A/N: Dear FFN readers/reviewers, I appreciate your support! Your comments make me smile. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Nine: Lesson Six Orange Sponge Cake:

.

.

.

It took a moment for Sakura to orient herself when she woke up with Itachi in her bed. He was warm, his chest was firm, and his long hair was silkier than her own.

She opened her eyes to find a pair of enigmatic midnight eyes staring down at her. "Hey," Sakura said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Hey," Itachi rumbled back, his voice even deeper with sleep. "I think your bed is more comfortable than mine." He lifted his hand to slip it through her hair, finger-combing her long locks. "I had wondered if you wore a scarf over your hair at night — it's always so soft."

"Oh?" Sakura smiled faintly. "Is that your sly way of asking to stay over more often? You want to spy on my hair-conditioning routine?"

Itachi chuckled. "Curious minds want to know. My mother used to wear a silk scarf over her hair at night." He twirled her hair around his finger and brought it to his nose and sniffed. "Jasmine."

"Your hair is softer than mine. Let me guess, it's natural and you don't have to do any maintenance for it," Sakura huffed.

"I use half a bottle of conditioner every week," Itachi confessed. "I particularly like the argan oil."

"Any other grooming tips?" Sakura teased. Her legs were tangled with his under the covers and she ran her bare foot up and down the length of his leg. The fine, curly hairs on his legs tickled her toes.

"I wear nail polish," Itachi added softly, the arm under her body grew taunt.

"Really?" Sakura snatched his free hand from her hair to examine his nails. They were normal well trimmed and shaped pink fingernails. She flipped on the lamp on her nightstand to study the nails closer and was able to see the faint sheen of clear nail polish. "The antiseptic and alcohol I use at the hospital makes sure no polish lasts longer than a couple of days, so I stopped wearing polish years ago." She looked back to see his cheeks were faintly pinked in embarrassment. "Why do you paint your nails?"

"One, I used to play guitar and most serious guitarists paint their nails for durability. And I used to have a vitamin deficiency — I was a strict vegan for about three years and had issues with brittle nails," Itachi explained.

"Why did you give up meat?" Sakura traced her fingers over his nails. They seemed healthy to her — no clubbing or streaks. "Was it a moral crusade or if it was for health reasons?"

"I have a lung condition — it's autoimmune. I had hoped to reduce the severity by eliminating animal products and processed foods," Itachi answered. "I will never again give up sushi by choice."

Sakura said nothing, curious what kind of lung condition. Her mind went through various conditions — cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, or microscopic polyangiitis.

"It flared up yesterday." Itachi took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "It's a small vessel vasculitis that affects both my lungs and to a lesser extent my eyes. Sasuke doesn't have it, but it does seem to be genetic and triggered by certain environmental conditions. It's not super common, about three people in every one hundred thousand."

Sakura thought back through her days of medical school and the obscure illnesses she learned years ago. "That's treated with steroids and immune suppressants."

"Steroids make me irritable and I've thus far been able to avoid having to start immune suppressants, but my pulmonologist brings it up every year," Itachi answered. "I have an appointment this Friday afternoon. I'm not sure if you'd like to come and learn about it with me, but if you'd like — if you can get the time off," Itachi trailed off. "My mother used to go with me. I've gone by myself the last two years. It's a bit of a drive and I couldn't handle my mother and her questions on the ride back."

"I'll arrange the day off from work." Sakura held his hand, threading their fingers together.

Itachi squeezed her hand gently. "Okay." He sighed. "I guess I better get going."

Sakura nuzzled her nose against his playfully. She smiled against him, then pecked his lips.

"Or maybe we can sleep in a bit more," Itachi murmured. He shifted to position himself flat on his back, flipped Sakura so that she laid across his chest and pressed his lips against hers.

.

.

.

OoO

.

.

.

Two days had passed since Sakura woke up in Itachi's arms after he spent the night. She thought there would have been a lot of sexual tension and anxiety in that regards. Instead, it had been comfortable and sweet. That morning, after they finished making out and enjoyed some heavy petting, they'd enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruit, and a generous slice of blue-berry citrus cake for her and a modest forkful for him. The rest of the cake had been devoured once she dropped it off at the hospital staff break room.

She and Itachi had texted occasionally during the day and then FaceTiming every night for at least an hour. Her coworkers asked about her ring, but she'd been mostly tight-lipped, only saying it was from her boyfriend.

"Thank you so much, Director Senju." Sakura smiled gratefully at the Hospital Director and most renown surgeon. "I'll definitely make up the hours tomorrow and work the full Saturday shift." She'd worked for a couple of hours on Friday waiting until Tsunade herself covered the rest of Sakura's shift.

"I won't pass up a volunteer for Saturday, Sakura," Tsunade huffed. "However, you have been working here for two and a half years now and have not once called in sick and most of your PTO expires." She laid her hand over Sakura's shoulder and squeezed it gently in reassurance. "Go spend the afternoon with your boyfriend that makes all the precious amigurumi for the children's ward. What kind of specialist are you going to visit anyway?"

"Pulmonologist by the name of Dr Shi. He's actually in Kumogakure. It's a three hour drive," Sakura admitted. "I sort of cyber-stalked him yesterday. He has a lot of research articles about both pulmonary and autoimmune conditions. I really think he is the best expert in regards to Itachi's condition."

"Let me know if I need to pull any favors." Tsunade smiled softly and then she frowned abruptly. "I just ask you don't make me call up that old crone in Suna."

Sakura resisted the smile that threatened to form one her lips. It was well known the Tsunade and Chiyo did not like one another at all. They may have been contemporaries, but the were staunch rivals.

A couple of hours later, Sakura and Itachi had pulled over at a rest stop to eat the picnic lunch he'd packed for them. The bento boxes Itachi had prepared were quite delicious. Sakura filed away in the back of her mind another thing that Itachi was good at — preparing lunches for road trips. They mostly ate in silence, enjoying the sounds of the birds in the forest around them and the antics of the squirrels.

Once they were back in Itachi's car with classical music playing quietly in the background the landscape started to change. The familiar forests of the Land of Fire grew thinner and more sparse as they arid, mountainous land of Cloud grew closer.

"Shall we play I spy with my little eye?" Itachi asked, an amused smile on his lips as he glanced her way at a four-way stop.

Sakura chuckled. "What is that? The name is ridiculous."

He turned back to face forward. "It's a game my family used to play whenever we drove for long distances. It was mostly for Sasuke. He grew restless when he had to stay still for long."

Sakura nodded. It seemed that neither of the Uchiha men could stand being idle, but she didn't point that out to her boyfriend. "How do we play?"

"I spy with my little eye, something gray," Itachi said, not taking his eyes off the road. "Now you try to guess what I'm looking at."

Sakura started at him a moment longer to see if he was serious. She shifted her gaze outside the car. The road was gray. The clouds were gray. The mountains were gray. "How many guesses do I get?"

"Until you get it right," Itachi answered.

"Fine. Is it the road?"

"No." Itachi grinned and looked over at her once more. "Try again, Sakura."

"The mountains?" He shook his head. "The clouds?" He shook his head again. Sakura huffed and really peered out the windows. That's why she spied the bird — a dark gray that was zooming high in the sky. "Is it the bird?"

Itachi nodded. "It's a gray hawk. We have brown hawks in the Land of Fire. Cloud has gray hawks. It's your turn."

Now that she understood the game, Sakura felt her competitive nature start to take over. She wanted to find something good. "I spy with my little eye….something….round."

"Round," Itachi repeated quietly. His dark eyes darted over the landscape and he frowned. "The sun?"

"Nope." Sakura folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her navigator seat feeling smug. "Guess again!"

"A ball?" Itachi frowned. "I didn't see one outside."

"Not a ball. And it's not outside," Sakura offered a hint.

Itachi raised his hand to tap the pendant hanging from his rear-view mirror. "This?"

"Yep," Sakura answered. It had taken him three tries as well. "What's the pendant about?"

"Ah, it's from Shisui. It's supposed to protect me and my passengers when I drive," Itachi explained. "Do you want to play some more?"

"Actually, it was kind of stressful. You don't have to entertain me." Sakura looked out the side window and noted the brush with vibrant yellow flowers. Otherwise, there was a lot of gray in the region. "Unless you want to play twenty questions."

Itachi snorted. "Then I'll have no secrets and you'll find me boring."

"I doubt that I'll ever find you boring," Sakura promised. She reached for his thigh and laid her hand on him gently. It warmed her heart seeing the faint smirk on his lips.

.

.

.

OoO

.

.

.

A blond doctor with sharp dark eyes entered the exam room. He looked about ten years older than Sakura. He set aside the tablet in his hand and smiled warmly at first Itachi and then Sakura. "I'm Doctor Shi. It's good to see you again, Itachi. I was a little worried you might miss this year's check up. Who's your companion?"

"This is Sakura," Itachi answered. He met her gaze briefly. "My fiancée."

"Ah," Shi said nodding and smiling again at Sakura briefly. Then he directed his attention to Itachi. "Your spirometry report has showed reduced lung capacity compared to last year and the year before. It's been a progressive decline of five percent for the past five years, Itachi. I think it's time we revisit treatment options. The time for watchful waiting is over. Have you been maintaining a diet? Avoiding processed foods."

Itachi's lips thinned. "For the most part."

"Are you experiencing any dizziness?" Dr Shi asked.

"No," Itachi said, shaking his head.

"Shortness of breath? Chest pain when exercising? Cough?" Shi pressed.

Itachi leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs at the knee and for all intents and purposes looked like a king reclining on his throne. "Yes, sometimes, and earlier this week I had a flare up that was pretty substantial."

"Have you been under excess work stress? Longer hours? Financial duress? Stressors with the family? Dietary changes?" Shi asked.

Itachi's dark gaze swiveled to Sakura briefly. "Work is always stressful. I'm reconnecting with my brother — we'd been estranged for a while. Finances are fine. I have a lovely partner."

Shi was nodding as Itachi spoke. "And diet? You said for the most part you were avoiding processed foods — can you expand?"

"We joined a baking class. I may have had more sugar as of late," Itachi admitted. "I'm still taking my probiotics and the antioxidant Co-Q10 enzyme you recommended last time."

"The options haven't really changed, steroids or immune suppressants," Shi said. "Otherwise, it keeps progressing. I would recommend the steroids first because you're so young. We can try a lower dose than last time, maybe that will keep you from experiencing the irritability."

"I believe irritability is too mild a description," Itachi murmured. "I flipped a table in the middle of a trial and almost got into an altercation for an episode of Road Rage."

"What are the side effects of the immunosuppressants?" Sakura asked, reaching for Itachi's hand. She was surprised by the tightness his hand gripped hers. He looked so calm and chill leaning back in the chair, but he was really wound up tight.

"Long-term, well there's the lowering of the immune system in general so every little virus will take much longer to heal. It stresses out the heart and kidneys because it basically reacts like taking a low dose of poison every day," Shi continued. Itachi's hand held hers tighter. "It can lead to abnormalities in the reproductive system, so infertility is unfortunately fairly common."

"I'd rather try the steroids again. My heart and kidneys are fine, why would I want to destroy them. And while Sakura and I haven't discussed children yet, I want to have the option. What's the likelihood that I will pass this condition on to my progeny?"

"As you know, it's rare — three cases per one-hundred thousand. Neither of your parents have symptoms nor does your brother. We checked the DNA for both your mother and brother and neither have the gene. Your father never submitted his cheek swab, so I cannot give a definitive answer whether your case was genetically passed down or a mutation. I can refer you to a genetic counselor if you'd like."

"Let's circle back to the steroids. I assume it was prednisone. What was Itachi's dosage?" Sakura asked. While it was scary to consider a child having a chronic medical condition, it wasn't a deal breaker for Sakura. Children born of love were precious and there was no way of predicting truly if your child would be the one with a genetic anomaly.

"Ten milligrams daily," Itachi answered before Dr Shi could reference his notes. He released Sakura's hand, seemed to withdraw into himself. "I actually did okay when I took five milligrams. Maybe we could try a lower amount."

"Well, the ten milligrams is standard of care," Shi protested.

"To be fair, Dr Shi, with a three in one-hundred thousand probability in the general population that's not a big enough confidence ratio to make generalizations," Sakura pointed out. "I would even say maybe start at two and a half milligrams. We can always titrate up if needed." She looked over at Itachi and noticed his hands were gripping the arms of his chair in a white-knuckled grip. "And Konoha is closer to sea level than this mountainous area. I can check Itachi's lung function at home and send you the results of the spirometry. Maybe we can even start at a 1mg dosage."

Dr Shi rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "That actually may be a factor. Looking at you, Itachi, you don't appear ill. There are no bruises under your eyes, your Oxygen saturation is at 98% and your nails don't exhibit any clubbing. The environmental factor of the higher altitude here in Kumo could certainly be affecting my assessment of you lung capacity. I do want to order a CT scan. I'll see if we can go ahead and arrange the radiology team. Then get me a spirometry reading in the morning from Konoha."

"I'll do the spirometry on Monday. I want to give Itachi a chance to recover from the adjustment of the mountains back to sea level," Sakura countered.

Shi grinned. "You don't happen to be in need of a job do you, Dr Haruno? I can always use more competent physicians."

"I specialize in trauma and emergency medicine," Sakura answered. She looked back at Itachi. "Though I may start working strictly in surgery. I don't want to risk bringing a communicable disease home to you, Itachi."

Shi nodded. "Even when practicing universal precautions, there have been times when influenza caught a ride home with me and I got my family ill." He stood and started for the door. "A tech will be here shortly to escort you to the radiology department."

Silence stretched between the couple after the pulmonologist left. Itachi then reached for Sakura's hand again and held it with their fingers entwined. "Giving up the Emergency Room isn't necessary, Sakura, but I appreciate the sentiment." Itachi's eyes were dark with emotion. "You are good at what you do, I do not want to be a burden and interfere in your career."

"Then I'll be certain to wear a N95 mask while on the floor," Sakura answered. "I grew accustomed to the habit during the last epidemic anyway. It's not a burden." She squeezed his hand. "I love you, Itachi. I protect those I love. And, I do want children one day and preferably with you. It seems a little early to discuss our life goals, but this visit is a reminder that we are mortal. We might be blessed with fifty more years or five. I won't live in fear that you'll leave me early."

"I would certainly not leave you willingly," Itachi murmured. "I will be kicking and screaming."

Sakura grinned. "That's hard to imagine."

Itachi grimaced, his eyes pinched at the corners. "You haven't seen me on steroids." He sighed. "I guess I need to back off the sugar."

"Moderation," Sakura agreed. "I'll be better about it too. I mean, sugar is delicious, but it's not worth the inflammation and if we start to grow weak and crave it, remember that a lot of human suffering occurred because of sugarcane — wars, slavery, the current diabetic crises."

"When you put it like that," Itachi grumbled. "Though there is agave, honey, stevia. Perhaps those will be acceptable substitutes."

"Raw honey definitely has enough anti-inflammatory properties it would be fine. The agave however is high in fructose once it's broken down into syrup form." She smiled faintly in memory of a particularly wild weekend with Ino, Sai and Naruto many summers ago. "It does make delicious tequila!"

"I don't drink, Sakura," Itachi reminded her.

"Which is a smart decision. Agave syrup is likely to lead to insulin resistance and fatty liver because it overworks the liver trying to metabolize the fructose, whereas glucose is the power source for all our cells," Sakura explained. It wasn't often she had a captive audience when she went into lecture mode. Sasuke and Naruto would both space out, Ino knew as much as she did about physiology, but Itachi listened intently. "Fruit in general is pretty healthy though because the fibrous parts keep you from acquiring the visceral belly fat."

"So I'm to understand you prefer me with washboard abs?" Itachi teased.

"I'm not going to lie, Itachi. You're hot," Sakura quipped smiling slyly. "Stevia seems to be the best option when it comes to an additive sweetener though — antioxidant and antimicrobial. I can text Kakashi and suggest the option of stevia to replace sugar in this week's cake. The naturally sweet blend of stevia is a one to one replacement to granulated sugar." It might be fun to add the sugar substitute to the class lecture, or Kakashi might think it's too much trouble.

"Should I even ask how you know that?" Itachi asked with an incredulous laugh and a soft smile gracing his lips.

"My mother is a professional baker," Sakura answered with a shrug. "I wrote a paper in medical school about the link between sugar and sugar substitutes in regards to diabetes, autoimmune diseases and obesity. The Haruno Bakery includes gluten-free and sugar-free options."

Itachi's smile faded and he sighed, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "It's never good news when I visit Dr Shi. Though, this is the first time I feel a bit of optimism. It makes sense that the testing would be skewed with the higher altitude, especially without allowing my body to adjust to the change. The immunosuppressants worry me with their litany of side effects."

"Do you remember Sasori from our baking class?" Sakura asked.

"The artist with the bored attitude?" Itachi asked. "Diedara's partner?"

"He's actually a trained pharmacist. His grandmother is the Dean of the Medical school in Suna," Sakura explained. "We used to cross paths in the Medical School library."

Itachi rubbed his forehead and snorted. "This is surprising. I would have never guessed you and Sasori were friends. You have barely spoken ten words to each other in class."

"I'm probably more generous in whom I define as a friend. I think Sasori considers me a somewhat tolerable person he doesn't mind spending time with," Sakura answered. Which, she'd been so busy with her own drama she hadn't reached out the man from Suna. Maybe she'd send him a text later and mention about the stevia substitute. "I think you should try the steroids but if they are intolerable, I can use my connections with Dr Tsunade at Konoha Hospital or even Sasori and his connections with Suna. There might be experimental options or new studies."

"Sakura, let's worry about that another time, but I appreciate you're willingness to research my condition." Itachi patted Sakura's knee. "I was wondering how are you at dancing?"

"Dancing?" Sakura was confused by the sudden shift in conversation. "I'm okay. I spent a year on the dance team with Ino in undergrad. Why?"

"I was thinking in preparation to my father's party, we might take a Ballroom dance class — a private tutorial," Itachi suggested. "I'd prefer to avoid any group activities."

"Have you already found an instructor? When would we schedule for these tutorials?" Sakura smiled faintly. "I'm not against the idea. It actually sounds nice." She couldn't help but imagine a scenario where she wore a wedding gown and Itachi was in a tux and they graced a newly wed dance floor — one day. She shook her head to dispel those premature fantasies.

"We could meet Sunday afternoons or Monday evenings for it," Itachi answered. "And um, well, my parents offered to teach us."

Sakura's eyes bulged. Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha would be the ones teaching them such a formal dance? "Are your parents patient?"

Itachi grimaced. "Father isn't especially, but he is very attention oriented. Mother is patient. Sasuke and I were both trained in the classical dances in our early teens."

"That's not something I can imagine," Sakura shook her head with a chuckle. All the times Sasuke refused to dance with her, citing that he didn't know how sprang to mind. And yet here Itachi was, offering to have his parents work with them both as a couple. "What about Thursday evening? I think something fun like dance lessons would help break up my work schedule nicely."

"I believe Thursday will work just fine," Itachi agreed. "Starting next week?"

"It's a date." Sakura thought about Shisui and Ino. "So, I'm pretty sure Shisui will bring Ino to your father's party."

Itachi chuckled. "Father is easily annoyed by Shisui. I think we should ask the two of them to join our lessons. Mother would agree — she loves Shisui."

Pleased her suggestion was well received, Sakura was smiling faintly by the time the tech entered the exam room to escort them to radiology.

.

.

.

OoO

.

.

.

Saturdays were generally light in the trauma department, but today it seemed like everyone decided to take up the recreation of parkour. Sakura had set at least two broken arms that day and wrapped a half-dozen ankles from various sprains and strains.

So when a patient had 'something in his eye' she was happy for the change of pace. What Sakura did not expect when she pulled back the privacy curtain was to see Obito Uchiha sitting on the examination table with Rin in the chair beside him holding his hand. There was a make-shift patch over his left eye.

"Well, this is an unexpected meeting, Obito," Sakura said, slipping on her nitrile gloves and pulling off the bandage. "My nurses said you were working in your shop when you felt a splinter shoot up into your eye. Were you not wearing safety goggles?"

"I had misplaced them," Obito confessed sheepishly.

Rin sighed. "They were pushed back on top of his head and he forgot he wasn't wearing them. He can be easily distracted. He was doing wood work for a cradle."

"We're expecting and I wanted to make a cradle for our little one," Obito answered. "Is it bad, Dr Sakura?"

"We're friends. Sakura is fine." She flashed her penlight into his eye, noticed the pupils reacted normally. There was no obvious laceration or ulceration and no obvious debris, but the conjunctiva was red and irritated. "I'll need to use the slit lamp to be sure. I'll add a little fluorescent dye and it will help me find the debris if it's still there and if there are any lacerations."

"Could the splinter have fallen out on its own?" Rin asked. "He's been crying a lot. That should wash it out, right?"

"I've not been crying, my eye has just been watering," Obito mumbled with a very obvious pout on his lips

"If we're lucky," Sakura agreed. "Crying is the body's natural defense against objects in the eye." She brought Obito towards the slit-lamp, applied the dye and found a tiny portion of the foreign object still present she removed it and was happy to note that the cornea only had a very slight scratch. "I hope you don't mind wearing an eye patch for a couple of days. The process of opening and closing your eye will irritate it. I'll also give you some antibiotic eyedrops to use also since the wood obviously wasn't sterile."

"So my eye will be fine?" Obito asked nervously, closing his left eye.

"He's been worried about losing an eye since he was a teenager. He's so paranoid," Rin teased. She hugged Obito's shoulders and kissed his cheek. "Honey, you have got to stop worrying about such things."

"I'd rather you wear your safety goggles than worry," Sakura pointed out. "I just sent the eye drops to the hospital pharmacy. They'll probably be reading in half an hour." She rolled her chair under the small table and checked for any objects out of their place. "I'm actually due for a break. Would you two like to join me in the cafeteria for some tea? I actually wanted to ask you something, Rin."

Rin arched a sable eyebrow. "Oh? Let me guess, Kakashi told you exactly what kind of therapist I am and you want to confirm it's true?"

"I might want to set up an appointment with you — me and Itachi," Sakura answered. "Or to a colleague if that's too weird."

"Sure!" Rin breathed an audible sigh. "That's a relief, sorry, I am just so used to being defensive about the type of therapy I specialize in."

"That's only because people are ignorant and don't appreciate the benefits of a healthy sex life," Obito smiled charmingly.

Sakura felt her own cheeks heat at the look that passed between the couple. She wanted that same kind of ease, but with Itachi.

.

.

.

OoO

.

.

.

"It's good to see we're at week six and still have a full class," Kakashi observed at the front of the room. After Sakura had texted him over the weekend, he'd sent out an email to the class informing them of the option of sugar or stevia for sweetener in all future classes. Sakura had acquired the stevia in bulk from her mother's supplier instead of the usual market. Kakashi had been relieved that he was able to skip shopping that week.

The ingredients for the orange sponge cake were fairly simple. It required six eggs, 1 tablespoon shredded orange peel, a half cup of orange juice, one 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup sugar (or stevia), 1 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 cup sugar (or stevia. After over an hour of prep work, their cakes were in the oven for an hour. It only took about five minutes for everyone to clean up their respected areas.

"And now we come to the down time I warned you all about," Kakashi announced. "I hope you brought card games, or else the next hour is going to feel very long."

Thankfully, most of the class took the suggestion to heart and brought various card games for entertainment. Sakura had brought a small canvas bag that was shaped like a bee's nest full of hexagon tiles. She set it on her table and was happy to see that Kakashi, Temari and Sasori had chosen to join them. She wasn't too surprised by Sasori's presence — he'd been the one to give her the honeycombs game years ago.

"You're not going to play with Shikamaru?" Sakura asked in surprise when Temari took the chair next to hers.

"This game looks interesting. I may love Shikamaru, but the only game he willingly plays is Shogi." She picked up her tiles. "How do we play?"

"You match the sides," Sakura explained. "Bear to bear, honey to honey, bee to bee, flower to flower, et cetera."

"The first to deplete their stash of tiles wins," Sasori added. His bored eyes met Sakura's over the table. "Were you the one to suggest stevia, Sakura?"

She nodded and continued to distribute the tiles to the five players. Up to eight players could play, but it would last longer if there were fewer players — more tiles to cast.

"I've never actually eaten a dessert with stevia instead of sugar," Kakashi admitted. "I'm curious how it will turn out. If it's a dumpster fire — I'll be sure to blame you, Sakura-chan." He smiled sweetly at her before peering at Itachi's tiles. "Do you place one tile at a time or keep going until you run out?"

"There are three variations," Itachi answered, setting aside the bag that held the tiles and had the instructions printed on it. He set his tiles face down. "The first variation is basically a race amongst ourselves. We place your tiles face down, flip one at a time and connect our pieces until completion of the honeycomb and then cry out the word honeycomb on completion. The first one finished wins."

"That's the version we usually played," Sasori said, a reminiscent smirk on his lips as he met Sakura's eyes.

"That's because you don't play well with others," Sakura scoffed playfully. "But I already divided up the tiles so we'll play that way first. The second variation involves a communal tile placed in the center, we leave the bag full of tiles and draw three tiles each. You place one tile at a time, moving clockwise between the players, replace your tiles so that you have three in your hand. The one with the most tiles placed wins. The third variation is like the second except there are special tiles that earn you more points."

"So we're doing the individual races first," Temari said, tapping her tiles before placing them face down.

The first game was over quickly. Sakura assumed that she or Sasori would win, since they'd played the game often back in Suna. Itachi was precise in his placement and he connected images on multiple sides — which didn't earn extra points in this particular variation but made it more complicated. Temari was competitive, but even she wasn't the victor. Kakashi Hatake completely destroyed everyone in the first round. He was like a machine working so fast. Sasori had only been a moment behind him finishing and he slyly hid his tiles.

"Are you even human?" Temari demanded.

"An undistracted Kakashi is an undefeated Kakashi. There's a reason he was the captain on our lacrosse team," Itachi said, unsurprised by the result. He was more amused in the pictograms than in the competition itself.

"It got my soldiers home," Kakashi said, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back on his stool on two precariously balanced legs.

"Wipe that smug expression off your face, Kakashi," Sakura scolded. She wasn't a sore loser, but she honestly hadn't expected to be beaten that badly by someone. He really was a machine. She was glad he was their Fire Chief. His analytical mind and speed would certainly save lives and keep people out of her hospital. "Now we'll try the second variation— speed won't matter on this one."

The second round, Itachi won. It if had been the third variation, he'd have had more than triple the amount of points as anyone else. Sasori came in second, then Sakura and Temari, and finally Kakashi. Sakura would have said something smug about Kakashi going from first to last, but when she looked up and caught his eye she saw from his expression that he purposely finished last. The next round Sakura won she caught Sasori's eye and realized that time he'd let her win.

"Sasori, you should have won that round," Sakura huffed irritably. "Why didn't you play your tile? You didn't have to let me win. I'm much better at managing my temper over a game."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasori murmured, his eyes half-lidded as he began to gather the tiles into the bag for the next game. "That temper of yours was the part I liked best."

Temari's head snapped up and she looked between Sakura and Sasori. "You two know each other?"

"Once upon a time, Sakura and I were study partners," Sasori answered with a bored wave of his hand. He turned towards Kakashi. "Are we allowed to mention our occupation now?"

"Uh, yeah, it's not a big deal. We're all friends now," Kakashi answered, catching Sakura and Itachi's eyes. The whole ploy of not mentioning occupation was to reduce the chances of the two of them not giving each other a chance when he'd been wrangled into participating in Shisui's matchmaking scheme.

"I'm a pharmacist and we met at the Medical Program in Suna," Sasori explained.

"I thought you were an artist!" Temari exclaimed. She gestured vaguely towards Deidara. He had taken her spot at the table with Shikamaru and they'd been playing a card game with Choji and Karui. "I thought you two were artists together."

"The two occupations are not mutually exclusive," Sasori replied bored. "Though, if the game involves memorization or probability with cards — Sakura always won. I think she memorized the card deck. You cannot cheat with tiles."

Sakura flushed. "I might have memorized the deck we used," she admitted.

"I knew it." Sasori curled his lip then shifted his amber gaze to Itachi. "You're good for her."

"You and Deidara are a cute couple," Temari says. "I never thought you'd settle down with someone so vocal."

Sasori shifted his attention to her. "I'm actually returning to Suna at the end of the month. And I haven't settled down. Deidara and I broke up. He'd heading back to Iwa for a diplomatic concern. I don't do long-distance."

"I thought you preferred long-distance," Sakura protested.

"People do annoy me less from a distance," Sasori admitted. "But I think I prefer to focus on my work." He set a single tile in the middle of the table and then held out the canvas bag for the other players to draw three. "You should come visit me in Suna. Granny misses you."

Sakura snorted. "I doubt Doctor Chiyo misses me. She could barely tolerate me. And you've been in Konoha for two months and we've not met up during that time."

"Granny doesn't tolerate many, and if you are barely tolerated, it means you're one of her precious people," Sasori explained. "She is hoping to steal you away from Konoha Hospital back to Suna. She's been on me ever since I mentioned we were in a baking class together." He gestured towards Itachi. "You were preoccupied with Itachi. I didn't wish to interfere with a burgeoning romance."

"Would you consider moving?" Itachi asked, his knee knocking against Sakura's under the table.

Sakura analyzed her three tiles. "I thought about it back in the fall." She looked up and met Itachi's eyes. She had seriously consisted it before she met him. "I think I'm pretty happy where I am now though."

Sasori turned back to Itachi. "Don't be surprised if my granny sends you a package in the mail with a dead bird inside. She'll be annoyed to learn Sakura is turning down her job offer because of Madara Uchiha's nephew."

"I guess there is no anonymity in this class anymore," Itachi snorted.

"Oh, I'll be right back." Kakashi set his tiles down and rushed towards the table behind them, snatching a fire retardant blanket from the storage cabinet. Kisame, Genma, Anko, and Shizune had started a small kitchen fire. "Genma, did you not notice the fire?"

Genma was sitting with Shizune in his lap, kissing her. He blinked over at Kakashi with a dazed expression before his dark eyes shifted to the smothered fire at the table. "Well," Genma drawled. "I'm used to responding to fires that are called in, not necessarily recognizing them."

"It's my fault. I was trying to use the chef's torch to make the s'mores and melt the marshmallow and chocolate," Anko explained with a sheepish chuckle. "Maybe I went a little overboard."

"You think?" Kisame laughed. "No one can argue that you're hot, Babe!"

"Clean up the mess, Genma," Kakashi ordered, his expression hard. "Put away the games. Cakes should be ready in a minute or two."

After Temari and Sasori left their table, Sakura leaned her head against Itachi's shoulder briefly. "That was exciting."

"Indeed," Itachi agreed.

As they pulled their cakes out and let them cool. Sakura watched Itachi from the corner of her eye. He'd been on his steroids for a few days now. He was just as thoughtful and meticulous as he'd ever been. But even if he started to have anger issues on his medication, she'd find a way to deal with it. He was worth it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Itachi pulled off his oven mitt and sat back at his stool. He rubbed his chest absently. "I promise, I won't set fire to our table."

"You don't seem the type to carelessly set things on fire," Sakura agreed.

"No, any fire I set will be intentional," Itachi chuckled.

.

.

.

.

.