Yes it's been a long time and yes this is a ridiculously short chapter. Unfortunately winter makes me so depressed, I start angsting all over the place and can't get anything done.

A/N: I don't own Naruto.

Last time:

INO IS THE ANSWER!

I have to go now because I need to do my happy dance and then call Itachi and scheme!"

Onwards!

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"She made it."

Were Sasuke someone else that would have been an enthusiastic yell. Luckily, Naruto he had known Sasuke long enough to know when was excited. He saw that it was an oddly dressed pink haired girl who had Sasuke so excited. She waved from where she stood at the entrance and was joined by a blonde (was that Ino?) and –

"What the hell is your brother doing here?" Naruto yelled pointing at the elder Uchiha with no regard to the many people around them who stared at him like he was crazy. His eyes widened even more when he saw that the pink haired girl and Itachi were actually holding hands (well she was dragging him towards them but still, Itachi was allowing it!).

Beside him Sasuke deflated just a little.

"Hn."

"I-I-I-Ino-Chan!" Hinata stuttered.

"I knew it was her!"

"You know Ino?" Sasuke said, puzzled.

"Of course I know her!" Before he could say anything else though the others reached them.

"CARNIVAL!" The pink haired girl said enthusiastically. Having never been to one before (or so Sasuke said), she was buzzing with energy, so much so, that Naruto seemed bored in comparison.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Naruto said, staring at Sakura with a confused expression on his face.

He didn't understand why Sasuke invited the girl. Nor did he understand why the elder Uchiha that they usually tried to avoid was tagging along either but the way Sasuke was looking at her spoke of heartbreak in the works.

"Because I want to." She said in a petulant tone. It was only when she caught the offended look on his face that she realised how rude that sounded. "No seriously I woke up and felt like dressing like this. "she said, 'this' referring to the finger curls that fluttered over her head paired with the grey low-waisted flapper dress and black flats which made her look like she'd just stepped out of a silent film.

"Did you fall asleep listening to Edith Piaf again?" Ino said. Naruto liked Ino. It seemed like only yesterday that she had told him that Hinata was in love with him, he thought turning to looking at the blushing Hyuuga heiress he called his girlfriend.

"I must be really predictable." Sakura mused sulkily.

"Yes. You are."

"I don't know about that." Naruto prayed that Itachi hadn't noticed him squeak and flinch away when he started talking but from the amused glance he was sent, his prayers were in vain.

"She's surprised me quite a few times." He continued and was rewarded with a radiant smile from the person in question. She looked up at Itachi, her face lit up, green eyes holding a twinkle in them that Dumbledore himself would have been jealous of.

No one else caught the love-struck look in Sasuke's eyes except for him and inwardly Naruto sighed. The one person that catches Sasuke's eyes and it turns out to be his aniki's girl.

Not for the first time Naruto cursed Sasuke's luck.

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"Now the teacups right?" Sakura whispered so only Itachi would hear. This was the time she had been waiting for. Their evil plan was finally being set into motion! Woot!

"Hn."

"Parlez-vous Anglais?"

"Yes. Now the teacups."

"TEACUPS!" She yelled out for the rest to hear. "Who's with me?"

"I don't mind."Sasuke said quickly before anyone else could say otherwise, but his brother had different plans.

"I don't think so. Do you not remember what happened last time you were on the Teacups ride?"

She watched with mild interest as Sasuke turned a sickly shade of green. Itachi had told her last night how the turning motion of the teacup ride had induced in Sasuke an extreme case of what could only be described as projectile vomiting. It amused her.

"Ino, you coming?" She already knew the answer to that question but needed the confirmation. Ino had successfully been distracted by the stall nearby selling seeds.

"Nah you guys go ahead."

"Sasuke just make sure she doesn't wander off would you?"Sakura said sweetly, knowing well enough there was no way he would refuse her.

"Of course."

And so the wheels of their great plan were set in motion.

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A sigh left Sasuke as he watched Itachi and Sakura turning the central wheel faster and faster until he had to look away. It seemed like just looking at the motion was making him nauseous. He turned to where Ino stood at the stall selling a variety of seeds for gardens. She didn't really seem the type to grow plants.

"Are you looking for something specific?" The shopkeeper asked. He seemed as surprised as Sasuke at Ino's interest.

"Well my cherry tomatoes seem to be dying so I need some of those. And do you have any of those black cherry ones?"

At the word tomato Sasuke's ears pricked up.

"Tomatoes?"

"Yeah I grow them." She said distracted still picking through the many seeds and saplings on display.

"You do?"

"Yeah. My mother runs a flower- shop so she gave me a space in the nursery. I have a little vegetable garden growing there."

"Is it easy growing tomatoes?"

Her eyes gleamed at the prospect of explaining her hobby to someone who might just appreciate it and she took a deep breath before launching into conversation with tomato obsessed Uchiha.

It was the best night of his life.

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"Success! Muahahahahahahhahaha!" Sakura threw her head back and laughed as they saw in flashes Ino and Sasuke talking animatedly. The teacup continued to spin and picked up strands of her hair and they flew about her face. In her glee she turned the turntable in the middle faster and faster until she couldn't see anything but a blur of colour and lights.

Eventually though the smile started fading as she remembered what it meant.

She had become so lost in trying to do her job and so convinced that she'd never succeed that she had forgotten what was soon to happen. It was her last assignment after all.

As the world continued to whirl around her she wondered what new set of memories would she be given when they would wipe her memories of the past few years. She wasn't a part of their divine world anymore and come tomorrow when she would hand in her report, she would go back to being a normal mortal without any memory of Gods and the Fates and maybe even without any memory of Itachi.

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The sun had barely set but the six had been ravenous after all the running around at the carnival and decided to go out together for an early lunch. While they didn't really know each other well, there was a fun air about them all.

"Sakura-san, were you a student in Konoha elementary?"

Hinata wondered why the pinkette looked so familiar to her. While she wasn't the same child she knew from kindergarten there was still that familiar air around her. The besotted look Sasuke had sported in the beginning of their outing had helped her recognise her. It was the same way he'd stare at her back in the day.

"Yeah actually. I did. I think you were in Kurenai-sensei's group right?"

"Yes. It's surprising that you r-r-remember it that well. You left in the middle of the year."

"Yes well, I remember the time you saved me from Lee, when he was chasing me around with that mistletoe on Christmas."

"You are more than welcome." She shuddered, the memory of those big black eyes chasing her till the very end of time. Hinata still had nightmares about it, she could only imagine how Sakura felt about it. "You must have caught up with Ino-san when you moved back then?"

Ino snorted at that. Apparently Sakura wasn't one to initiate any contact, no matter what the circumstances.

"She didn't do anything of the sort. Do you know she was in Konoha for a whole two years before we actually met again? I didn't even think that was possible, it's not like Konoha is New York or something. We met at work."

"You have a job? " Naruto sounded incredulous, like the thought of Ino having a job was that hard to believe.

"We both intern at a consulting agency. Tomorrow will be my last day though. After I turn in my report everything's over."The last two words were uttered with such wistfulness Itachi and Ino looked over at her in worry. Only Ino seemed to realise though what she meant by that and why it was causing her such sadness.

"You mean-?" She couldn't finish her sentence as her throat choked up. Sakura just nodded dolefully."I can't believe I forgot! So tomorrow you'll-?"

"Yup."

"And then-?"

"Yeah."

The two girls were close to sobbing outright and Hinata just felt plain confused. But part of her was jealous of the bond the girls obviously seemed to share which allowed them to read each other's mind so easily.

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Surprising enough, no." Itachi said.

Just then Ino and Sakura who were sitting on either side of him reached over and hugged each other tight while crying. Itachi had to lean back to allow them the space and eventually they disentangled themselves and dried off their tears.

"Are you alright?" Itachi whispered to Sakura handing her a tissue that seemed to miraculously appear in his hand. Hinata thought about how he used to magically appear out of nowhere often scaring her beloved Naruto to a state of acute fear and wondered if he had ever thought of giving up the role of the Uchiha heir to become a conjurer.

"I-I'm fine."

"Hand in your report the day after, tomorrow we're having a girl's day out. I can't believe I forgot about it."

"I did too but then considering that I never expected to get the job done at all I think I just figured it didn't really matter. I mean come on, considering whom we're talking about-"

"Yes well tomorrow we party till our feet drop off!" Ino started bobbing her head to what seemed like imaginary disco music.

"Actually I thought we'd just stay in and have a movie marathon."

"That works too."

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