Sakura woke to fingers gliding through her hair, that gently ran down her cheek to her neck, over and over. She smiled and her eyes fluttered open.

"Shisui!" She sat up quickly, groaned then held her head.

"Take it easy there slugger, heard you drank a few shots of whiskey after three beers last night." He chuckled at her misery.

"Ugh, yeah." She held her head trying to will the pain away. Her mouth tasted gross and felt like cotton.

"Drink water while you down shots flower and the next morning won't be so bad." He pressed a glass of water to her lips and she took it gratefully.

"Imagine my surprise to find you in my bed this morning when I got home." He went back to running his fingers through her hair and down her back rubbing here and there, pressing the tightness from her spine.

"Mmm." She groaned appreciatively as his hands moved over her back.

Shisui grinned and continued to rub her, scooting closer to get to her lower back.

"I'm in your bed?" She cracked her eye open and looked around.

"Yes, all night, and I wasn't even here to enjoy you." His hands moved lower under the hem of her shirt, then back up her back rubbing more forcefully as he went up her spine.

She leaned forward enjoying the feel of his hands on her, a moan escaping her lips. She straightened quickly and blushed looking over at him.

He grinned at her but didn't stop. Running his hands up and down her back more gently, more suggestively he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Next time you're in my bed, I'll make sure to be there too."

"Uh, I should go." She swung her legs over the side of his bed to rise but he stopped her by sliding his arm around her waist under her shirt and pulling her to him for a small kiss, then released her.

"Shisui, I told you I'm with Sasori." She got off his bed and went to the door.

"For now." He grinned at her laying back onto his bed stretching to his full length.

She rolled her eyes and left his room.

She ran into Itachi on the way to the kitchen.

"Good morning Sakura, did you sleep well?" He inclined his head to her.

"Yes, thank you Itachi, how was your mission?" She asked.

"The target is dead, his family has been silenced." A hard look fell over his face then he sighed and it was gone.

"I don't like killing." He said and left her to go to his room.

Sakura stood there for a moment. Itachi had never told her what he did when he left, no one did. Now that it was out in the open, now that no one was hiding it from her, it was...unnerving to her. This is what she had asked for though, isn't it?

Mikoto slipped two pieces of bacon, an egg, and some toast onto a plate and handed it to her as she sat down at the kitchen table beside Naruto who was already on his second plate, who never had a hangover in his life damn him.

"Mrig Ukra." He said through a mouthful of food.

"Ugh, don't talk with your mouth full, how many times do I have to tell you teme, it's disgusting." Sasuke scowled at his life long friend and turned to Sakura nodding good morning to her as he reached for more eggs.

"Morning guys." Sakura picked up her chopsticks and broke apart her egg.

"Delicious as always Mikoto." Sakura smiled her thanks to the woman for the wonderful breakfast.

"I hope you're eating okay over there. I gave Sasuke some money for groceries when he visited I hope he helped you with the food expense." Mikoto filled a glass with juice and handed it to her.

"Yes, thank you, he did. I appreciate it." Sakura bit into her toast scattering crumbs over her plate.

"Good morning." Madara came into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, sitting down across from Sakura at the table and helping himself to some eggs and bacon.

"Good morning." Several voices echoed.

"Obito tells me you had a bit too much to drink last night Sakura." Madara hummed as he spooned eggs onto a piece of toast.

Mikoto gave Sakura a censored sort of look as if to say, "Not very ladylike dear.".

"Uh, no actually, I didn't drink that much, for me." She said thoughtfully wondering how much Obito had told Madara she had drunk.

"I heard it was beer then shots of whiskey love." Madara grinned at her.

Mikoto gasped, "Sakura dear, a lady does not do shots of whiskey!" She had her hands on her hips and was looking at Sakura as if she had disappointed her greatly.

Sakura sunk into her chair feeling guilty. "Sorry."

Naruto started to snicker but was silenced with a stern look from Mikoto.

"Sakura, I'm glad I caught you before you left, did you still want that lab kit, the one from the old compound? You had expressed interest in it before but uh, that was before your parent's accident, I was going to get rid of it but you're more than welcome to have it if you want." Fugaku took a plate from his wife and sat down next to Madara.

"Yes!" Sakura shouted with glee but then put a hand to her head when her hangover saw fit to remind her of its presence.

"I would love it, thank you!" She smiled at him.

"Lab set?" Madara inquired.

"The lab set up from the old compound? Will that even fit in her new apartment?" Madara asked.

"It might need to go in your living room." Fugaku thought about it for a minute.

"It is rather large and takes up a lot of space, its two tables, burners, some shelves, the cabinet with the ingredients, probably outdated dear, and the other vials, equipment etc." He frowned.

"It might not fit now that I think about it." He told her.

"It will fit, in my living room, I can just move the couch to the side, I hardly ever use it anyway." She wasn't going to let her small apartment get in the way of her new lab.

"What do you want the lab for Sakura?" Sasuke asked her.

"For medicines and poisons and thier antidotes. I took a few classes on home remedies and wanted to get into it further, like a hobby." She smiled thinking of all the medicine she would make, all the poisons she would create and all the antidotes she would discover.

"You have the weirdest hobbies," Sasuke said into his coffee.

She shrugged.

"I'll have the boys bring it to you and help you set it up sometime this week okay, I'll text you a day and time." Fugaku set his chopsticks down on his empty plate and drank the rest of his coffee. I need to go. There was another murder last night."

"Do you think it is the same person as the other one?" Madara asked him before he could leave the kitchen.

"Seems like it but I don't know for sure." Fugaku left.

"Hn." Madara drank down the rest of his coffee and rose as well.

"I'll be at the office till late tonight, Sakura, drive safe, see you soon I hope. Let me know if you need anything." He smiled at her his hand dropping to her shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Anything." He bent down and kissed her cheek and left.

Mikoto frowned at his back as he rounded the corner in the hall.

"What the hell." Sasuke looked at his mom who just shook her head.

Sakura hadn't seemed to notice as she ate the rest of her bacon and turned to Naruto.

"Do you need a ride home Naruto, I have a car now." She offered.

"Yeah, that would be great. I was going to have teme drive me but I'd love for you to drive me." Naruto grinned around a mouthful of toast.

"Okay, I'll be leaving after breakfast so just let me know when you're ready." She rose and took her plate to the sink, rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher filling her cup of coffee up again and sitting back down beside Sasuke.

"Why are you leaving so soon, I thought we could hang out more." Sasuke didn't want her to leave yet.

"I want to clear some space now that I know I'll have my own lab soon and I should read the next few chapters of my Psych book." She told him.

"Well okay but that doesn't mean you have to leave right after breakfast." He grumbled.

Itachi came into the kitchen and grabbed a cup to pour coffee into.

"I miss you Sakura," Sasuke admitted quietly.

Itachi turned from the counter to lean against it watching his little brother, pity in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, you know why I moved." She took a sip of her coffee.

"I don't actually is it because of Karin because " He didn't get to finish.

Mikoto and Sakura both said, "Don't say that name."

The women shared a look, Sakura rose and left the room with her mug of coffee, leaving Sasuke to poke at his eggs.

"Leave her alone for a bit Sasuke," Itachi said when Sasuke rose to follow her.

"Why? She needs to hear this, I'm sorry, I told her over and over I was sorry." Sasuke sat back down. "It was a stupid mistake, why won't she forgive me?"

"You broke her heart and she doesn't trust you anymore with it," Itachi said simply.

"Finish your food Sasuke." His mother told him.

"Karin wanted me to give you her number by the way, do you want it?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

Mikoto actually slapped the blonde on the back of the head.

"Ow," Naruto complained.

Itachi smiled into his cup of coffee and went to go look for Sakura.

"No I don't want it dobe, I want Sakura back." Sasuke ate his eggs and tried to avoid his mother's eye.

Itachi found her in the back yard sitting on the tree swing.

"Sakura." Itachi greeted her as he leaned back against the tree watching her swing slowly back and forth.

Sakura smiled at him. Itachi had always been so kind to her in a reserved, quiet kind of way. He was shy, he read a lot, liked to keep to himself. Women fawned over his good looks but he ignored them all. In fact, she had never seen him date or even express any interest in a woman since she could remember. She knew he wasn't gay though, he had walked in on her getting dressed by accident two years ago, had stood there staring at her breasts, then met her eyes, blushed and ran from the room.

"Will you give Sasuke a second chance?" he asked her, a simple question.

"No." She looked at him.

"I forgave him and we are still friends, that's enough." She added.

Itachi understood. Trust was hard, and once it was gone, it was almost impossible to get back.

"He still loves you," Itachi said.

"I know." She said.

"Shisui loves you," Itachi said.

"I know, he told me...and kissed me yesterday and this morning." She laughed.

"Obito put you in his bed, he didn't know." Itachi filled in a piece of the puzzle in her head.

"Ah." She hummed.

"How long have you known?"

"Since you started Jr. High." Itachi told her.

She sighed.

"I never asked for this." She said as if to herself.

"It is who you are," Itachi said.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him stopping the swing with her feet. That was who Sasori reminded her of...Itachi.

He looked into her green eyes, was that a flash of gold? Itachi sighed.

"You are a remarkable young woman Sakura who doesn't seem to know how many admirers she has." Itachi's lips quirked for a moment then fell back into thier usual calm.

Sakura stared at him.

"Admirers?" She laughed.

"Itachi, I think you need to get some sleep, you're talking nonsense." She smiled and kicked off the swing landing beside him against the tree.

"I suppose it is your humble nature, look around you Sakura, you will see." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at her.

"Drive safe Sakura. I hope to see you again soon." Itachi inclined his head and walked back to the main house.

Sasuke watched his brother from his bedroom window. Sasuke watched his brother watch his Sakura, watched his brother tuck hair behind his Sakura's ear and watched his brother walk back to the main house.

"Damn it Itachi," Sasuke growled.

Sakura slowly made her way back to the house and packed her overnight bag. Sasuke walked into the spare room and watched her pull her bag together.

"Sakura, I'm sorry. Can't we move past this, please? I never should have...I just never should have. Please Sakura, I'll do anything ." He was pleading.

"Sasuke, I don't know how to say it in any way you will understand. You broke my heart and I just can't trust you anymore. I'm with Sasori now. I've moved on. You should too." She walked out of the room leaving him alone.

Sasuke stood there alone his teeth gnashing, his fists clenched at his sides. He had tried, he had tried so hard to remember that night. He couldn't remember when he had even talked to Karin, how they had met, where she had come from. Naruto had told him she was a distant cousin that he had just met that day at the mall. She was a third or fourth cousin he didn't even know he had and invited her to the party that night.

He remembered leaving Sakura by the firepit outside in Naruto's mom's backyard, he remembered going into the kitchen and getting a glass of water. Kushina had called him over to ask if he knew if anyone else would be coming she was getting all the keys and putting them in a bowl to lock in her room for the night. He had set his water down in the kitchen and picked it back up on the way to the bathroom. Karin had met him by the back door when he was heading back out tot he firepit and to Sakura. That was all he remembered.

Until the next morning when he woke up in Karin's bed.

Sasuke ran his hands through his hair. He hadn't wanted the girl, he loved Sakura. He hadn't even been that drunk, he didn't get it, it didn't make any sense to him. Karin had taken pictures and sent them to Sakura using his phone the conniving bitch. No, he didn't want her number, if he ever saw her again, it would be too soon.

Sakura and Naruto left an hour later. Naruto had come to say goodbye to him but Sakura hadn't. He sat at the end of his bed thinking. He wasn't going to lose her, he wasn't going to give her up to some psychotic murdering son of a bitch artist. No, Sasuke decided," I'm going to win her back."

Sakura waved to Naruto as she pulled away from his dad's house and drove home. She parked her car in front of the building to the left by Sasori's car. Not on purpose but because it was the only open space in the front. She pulled her bag from the back seat and walked up the stairs. Sasori was waiting by her door when she looked up.

"Sasori." She smiled at him.

"I saw you pull up, nice new car. You look good in it." He said hugging her.

"Madara, Sasuke's uncle, got it for me this weekend because I didn't have a car. He said it wasn't safe with me so far from home." She unlocked her door.

"You are home." He said and followed her inside.

"I know." She smiled at him and dropped her bag on the couch.

"Come." He led her to the bedroom.

She followed him remembering the painting. She looked at the wall behind her bed. "Oh Sasori, it looks even better than the picture you sent me."

Sasori put his arms around her, standing behind her with his head on her shoulder looking at the painting.

"I wanted you to remember our first date, always." He kissed the side of her neck and smoothed her hair back from her face.

"I'm not likely to forget it Sasori. I love it, it's wonderful. The date, the flowers, and the painting. You. You're wonderful." She turned in his arms and kissed him gently on the mouth.

"Welcome home Sakura." He kissed her again, his hands on her waist pulling her closer and backing her up to her bed in one motion.

They fell onto the bed with a laugh and more kisses.

"I have to go, I just wanted to show you the painting." Sasori kissed her again then pulled her up off the bed with him.

"Have a good night Sakura." He walked back to her front door, turned and smiled at her, then left.

Sakura twirled around and giggled into her hands after he had shut the door. He made her feel like she was the most important person in the world like she was worth something like she was beautiful. She smiled to herself as she took her clothes from her overnight bag and threw them in the laundry basket by the pantry.

Sakura's phone rang.

"Hello?"

Hey Forehead! Long time no talk, what the hell have you been up to girl we haven't talked in like fooooorever!" Ino's loud voice boomed through the phone at her.

"I just go back from Konoha, sorry I didn't see you but why don't you come over Tuesday after 4:30 pm? I get out of class at 4 but should be home by then." Sakura tried to placate Ino.

"Yeah I heard from Naruto you spent the night with Sasuke boy and that his uncle bought you this hot new car?" Ino was smirking she knew it.

"I told you the old man had a thing for you girl, ever since high school the guys been crushing on you big time, and here's the proof." Ino was practically singing.

"Don't be ridiculous, he only bought it for me to keep me safe, he didn't like me walking everywhere." Sakura tried to protest.

"Whatever forehead, just like Shisui never had a thing for you or Itachi. I swear, I don't know how you do it, I mean you have no chest! You're a nerd and never go anywhere! How do you get all of the hottest Uchiha after you!" Ino started complaining.

"You are wrong about Madara Ino and Itachi." Sakura laughed at her friend.

"Yeah? Well, what about Shisui? Huh?" Ino teased.

"He kissed me, yesterday, in the park and this morning, in his bed." Sakura pulled the phone away from her head for the loudness she knew was coming.

"NO FUCKING WAY! FOREHEAD!" Ino screamed.

"It's not what you think, he said he had feelings for me when we went for a walk and then I got drunk at the bar with Naruto, Sasuke, and Obito. Shisui wasn't even in the bed with me, he was out all night doing something for the family. I woke up to him sitting on the bed. It's not a big deal." Sakura tried to calm her friend down but it wasn't working.

"Shisui is so fucking hot! So are you two dating now? What did Sasuke say, did he go full on scowl and go crazy?" Ino was a natural gossip.

"No, we aren't together um...I met someone. From my art class. He's my new boyfriend." She told her friend.

Silence…

"Ino?"

"My girl is a woman! How the hell did you, wow, I have to meet him, like now. I'm coming over."

"No! He isn't here, he is in his own apartment, I'm having dinner with him tomorrow night after class. Ino...he's wonderful, he makes me feel really good about myself." Sakura smiled.

"I don't know what to say Forehead, is he hot?" Ino hummed.

"Yeah, he is." Sakura giggled.

"Ino, he painted me a picture of our first date and hung it on the wall behind my bed," Sakura told her.

"I'm so fucking jealous! First the Uchiha men and now this! My gosh Forehead you gotta teach me how to do it!" Ino laughed.

"Well come over Tuesday after 4:30 pm and I'll try." Sakura laughed with her friend.

"You got it, see ya." Ino hung up.