She's struggling with the door when the alpha gently pulls the packages out of her hand. It helps her to switch the items in her right hand to her left.

"What's all this?" Asks Shisui as she gets the door open.

"Just some things." She says. "He waits until I fall asleep to hide under the bed and I can't always take him everywhere I go. So, I brought some entertainment."

They step into Sakura's living room and Shisui's gaze lands on the metal piece in the corner of the room. "Are you crating him?"

Sakura glances at it and notes the door is open, exposing the goosedown cushion inside. She hadn't wanted to, but she doesn't quite trust him not to try to leave the house. "Uh," She says. "I was but he got out."

Shisui drops the items in his hands and starts looking around the house. The pink haired alpha goes to his room, checking under his bed and in his closet but doesn't find him.

She waits to panic until she searches her the entire house but her shoulders relax when she finds him under her bed, red eyes gleaming. "This is where I'll put the futon then."

The older Uchiha lies on top of her mattress and hangs his head down to peer at the omega. "Do you remember me?"

Itachi blinks once. Shisui shifts to the floor in one smooth motion. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Sakura sits beside him. "That wasn't your fault, Shisui-san. It's the fault of the person who snatched him in the first place."

"I told him I would always protect him," Says the alpha. "Yet here we are."

The pair scoot away as Itachi slowly makes an appearance from under the bed then sits cross-legged and leans his back against the mattress.

"Good omega," Says Shisui, lifting his right wrist to Itachi. It's unnecessary, but the alpha wants to take all precautions.

"He bites," Warns Sakura and they sit for a moment while Itachi just breathes. Shisui's scent is strong enough that no effort to catch it is made.

"That's okay," Says Shisui. "So do I."

His tongue flicks over the gland and Shisui withdraws. "That's enough of that."

Itachi looks between them, brow furrowed in a way that might be consternation.

"He's getting close to his heat," Shisui says. "Did you have a plan for that?"

Sakura had thought a lot about it, but wasn't totally sure what the best route would be as they still didn't have a alpha for him to bond with. "How close?" She asks.

"Ah?" Asks the older man. "You can't smell it?"

Sakura shakes her head. "I'm on hormone blockers. It's a requirement for rehabilitators so we don't bond omega willy nilly."

Shisui spends a minute thinking as his teeth worry at his bottom lip. Finally, he looks to Sakura. "Did you want to show Itachi what you got him?"

Sakura stands, Shisui and Itachi trail her back to her living room. She unrolls three futons for the omega Uchiha's inspection. They're all the same but he chooses to sit on the one in the middle.

The one on the left, Sakura sets in front of her couch. She makes a mental note to put the one he likes the most under her bed and the one on the right under the western style bed in his room.

"So," Draws Sakura. "I took a look at his medical charts and did some examining on my own."

Shisui quirks a brow, sitting in Sakura's spot on the couch and Itachi moves to the cushion the pink haired alpha had placed in front of it.

"Many omega are sad or depressed when their heats end without a pregnancy," She says as she digs around in the bag of items she's purchased. "And he's had quite a few and no offspring appear to have come of it."

She withdraws a baby doll. Itachi flinches when Shisui starts howling with laughter. "Is this a joke?"

Sakura can feel her eye twitch as she says, "Omega love dolls and stuffed animals. It appeals to their nurturing instincts and gives them a sense of purpose."

Shisui puts his hands up. "I am, by no means, an expert."

She moves to sit in front of Itachi. She chose one with a soft body and plastic limbs. The realistic ones she found were all too stiff and might cause more distress. He looks from the doll, to Sakura, to Shisui and back to the doll.

But his hands don't so much as twitch towards it.

"It's a baby," Sakura tells him.

His expression is one of concern when he looks at Shisui who looks at him.

"She's not confused," Says Shisui. "She thinks you are."

"Shisui, knock it off." Says Sakura.

His dark eyes are narrowed as they turn back to Sakura.

"You know, I never realized how infantilized omega are," Says Shisui as he shifts. His feet settle on either side of the younger Uchiha. Sakura watches Itachi grow tense. "Perhaps, we as alpha shouldn't decry their intelligence."

"It isn't about intelligence," Says Sakura. "It's about their instincts."

They both look to the omega who still hasn't taken the toy.

His lashes lower before flicking back up to her and lightly plucking the doll from her hand by the face.

It's a start, thinks Sakura.

"Well look at that," Says Shisui. Sakura isn't sure if he's being sarcastic. "He's got nurturing instincts after all."

Shisui leans forward to nuzzle Itachi and Sakura glances smugly at him. The expression drops when the older alpha is hit square in the face with the plush toy.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Okay," Says Sakura. "No dolls."

He jumps to his feet, darts past Sakura to the door, and fumbles with the locks as the other Uchiha stalks towards him.

He pulls it open but Shisui snaps it shut. "No."

Itachi bares his teeth, makes a throaty noise and the alpha snarls. He moves to grab the omega but he flinches away.

Their interaction is starting to set Sakura on edge. "That's enough, Shisui."

He turns. "And what? We just let him walk out the door?"

"You made your point, I think." She says.

Itachi has vanished from the room and has likely gone back to hiding under the bed.

Shisui's lips part but Sakura cuts in. "Let's give it a rest today. I was wrong about the doll."

This seems to mollify the Uchiha. "I'm sorry. It scared me that he might disappear again."

"I know," Says Sakura. "But he isn't going anywhere."

"You know what I don't get?" Asks Shisui. "How can someone hurt a defenseless omega?"

The pink haired alpha shrugs. "Alpha are cruel all the time. I'm going to guess you saw the reports?"

"The ones Fugaku-sama let me see." He says. "Did they catch that fucking guy?"

"Not yet. They almost had him when they came across the omega kennel."

Shisui sighs and Sakura can see how restless he is. "He's going to get caught. Don't worry."

"How many were there?"

"Forty," She says. "And I'm still waiting to hear back on the state of most of them. Rehabilitators are going to have their hands full for the next few months."

He runs a hand through his hair. "Why did he even need that many..."

"Maybe he was fighting them?" Says Sakura. "He could have also been trafficking them. There's no real way to know."

Silence takes over and the older Uchiha rolls his shoulders. "I'm sorry again. I think I got too physical and stressed him out."

"Were they going to make you his alpha?" She asks.

"No." He says. "They wanted to give him to Izumi. But then he got snatched. We thought he was dead, honestly."

"Typically, if an omega isn't found within seventy-two hours, they won't be found alive," Says Sakura. "The odds of him being found thirteen years later? Infinitesimal."

He takes a breath as if to say one thing but seems to change his mind and instead says, "I think I'm going to call it a day. Let him calm down some."

"I'm thinking about taking him to the Social Center this week," Sakura says. "Do you want to join us?"

Shisui frowns. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"I'm going to see how he does with the omega of a friend of mine and then I'll decide from there."

Slowly, the other alpha nods. "I'd like to come along."

Once Shisui has left, Sakura moves back to her bedroom and gets eye level with the spooked Uchiha. "He didn't mean to freak you out," She tells him. "He's excited you're home."

Itachi's gaze moves from the carpet, to the bedframe, then back to Sakura.

"He's a little different, huh?" She says. She feels like she's talking to herself. Or a wall. But he was capable of speech -- At least before he was taken. And they hadn't clipped his vocal cords or tongue. So the pink haired alpha thinks he's been conditioned into silence.

"Wanna come out of there and have some lunch?"

His eyes narrow and she sighs. "I'm sorry for insulting your intelligence."

This is the point at which he moves to emerge, following Sakura to the kitchen and sitting under the table while she cooks.

"Are you nesting or just scaredy?" She asks as she sits next to him and slides him some rice porridge before starting on her own.

He seems surprised that she's sitting beside him under her kitchen table. He's slow to pick up his meal, watching her from the corner of his eye and Sakura feels sad that he's unsure in this situation.

"Tomorrow, my friend, Ino is coming by to introduce you to one of her omega. She has two, but that's probably a little overwhelming for you."

He glances at her as if to tell her he's still listening and Sakura is a touch elated. "So be good, okay?"

This time he doesn't look at her but the pink haired alpha thinks nothing of it.

xXx

One of the things Sakura purchased the day Shisui came over is a padded collar. Itachi writhes for a good fifteen minutes when she puts it on him. She finds him to be a little overdramatic, if she's honest, but reminds herself that there may be trauma associated with it. So she's sure to give him a sweet treat as soon as he's calm.

The next step is to wrestle the muzzle on him. Twenty minutes of brawling and he sits on the carpet glaring at her.

"I'm sorry," She says. "But if you bite someone else, there's going to be trouble."

The omega that arrives with Ino isn't the one Sakura is expecting. "You brought Kin today?"

"Yeah," Says the blonde alpha. "She's closer in age so I feel like they'd get along better."

The omega toes off her shoes and strips down until she's bare. The foster omega had visited with Ino a few times before and was comfortable in Sakura's abode.

Itachi himself is nude, having become comfortable in the house that was now also his.

"Any luck on finding Kin an alpha?"

Ino shakes her head. "We've had a few but either they just don't clique or I have a bad feeling about it."

They pause to watch the female omega drop to her hands and knees to approach the Uchiha. He eyes her but stays statue still on the padding in front of the couch.

Ino approaches, too. "Hey little cutie~" She says as she extends her wrist to him.

This is when he stands, towering over her and Ino slides her left foot back to give him room. "Okay, damn." She says as she retreats to Sakura. "Is he friendly?"

"Sort of?" She says. "I think he could be if I provide the right socialization."

Ino makes an unamused noise. He's still standing, ignoring Kin who's patiently kneeling.

"Itachi be nice." Sakura says and he finally takes his former position, looking at the other omega with no small amount of annoyance.

She climbs into his lap and his gaze darts to Sakura with a furrowed brow and angry eyes, trying to draw away from Kin when she nuzzles his neck.

"She's just scenting you," Says Sakura. "Calm down."

She can see him growing tense when Kin's cheek rubs against the dip in his side but she waits.

At last, the brunette wonders off to dig through the toy chest that Sakura has recently refilled.

"That was unnerving," Says Ino.

"Thank you for humouring me," Replies Sakura. "His family kept him under lock and key until he escaped for two hours. So I have no idea what to expect from him."

"Locking up an omega?" Asks Ino. "Won't that damage them?"

"Frequently. But Itachi, as you know, was locked up longer than that."

"True," Draws Ino.

Kin returns to Itachi with a puzzle, opening the box and dumping it. The tension in his frame dissipates as they work together to solve it.

"How'd he handle the Doll Test?"

"He hit Shisui with it."

Ino grimaces. "No babies, huh?"

"I don't get him at all."

"Apparently, Neji popped the head off of his."

Sakura sighs and shakes her head. "I keep telling Hinata she isn't going to find an alpha for him. He's too aggressive."

"He is her cousin. She can't just put him down."

"No," Sakura agrees. "But she thinks she's going to be able to place him when we can't even pair friendly, well-behaved omega like Kin."

"I'm thinking about seeing if we can work with the organizations in other Nations to find suitable matches," Says Ino.

"Won't that turn into Mail-order omegas?"

"Not if we do everything the way it's supposed to be done."

There's a yelp and then a cry and both of them look up to see Kin pinned beneath Itachi while he bends her arm back.

Sakura springs to her feet, snatches him by the collar and pulls but he doesn't let go of Kin. Ino works to pry his hands from her arm. "He's fucking strong."

"Let go!" Sakura commands and his grip releases.

The female omega curls up against Ino, holding her arm to her chest and watching Itachi warily.

"What happened?" Asks Sakura as she looks around for clues. The puzzle is scattered around the sitting room.

"There," Says the brunette as she catches her breath. "There was a puzzle piece that fell between his thighs and I went to grab it."

Ino strokes her hair, rubs her cheek against the omega's. "It's okay. It was a misunderstanding."

"I am so sorry, Ino," Sakura starts but her friend waves her off.

"It's probably a one-off. That happens occasionally. Even with my omega."

Itachi starts to slink away and she snatches him by the collar again. "Oh no, you don't." Turning back to Ino, she says, "Is Kin okay?"

After checking over her arm, the blonde nods. "She's good. I think it scared her more than hurt."

Sakura sighs with relief.

"You're good," Ino tells Kin. "Go back to your puzzle."

The brunette starts gathering up the pieces and the Godaime's apprentice looks to Ino who wordlessly assures her that there's no harm. At this admission, Sakura guides Itachi down the hallway. He's shaking by the time they're out of ear shot of the other pair.

His eyes are closed. He's breathing hard and he takes a shuddering gasp when Sakura hugs him. "You're okay. You're still a good omega."

He swallows, shivering while Sakura holds him tighter. "You're safe," She says. "Everything is okay."

After some time, his shaking gradually stops and the pink haired alpha pulls away. "Are you okay?"

His eyes shift back and forth along the carpet before he finally nods.

"Good," She says. "Let's go finish that puzzle."