As she was going out to have breakfast the next morning, Sakura spotted a familiar face, and, whether unfortunately or not she couldn't decide, she was spotted in return, and Aki strode across the lobby to greet her.
"I was hoping to find you here." Aki said, smiling warmly. Sakura paused, unsure of what to expect from Aki. Their parting had been rather abrupt; Sakura hadn't even heard when Aki left her apartment, and Sakura wasn't sure if it had been on purpose or just a rush.
Sakura settled on "Good morning."
Aki bowed to Sakura, causing her to feel rather uncomfortable. "I wonder if I might speak with you." Aki asked, but before Sakura could really answer, she heard her name being called from another direction. She and Aki both looked up to see Misa by the entrance, waving. Misa trotted up to them. When she saw Aki she looked a little surprised, but she smiled just as warmly.
"Wow, I didn't think I'd see you here." Misa said. "Don't you have work to do?" She asked. When Aki frowned, Misa quickly caught herself and apologized. "Sorry! That came out badly. I've been spending too much time with Setsuna."
Aki nodded knowingly. "Right, I suppose that would affect anyone's manners." And she grinned.
Sakura stared from one to the other. Their words weren't exactly friendly, but there didn't seem to be any animosity between them; it seemed quite the opposite in fact. "You two know each other well?" Sakura asked.
Misa nodded, and Aki explained. "We're cousins."
Misa elaborated. "We've been together since we were little. We went through the academy together, and became genin together. It's only recently – since Aki got her job working for the Kazekage and I went into med school – that we've been separated. Now I hardly see her anymore." She turned to Aki and muttered. "Workaholic."
"How do you know Haruno?" Aki asked Misa.
"I'm her intern." Misa explained. She looked from Aki to Sakura then, and smiled. "Well, I was coming to pick you up for breakfast before we get to work, can you come too Aki?"
Aki nodded and they left the building.