Chapter Eight: Lesson Five Blueberry-Citrus Cake

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Not long after Itachi left on Sunday afternoon, Ino and Tenten had invaded Sakura's apartment with demands for all the details after her Instagram update. The three friends had stayed up late gossiping and binge watching the newest Korean drama series — King the Land.

Sakura couldn't help but notice the leading man in the series had an uncanny appearance to Itachi. She stayed up well past when her friends finally went home and watched all sixteen episodes. Idly, she wondered if Mikoto had finished watching the entire drama since she was the one that mentioned the series over lunch.

It was ten o'clock before Sakura woke up on Monday morning. It had been ages since she slept so late, but the day before had been jam packed. She buried her face in her pillow and enjoyed Itachi's scent that still permeated it. With a happy sigh, she unlocked her phone and opened her messages from Itachi.

Itachi: Good morning, beautiful, Sakura! I hope that you slept well. I hope that you had a good time with your girl friends last night. I had the most lovely dreams about you. I wish we could have met up for breakfast, but it seems my work load is unexpectedly picking up. My Uncle has Shingles. I'm covering his cases. Kakashi will pick you up to do the shopping this afternoon. He was really whiney about it, so try to be nice. I'll miss you! See you for dinner?

Sakura: Good morning, Itachi! I just woke up and it was glorious to sleep in! I had a good time with the girls last night. I hope your talk went okay. I'll handle Kakashi. Dinner sounds great!

Shisui: Hey, girlfriend! Are we good? You aren't too mad? I'll grovel if I have to. I want to REALLY thank you for introducing me to Ino. Remember I love you and I only want you to be happy — so please don't hate me?

Sakura: I'm not happy with you, but I'm not really angry either. No more secrets though!

Shisui: Okay! You got it!

Kakashi: I heard the good news! I get you all to myself this afternoon.

Sakura: You won't get to rest at the cafe while I do all the work.

Kakashi: I'll pick you up a half past noon. Bring your running shoes.

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Sakura finished brushing her hair and then checked her purse once more, making sure she didn't forget anything. She'd just finished her second check when the knock on her door caught her attention. A quick look at her watch showed that Kakashi was only two minutes late.

She peeped through the eyehole and was met with Kakashi holding his hand up. "Yo," he called out. Sakura unlocked the door and gestured for him to enter. Kakashi stepped inside but didn't leave the tiled section just inside the door. He scanned the apartment from his vantage point. "This is a good sized apartment. No roommates?"

"Just me," Sakura answered. She and Ino had been roommates their freshman year in college — their friendship had barely survived. Honestly, Naruto was probably the only reason they didn't kill each other. She and her high school boyfriend had lasted as a couple through part of the fall semester, but their friendship still remained strong. "Let me just grab my coat and slip on my boots."

"No problem," Kakashi assured her, hooking his thumbs into his pants front pockets and leaning against the closed front door. "How was bowling? Itachi wouldn't tell me. He said to ask you for the details." His dark eyes settled on her left hand. "Nice ring."

Sakura shoved her arms into her coat and buttoned up the front. "It is, isn't it?" Sakura agreed, holding her hand in front of Kakashi's face for a moment so he could inspect the promise ring better. Then she wiggled her feet into her boots and straightened. "Just how close are you to Itachi and Shisui?"

"Pretty close. We were college roommates along with Genma and all on the Lacrosse team together," Kakashi explained. "I even know your doorman. Gai and I used to be on track together." He opened the door again and waited in the hall while Sakura locked up the apartment. "We drifted a bit when I joined the military, but Shisui and Obito are brothers and Obito and I served together in the same division."

Sakura started to laugh. "So, Shisui just pulled a fast one over everyone. I had no idea he and Obito were brothers or that he and Itachi were cousins."

Kakashi led her towards a dark green Subaru Forrester and opened the front passenger door. He closed it behind her and then settled into the driver's seat. "I hadn't realized Shisui had been that devious. I had wondered why he was adamant that no one use last names in my baking class." Kakashi chuckled as he slipping the vehicle into gear and pulled out of the apartment parking lot.

"So were you aware that Sasuke was my ex?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked over at her once they hit the red light. "Itachi's little brother?" His eyes were wide and when Sakura nodded, he chuckled again and shook his head. "Wow. That's….hmm." He turned back towards the road. "I don't know Sasuke well. I remember him as a sullen teenager and we worked on an arson case together a few months back. I do remember him mentioning his girlfriend at the time."

"We broke up back after Halloween," Sakura answered.

"Was the Jean Grey and Cyclops costume the last straw?" Kakashi asked, chuckling and shaking his head again. "I do remember him talking about that." He sniffed. "Personally, I prefer Nightcrawler. Or Magneto."

"I had wanted to dress as Rogue and Gambit, but he said as a police officer he couldn't in good faith dress as a member of the Thieves' guild," Sakura explained. She folded her arms over her chest and idly wondered if Itachi would dress up with her. "Wait." She looked back over at Kakashi. "Magneto? Really?"

"Mah, I have silver hair and he has a cool cape. I wouldn't do the helmet though. I've cosplayed Nightcrawler before for a comic con. I even had the blue body paint and everything." Kakashi glanced towards her again, smiling behind his surgical mask, his eyes creasing in the process. "I had a lot of fun with the tail. My girlfriend at the time cosplayed as Psylocke. If you want to dress as Rogue, I'm pretty sure Itachi has a trench coat. He loves to wear long coats and cloaks. I could pull Nightcrawler out of my closet and we could be siblings." He waggled his eyebrow. "Or if you want, I could have Itachi make me a Magneto cosplay and we could be a love triangle."

"I think I have had enough drama with unexpected love triangles," Sakura protested. "Though, I really do want to cosplay Rogue one day."

"There's a con this spring. We should go," Kakashi suggested. He parked in the garage in the shopping district. They climbed out of the SUV and started towards the market together. "Obito and Rin would be up for for visiting the comic con too. They used to always cosplay Spiderman and Black Cat."

They pushed the shopping cart down the aisle, collecting the ingredients for that week's lesson — blueberry citrus cake.

Sakura picked up a crate of blueberries and placed it in the buggy. "So you're the fire chief, Obito is a pilot, Shisui is a paramedic, and Itachi is a lawyer. What kind of work does Genma and Rin do?" Sakura asked.

"He's also a firefighter — you probably recognize him from the calendar as Mr. February. She's a therapist," Kakashi answered picking up a couple of cartons of orange juice. "This will be useful for next week's Spongecake lesson too, so I'll get extra. It doesn't expire for four weeks."

"Let's go ahead and get next week's ingredients too. Also, I have a strong passion for mental health," Sakura added. "Ino is a Psychologist. Medication isn't always the best treatment for mental heath conditions, but cognitive behavior therapy is my preferred method."

"Rin is a sex therapist," Kakashi interrupted, his eyes bright with amusement.

"Oh," Sakura grimaced, feeling her cheeks heat up. Actually, she didn't want to say anything in front of Kakashi, but maybe she and Itachi could talk to Rin. It might make him feel more comfortable with the idea of intimacy.

A short while later, the two stood at the check out. Kakashi had been surprisingly efficient. When she pointed that out to him, he'd confessed to wanting to give Sakura and Itachi an excuse to spend more time together. Apparently, Shisui wasn't the only one involved in the match-making process.

They loaded up the supplies and dropped them off at the school. "You know, it's still early. Would you like to come with me to the dog park? It's good exercise and quite a bit of fun— assuming you don't mind doggy-kisses and throwing a tennis ball for an hour or two."

"That sounds like a good time," Sakura agreed. She settled back into her seat and listened as Kakashi explained how he ended up with eight rescue dogs. She checked her phone, but there were no further texts. While she was disappointed, she was soon distracted by eight attention loving dogs!

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Itachi took off his reading glasses and rubbed at his eyes. He'd just finished writing the briefs for all three of his uncle's current cases. He glanced at the time on his phone and groaned. It was three in the morning! No wonder he felt so exhausted. He'd consumed six cups of green tea laced heavily with ginseng and ginkgo.

He thumbed his security code on his phone and smiled when he received a text from Sakura in response to him having to cancel their dinner plans. He'd felt awful about it, but was glad she'd had fun without him. It had a picture of her and Kakashi at the dog park along with his friend's large pack of rescue dogs.

Itachi gathered his things and made his way home. Sasuke had left a note for him on the refrigerator along with a postcard that came in the mail from his pulmonologist reminding him to schedule his biannual visit. Itachi rubbed at his chest in annoyance of the reminder. He knew he'd need to schedule his visit and that he would need to talk to Sakura about his condition, but he just wasn't ready.

Itachi didn't have the energy for a shower and fell straight to bed fully dressed. He'd text Sakura in the morning and schedule with the doctor then too. He'd do some work from home, have a late lunch with Sakura and just enjoy the afternoon together.

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Throughout Tuesday, Itachi wasn't feeling well. Staying up late, the stress from the case load, and dealing with Sasuke all caught up to him. He hated canceling on Sakura again, but he didn't really want her to see him looking like this. He'd started to feel a little short of breath, so he'd started using his nebulizer treatment to open up his lung inflammation.

About an hour before lunch, Sakura had called him and he hadn't argued when she announce she was on her way over. Itachi was just grateful that Sasuke would be out grocery shopping at the same time.

She brought him chicken noodle soup and he'd gratefully consumed it. Then she sat on the edge of his bed, taking note of the nebulizer and the inhalers, but saying nothing as she slathered on some vapor rub to his chest for him.

Itachi fell asleep with a cool wash cloth over his forehead and to the sound of Sakura humming old lullabies.

It was mid-afternoon when Itachi woke up. Sakura had left him a note and another bowl of soup was in the refrigerator ready to be heated up for later. Sasuke had already returned, put away the groceries and was parked on the couch in the living room playing video games.

Itachi joined him, bundled up in a blanket and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"When you over-work you have a flare up," Sasuke pointed out.

"I didn't have a choice. Uncle Madara has the shingles," Itachi answered defensively. He held the soup over a tray and ate it slowly.

"You're not going to that baking class are you?" Sasuke asked, glancing towards him briefly before turning his attention back to his game.

"I was supposed to pick Sakura up. Tonight is a blueberry citrus cake. I was looking forward to trying it," Itachi admitted. He sniffed the steam from his soup and felt his sinuses clear somewhat. "If you're free, maybe you can take my place."

Sasuke paused the game and turned towards Itachi directly. "You want me to spend time with your girlfriend — my ex-girlfriend — baking a cake?"

Itachi nodded. "And I want you to pick her up and drop her back home."

"Wow." Sasuke ran his fingers through his dark, short hair. "I thought you wanted me to steer far away from her."

"That was before I was worried about disappointing her." Itachi set his tray and the empty bowl on the end table since the coffee table was currently tossed into the dumpster at the back of the complex. "You're both important to me. And maybe the sooner you get along the easier it will be for all of us."

"On one condition," Sasuke countered.

"What's that?"

"You have one week to tell her about your lung condition."

Itachi stared down at his nails, the dark paint was starting to fade. Maybe he'd touch them up later that afternoon. Staring at his black polish was better than meeting his brother's Detective interrogation stare. It was just as bad at Itachi's own lawyer stare. "Alright," he agreed.

Sasuke unpaused the game and Itachi fell asleep on the couch.

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It was awkward — so extremely awkward! However, for Itachi, Sakura was willing to experience awkward. Besides, she and Sasuke did fine together at the bowling alley. They walked in silence down to the garage and entered his SUV. Sakura had ridden in Sasuke's vehicle countless times and honestly if she and Itachi continued on their current trajectory, they would be related one day.

"Kakashi is the baking instructor?" Sasuke asked, pushing the ignition button and starting the engine. "I worked a case with him a few months back. I never would have pictured him in the role."

"He's pretty good at it," Sakura pointed out. "Itachi is the best baker in the class. I think he only tolerates Kakashi."

Sasuke snorted. "That tracks. Itachi is perfect at everything he does." He drummed his fingers over the steering wheel in time to the base of the rock song playing over his stereo. "I would know, we've been competing our whole lives."

Sakura looked over at Sasuke. Back when they were dating he rarely mentioned his brother— never called him by name. "No need to compete, Sasuke. You're both great people."

He turned towards her, his eyes widened slightly in surprise before he schooled his expression into his typical bored face. "Though if there is a competition I suppose you'd be the best judge considering you have dated both of us."

Sakura folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to compare the two of you. I mean, you don't think I spent the entirety of our relationship comparing you to my high school boyfriend do you?"

A smirk flirted across Sasuke's lips. "I assumed I was just vastly superior to Naruto."

Sakura laughed. That was so like Sasuke to think that! He and Naruto had crossed paths a few times and it always seemed they were in a competition with each other. Not many knew about her and Naruto — Ino and Sasuke were the only people Sakura had told, though anyone that knew them in high school would probably make the assumption. "I'll have you know that Naruto is quite the catch!"

"Hn." Sasuke didn't expand his thoughts on the matter and soon they parked near the university. Sasuke slid out of the driver's seat and was at Sakura's door, opening it for her.

Sakura stared down at him in surprise. "Thank you, Sasuke."

"Of course, Rose." Sasuke grimaced and let out a sigh. "Sakura." He held his hand for her.

In the spirit of good will, Sakura gripped it and let him help her down from his SUV — it was rather high off the ground. She released his hand as soon as both her feet were firm on the ground. At least he could be a gentleman when it suited him. She shove her hands into the pockets of her winter coat, lest he might try to hold her hand or something.

Sakura led the way to the class, Sasuke walking alongside her. They'd arrived about ten minutes early and some of the other students were already there. She handed Sasuke Itachi's apron and then put on her own before she gestured for Sasuke to sit on Itachi's usual stool. She sent a quick text to Itachi after she settled onto her own stool to let him know they at least survived the car ride together without any incidents!

"Where's Itachi?" Genma asked, rising from his stool and greeting Sakura at her usual table. "Haven't seen you in a while, Sasuke. You good?"

"I'm fine. Itachi isn't feeling well," Sasuke answered before Sakura could. "So he asked me to fill in."

Genma laughed. "I know I'm getting old, so maybe my memory isn't what it used to be, but don't you hate sweets?"

"Not senile at least," Sasuke murmured. He turned to face forward, his arms folded over his chest and the black apron with the red clouds, and pointedly ignored Genma.

Sakura offered Genma an apologetic smile. "He worked late into the night and has spent all day trying to recover." She gestured towards Sasuke. "And Sasuke generously offered to fill in."

The door to the front of the class opened and Kakashi strolled in with his familiar green apron with the pug design. He wore a black surgical mask — as was his habit — and tucked his orange novel into the front pocket of his apron before he scanned the class. His silver eyebrows shot into his hairline at Sasuke's presence, but otherwise he didn't say anything.

"So today, we're making Blueberry-citrus cake. Basically, it's a twist on the classic lemon cake with a tangy cream cheese-citrus frosting." Kakashi walked up and down the center aisle of the class as he continued to lecture, his sharp gaze roving over everyone in turn. "You may has well go ahead and start heating up your ovens to 350* because the prep time is hardly twenty minutes. Bake time is thirty-five to forty minutes with a cooling period of ten minutes on wire racks so you'll be getting to head home early tonight."

Kakashi returned to the front and started to pull out the ingredients and encouraged the students to pick up their supplies. "So enjoy today, because next week we'll be spending all of the three hours and maybe a little more on the orange sponge cake. Be sure to bring card games or reading material."

Sakura elbowed Sasuke for him to follow and they picked up their supplies: lemon cake mix, orange peel, orange juice, water, cooking oil, eggs, blueberries, and the ingredients for citrus frosting.

The students followed Kakashi's instructions as he guided them through the process of peeling the oranges and lemons and mixing the batter. Sakura smiled softly, amused by the intense look of concentration on Sasuke's face. He always strived to be the best at everything he did. It was a trait he and Itachi seemed to both share. She'd never seen Shisui in the kitchen, but she was curious if it was an Uchiha thing or just a brothers thing.

After the cake was in the oven cooking, Sakura turned towards Sasuke. He was dabbing his forehead with a dampened paper towel. He met her gaze. "What?"

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing really. I think you did really well. You might actually like this cake. It's more sour than sweet."

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Sasuke murmured.

Kakashi's instructions for the frosting seemed to go over Sasuke's head, but Sakura had read up over the receipt the night before. She led Sasuke through the citrus frosting and he followed her lead fairly closely. Kakashi had come by to inspect and had simply nodded his head with an appreciative hum.

Sasuke had even agreed to being in a group photo with Sakura, Choji and Karui. Anko had chatted with him briefly, catching up since they no longer worked together. She teased him about how he was only agreeing to do a couple-class with Sakura as a substitute for his brother. Sasuke had rolled his eyes, but didn't argue.

Before too long, the class was wrapping up — an hour and a half early. Sakura had cut into her own cake — sampling a piece and also sharing with Sasuke, whom admitted it was okay. Kakashi had given her one of his patented eye-smiles of approval and Sakura felt like she'd been given a prestigious award for the simple praise. Everyone had their cakes stashed away in their white cardboard boxes.

"This was surprisingly fun," Sasuke admitted. "It made me think of Inorganic Chemistry lab back at university. Remember that?"

Sakura laughed softly. "Of course, I remember that." While it had been many years since Sophomore year back at college, she had shared that chemistry lab with Sasuke. The two of them had been lab partners and Naruto and Ino had been lab partners. She and Naruto had broken up halfway through fall semester of Freshman year and he'd ended up roommates with Sasuke. Sakura had graduated early, so she'd lost touch with both Sasuke and Naruto until she had finished medical school and moved back to the village. Then she and Sasuke dated, then broke up, and then she got with Itachi. And that was her romantic history in a nutshell!

They walked back together towards Sasuke's SUV. While she wanted to check on Itachi again, she did have work the next day and he was probably sleeping. "I still don't really know how I feel about you and Itachi," Sasuke said quietly, opening the car door for her.

Sakura sighed as she slipped into the passenger seat. "Honestly, this is not how I expected things to go either. I really had no idea you two were related — I mean — I obviously have a type."

"Dark haired and dark eyed," Sasuke pointed out. "Not tan, blond haired and blue eyed. I believe the comparison is in my favor."

A giggle escaped Sakura unbidden. "Seriously? I'd think you'd say something snarky about me and Itachi, but you manage to find a way to make it a comparison about Naruto."

Sasuke smiled faintly. "Look, I know you're eager to get married, but just take your time, okay? Itachi is a very deliberate person. You can get carried away sometimes." He shut the door and then walked around the front of the vehicle and settled back into the driver's seat. He turned back towards her as he started the engine. "I've known you a long time, Sakura, but I've known Itachi even longer. I wasn't always a good boyfriend, but I did care — I still care." His dark eyes shimmered with emotion. "I do still have feelings for you, Sakura. However, Itachi has always been the most important person in my life."

Sakura listened quietly as Sasuke poured his heart out to her more in the last two hours than he'd done in the two years they'd dated. She thought about her response as they rode in silence, listening to the rock music playing softly.

When Sasuke parked outside her complex, Sakura turned towards him again, cradling her cakebox in her hands. "Thank you for the ride, Sasuke. And thank you for finally telling me how you feel. I know you care. I still have feelings for you, but what I feel for Itachi — it just seems to flow easier. I know we've only known each other a short time compared to the history you and I share."

"There is a chemistry between you," Sasuke admitted. "And he hasn't shown this level of interest in anyone as far as I know." He pursed his lips. "I told you to date — you keep on doing that. I'll try to keep my distance as best I can. I suppose the next time I see you will be at father's thirty-five year work anniversary. Will you save me a dance?"

Sakura nodded. "I can do that. Thanks for the ride, Sasuke. I had fun."

"Me too," Sasuke agreed smiling faintly. He waited in the parking lot until she disappeared inside her building.

Sakura put her cake inside the fridge and decided she'd bring it to the break room at the hospital the next day to share with her coworkers. She decided to take a nice warm bath, enjoy some scented candles, maybe read a book, then do a few yoga poses before bed.

After a quick shower, she had settled into the bath, letting the lavender bath salts sooth her sore muscles. She browsed the kindle books on her phone and had just settled into a rather risqué erotica fiction Ino had raved about when she received a text.

Itachi: The cake is delicious — moist, tart, and sweet — similar to how I imagine you taste.

Sakura blushed. Maybe she was just thinking dirty thoughts because of the book she'd been reading, but it certainly seemed like her boyfriend was talking erotica.

Sakura: I missed you tonight. I do wonder how you might taste.

Itachi: Sounds like we will need to do a desert tasting — I'll taste your honey and you can taste mine.

Sakura: Are we sexting? Is that what this is?

Itachi: Is it that bad? I thought about taking a naked photo of myself and sending it you, but that seemed a little crass. I'm sorry I missed class. I wanted to make it up to you.

Sakura: Make it up by feeling better. And it's smart not to send those kinds of photos. I had a surprisingly good time with Sasuke. We might even get along better as friends than when we were a couple. Tonight reminded me of when we were lab partners in Chemistry.

Itachi: I remember him talking about his hot lab partner back when he first start university. That was you?

Sakura: Yeah, I graduated early. We were friends, then reconnected and started dating. And now I'm dating his handsome, clever, sweet older brother.

Itachi: So what are you doing now?

Sakura: Soaking in the bath, reading a book.

Itachi: What kind of book?

Sakura: Erotica.

Itachi: Really? I'm feeling quite a bit better. I could come over…

Sakura: Unless you're ready for me to ravage you, you should stay home.

Itachi: …I kind of do…but I guess we both have work. I'm covering three big cases for my uncle. Can we spend the weekend together?

Sakura: I am free after my shift Friday.

Itachi: I'll pick you up from the hospital on Friday night. How big is your bathtub?

Sakura: Garden sized.

Itachi:…..Don't use up all your bath salts. Save some for me — for us.

Sakura almost dropped her phone into the bath. It was supposedly water proof, but she doubted if it would do well submerged.

Sakura: I'll look forward to it. Good night, Itachi. I love you.

Itachi: I love you too.

Sakura stared at her phone. Just that easy huh? Oh what the heck. She took a selfie of herself in the bath, angling the camera to not reveal anything too scandalizing. She hit send and a moment later was greeted with a photograph of a shirtless Itachi, reclining on his bed, his long dark hair cascading down his back.

Itachi: I'm coming over….

A notification pinged on her phone mapping Itachi's location. Sakura's eyes grew wide as she realized he was actually on his way over!

She scrolled through her messages and wrote Ino.

Sakura: Itachi is on his way over right now! What do I do?

Ino: Do you need me to drop off a bag of condoms and lube?

Sakura: No!

Ino: …

Sakura: I'm serious!

Ino: Do you want me to ask Shisui for advice? Because he's here with me and we were busy.

Shisui: Do you need me to bring a bag of condoms and lube?

Sakura: What is with you two? Never mind. I don't need help.

With a grunt of disgust, Sakura placed her phone on the vanity and climbed out of the tub, toweling off and putting on her thick, fluffy cotton robe. Itachi only lived about ten minutes away. That gave her the bare minimum amount of time to brush her teeth and clean up a few things before he arrived.

She'd just put away her dishes when there was a knock on her door. She looked over at her phone and realized she missed the notification from security announcing his arrival. Feeling nervous, still only wearing her robe, she answered her door.

Itachi's hair was down, black silk down his back. He wore a trench coat that had very Gambit vibes to it that made Sakura's heart thump painfully in her chest. He had dark circles under his eyes, but otherwise looked well. He stepped inside and toed off his shoes and set a small carry-on roller suitcase against the wall.

Sakura secure the door, engaging the locks and when she turned towards her boyfriend and leaned back against the door, Itachi was on her in moments.

His warm, strong hands gripped her hips and his forehead braced against hers, his breath was warm against her lips. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Sakura whispered. They'd seen each other earlier, but it hadn't been a satisfactory rendezvous. He'd been half-asleep and groggy. "Sasuke did okay in class."

"So I heard," Itachi murmured before he brushed his lips against hers.

Chaste kisses morphed into something deeper. Sakura's arms wound around Itachi's neck and he lifted her up until her legs were wrapped around his waist and he carried her to the bathroom. He set her down with reluctance, but kept his hands on her hips.

"So were you serious about the bath?"

Itachi's dark eyes tore away from her briefly towards the bath. "Maybe another time. I'm not quite ready for that." His gaze swept back to her in the robe. "What are you wearing under that?"

Sakura said nothing, but her burning cheeks were enough answer.

"I didn't think this through very well. I shouldn't have interrupted your bath," Itachi grimaced. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't sleep and all I could think was that if I could hold you against me, I would feel at ease."

She looked at the bath with a forlorn expression and then stepped away from Itachi to drain the tub. "I'd rather cuddle with you than take a bath." Though she'd rather have cuddled with Itachi in the bath, but that was rather forward. "Let me get dressed. Why don't you go ahead and go to bed and I'll join you?"

Sakura had a pair of cherry red boy short underwear and a large dark blue t-shirt from the Science Team she captained back in high school — it was old, thin, and soft. With her legs bare, she shuffled back to her bedroom. Itachi was already under the covers, arms behind his head, shirtless.

"Science Team, huh?" Itachi observed. " I'm not surprised to see you were captain."

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" Sakura asked, pulling back the covers on her side and slipping inside. Itachi immediately opened his arm to her and Sakura snuggled against his side, resting her cheek against his chest.

Itachi yawned and tucked his cheek against the top of Sakura's head. "I gave the drafts to the junior attorney. I was thinking I might work from home. I'm still pretty run down."

"Is this going to be a regular occurrence?" Sakura asked, and then she wanted to slap her own face. Why did she have to make things awkward by asking such questions?

"Me working from home? Or me getting run down?" Itachi asked.

"You staying over the night," Sakura clarified.

Itachi's hand ran down her left arm until his fingers were threaded through hers, purposely rubbing over the promise ring on her fourth finger. "I sure hope so."

Sakura said nothing more, but she did go to sleep with a big goofy smile on her face.

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