spent with the young boy. Right now, though, she wished he would just take a nap. She looked up from her notes and the giant book that rested in her lap to watch the carefree smile on Genki's face. He was a little spitfire: hyper and full of too much energy. Especially when she was busy studying for her midterm.

Sakura had switched to online schooling so that she could go self-paced and be out of the classroom environment. She just needed a change in scenery and with online schooling she could study and do schoolwork anywhere. She couldn't focus in the dull classrooms that her university provided. The downside to this was that she had Gaara whispering in her ear telling her she could always do things later.

Of course, she never listened.

"Are you almost done," whines Genki as he lets go of Gaara's arm and comes to settle pleading eyes on Sakura. "I'm hungry," he pouts and Sakura fights really hard to not give in. As his pout deepens and his eyes become doe like, she fails miserably.

"What would you like to eat?" She asks him as she gently closes the book with her notes inside of it.

"Mcdonalds!" He shouts and she can see Gaara's face pale. McDonalds was his and Kankuro's favorite place. Sakura didn't doubt that Mcdonalds is exactly what they had for dinner last night. She snickers to herself mentally as she gives Genki a soft smile, but her eyes hold a devilish look in them that Gaara can see.

"Why, lets go then. Put your shoes on, okay? I'll be right back with my purse."

She hurried and went to grab her purse, coming back as quickly as she could. Spotting Genki having trouble with his shoes, she rushes to help him but Gaara helps him first. Her eyes soften as she watches.

Gaara adored his nephew and he was great with kids.

Sakura would never admit it, but she was sure he would make a great dad and husband to someone one day if he ever decided to settle down.

"Ready to go?" She asks and she doesn't wait long before a tiny hand is holding onto her own, tugging her and Gaara out of the door.

"You're absolutely pure evil," grimaces Gaara as he sits down at the table in McDonalds. They had luckily found one in the "play-place" area.

"You love me," Sakura says while laughing. She reaches over and steals a fry from his tray. "Mmm, delicious."

Gaara grimaces but he munches on his food. He's nitpicking at it, but Sakura knew that he would eat more once Genki is done eating his own.

"Can I go play now?" He asks with puppy dog eyes and Sakura has a hard time saying no.

"You have to eat at least one more chicken nugget and finish your fries," she reasons and he looks like he's going to protest but he doesn't once Gaara gives him a look. He quickly eats his food and with approval from both of them, he bounces off into the play area and quickly makes friends with the other kids there.

"They sure grow fast, don't they?" sighs out a woman at the table next to them. "How old is your son?" She asks, looking at Sakura.

"Oh, uh, he's not my son but he's nearly seven," Sakura says embarrassed.

"Oh I'm so sorry. He looks so much like the both of you that I just assumed, I'm terribly sorry," the woman says quickly and Sakura quickly reassures her that it's fine. It was kind of funny the more she thought of it.

"How is everything with Shikamaru?" Ino asks coyly as she paints Temari's nails.

"He's great, just.. Lazy. I can't tell you how many times I'll try talking to him during facetime and the bitch is asleep! It's frustrating," groans Temari and Ino agrees before laughing with Sakura about it.

"He has always been that way," Sakura says as she sets down her book that she was reading. Ino nods in agreement. "How is the venue search going for your wedding?"

"Oh, you know, it's going," Ino says and she grows quiet. "I don't know where I want to get married anymore, if I'm honest. I mean, we had everything planned out as kids, Sakura, but now everything I thought I wanted has changed."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sakura says. "If you need help, Temari and I are always down to help you. I mean, isn't that what bridesmaids are for?"

"Absolutely and we can kick ass while we do it, too."

Ino laughs, "Thanks guys."

"Anytime," Temari grins and Sakura is about to pick back up her book before she notices the two blondes attention on her.

"So," Ino starts, "When is it your turn to tell us all the deets about your romance life?"

"There isn't one," Sakura argues and Temari snorts.

"You mean to tell me that with the amount of time you hangout with my brother and how close you two are that nothing is going on?"

"Yes!" Sakura exclaims and Ino lets out a soft laugh. "What is so funny?" She narrows her eyes at Ino.

"Nothing," she has to stop from laughing again. "This just sounds really familiar."

"This is an entirely different circumstance. This time I mean it," Sakura crosses her arms and Ino rolls her eyes.

"Have you been through something like this before?" Temari questions and Sakura almost forgets that she knew nothing about the Itachi situation, just the stuff with Sasuke. A part of her didn't want to tell her, but she also wanted to be transparent with her about why nothing would be happening romantically for her for a while yet.. So, Sakura tells her about it all and about how that guy from the club was Itachi.

"Wait, you slept with him?!" Ino exclaims and Sakura winces. She forgot she didn't tell Ino about that. "How long ago was that," she said in exasperation.

"Winter break before you came back."

"Oh my god, no wonder you were so awkward everytime we passed his house. I thought you were just being awkward because of other reasons. That makes perfect sense but honestly, what the hell!?" She pouts, jutting out her bottom lip. "I'm one of your best friends, how come you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want you to be disappointed or worse, encourage it." Sakura answers honestly and Ino laughs.

"Fair."

Music in the background plays and the girls just listen to it. Ino has finished Temari's nails and is on to Sakura's now. They often had girls nights like these at least once a month. They all lived in the same apartment complex so really it happened way more often than that. They didn't mind though, they enjoyed it.

"You know," Temari starts and Sakura feels dread pool into her stomach. She had a feeling she knew what she was going to bring up. "Gaara is actually pretty sweet and he cares for you a lot. Maybe you should give him a chance." Seeing the look on Sakura's face she quickly continues, "and I'm not just saying that as his sister! You two might be good for one another. Just think about it."

"I don't know.." Sakura says and she really didn't.

She could imagine Gaara as many things, but none of them involved herself. She just couldn't see him past being a friend. Her mind always wandered to someone else entirely when she thought of being with someone and she's afraid that night in the club had absolutely ruined any chance at all that Gaara may have had at replacing Itachi in her mind.

She felt slightly bad.

She had a feeling that he had feelings for her. Was she stringing him along? Sakura wasn't meaning to, but what if she was?

"Are you alright?" Ino asks worriedly and Temari looks guilty.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just going to go ahead and go to bed. Sorry girls," Sakura says apologetically and Temari looks even more guilty as Sakura stands up to leave.

"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you," Temari says and Sakura just gives her a smile. "I just want both of you to be happy and if he isn't what will make you happy, don't try to force it for my sake. Do what you feel is right."

"Thank you," Sakura says softly and heads to her room.

Entering her room, she gets ready for bed. Laying down on her bed she lets out a sigh and covers her face with her arms.

Her thoughts were a raging storm and she couldn't sort out one over the other.

Ding!

Reaching into her pocket she pulls out her phone and squints at the screen. Seeing it is a text message she opens up her messages.

From: Gaara

Subject: Meh

To: Sakura

You awake? (10:27 p.m.)

She wasn't sure if she wanted to answer or not. Her thumb hovered over her keyboard as her mind raced. Letting out a sigh, she made up her mind, but on what she wasn't sure.