She expects friendly fire when Izumi lands beside her.

Lightning strikes and hits the brunette. It almost appears to bounce off of her and hit every enemy nearby, frizzing Sakura's hair when it zips past her.

"So you and Sasuke are besties now," Says Shisui as he parries the blade of an operative with pale skin and orange hair. Then kicks another into a fruit stand. "I see how it is."

"Maybe if you weren't so preoccupied with your pussy pet, you and I could be training more," Says Izumi as she blocks a strike from an assailant with purple hair, punching back hard enough that their mask cracks.

"Last time I cover your back," He snarks, teleporting beside Sasuke long enough to block a tall woman in his blind spot and slash her throat open. Then, he returns to Sakura's side. "I'll just let you die next time."

Sakura is starting to feel a little useless the way the trio is plowing through and decides to move a little further out to have her own space.

"Where are you going?" Shisui calls after her but he's distracted by a short, bulky blonde who's trying to disembowel him.

A woman with red hair leaps down from above Sakura and she grabs the ROOT operative by the ankle, smashing her into the street.

"Curb stomp!" Shout a pair of small, baby Uchiha. Sakura thinks they're nine at the oldest. One of them is missing a front tooth. She can't tell what dynamic or sex they are, so she assumes neither have presented. They're hunkered down in a doorway to her right.

"Hey!" Yells Izumi as she appears beside them. "What are you two doing here?"

"Mimi!" They say as she hefts them under her arms. "Did you see the outsider, Mimi?"

"Yeah, she's cool, whatever," Says the brunette. "You guys should be sheltering."

"We want to help!" Says the one with the missing tooth.

Izumi ignores them even as they start flailing and complaining.

"Shit!" Says a woman with coal coloured hair and honey brown eyes. She falls in step beside Izumi. "I thought they got everyone out."

"These two are sneaky," Replies the brunette. "I'm not surprised."

"They cut off the main path. I don't think there's a way back to the safe house."

"I got it, Atsuko," Says Izumi.

Atsuko is stoic but Sakura has spent enough time with Uchiha to note the minute lip thinning and brows drawing incrementally up and together.

They keep going. The dark haired woman occasionally fighting off an operative that spots them. Sakura can't help her feeling of unease as the path essentially bottlenecks where the houses were built closer together, hemming them in.

It's silent. The screaming and metal clashing is faint but the claustrophobia is starting to get to be too much when it finally opens up to reveal a swarm of ROOT operatives trying to work their way into the safehouse.

"Shit," Whispers Atsuko.

"Hold the babies," Says the brunette as she hands them off to the other woman and draws her katana.

"Mimi," Says the one with all of their teeth. "Let's just run away."

The swarm turns toward the quartet and Sakura feels compelled to crack her knuckles. It's the only noise in the few seconds of silence before they all come at once.

"There's too many," Says Atsuko. "This is it for us."

"Stay still and shut up," Says Izumi as she braces. But Sakura has already made her decision, coming in a millisecond before Izumi's blade can touch the first one.

He's catapulted like a wrecking ball into the group. Bones snap, someone cries out.

"Damn, outsider," Says Izumi. "I forget how formidable you can be."

Turning to the brunette, Sakura says. "You're next if you ever come on to Shisui like that again."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Izumi's blade opens up an operative from shoulder to opposite hip. "You know he's absolutely Madara level mad about you, right?"

The pink haired alpha twists, heel catching her opponent in the stomach. "Didn't stop him from fucking you."

A man grabs Izumi by the throat when she impales him. They struggle as she jostles the katana. Desperate, she knees him in the groin and he lets go. She takes a minute to regain her breath. "Only because I took your form, idiot. His bond with the omega is fading. You know what that does to alpha. Or at least, you should."

"So you were just comforting him via pussy?" Says Sakura. Her knife deflects a pair of shuriken and she tosses a flurry of kunai in the direction they came from.

"Believe me or don't," She says. She's breathing hard. There's bodies littering the street. A few are standing around, lost in Izumi's genjutsu.

"I know you two are bonded," Says Sakura. "I've suspected it for awhile."

"You don't believe two adult alpha can have a respectful, platonic bond?"

"Let me be very clear," Says Sakura as she gets into Izumi's space and grabs her black over shirt that's already torn in some places to reveal the skin tight top underneath. "I don't give a flying fuck if you and Shisui scent mark each other. I don't even care that much that you're platonically bonded. I'm not going to tell him he can't see or hang out with you anymore."

"Good," Says Izumi. "Because--"

"I'm not done," Says Sakura. "But if you ever come on to him like that again, you are going to have a problem."

The brunette's eyes narrow and the medic can see her resisting a sneer when she says, "That's fair."

"You didn't believe me when I told you I kicked them out for some peace and quiet," Says Fugaku from the doorway of the safehouse. His arms are crossed. "I tried to warn you."

"Fugaku-sama," Says Izumi. "With all due respect. Fuck you."

"No thank you," He replies. "I'm married and you're a little young for me."

Izumi splutters but the Clan Head ignores her. "Come, Atsuko."

The dark haired woman shakes her head. "I belong out there."

Fugaku takes a second to mull over his next response. He settles for, "I saw you freeze. Come."

Reluctantly, she steps inside, still carrying the two tiny Uchiha.

"Where's Mikoto-sama?" Asks Izumi when she's finally regained her composure.

"I couldn't get her to stay," Says the Clan Head. "She insisted on being out there with the others."

"We'll keep an eye out for her," Says Sakura.

"Thank you," He says. "I, too, would be with them, but as the fattest mouth in the entire family has said, I'm ailing and would be more of a hindrance than a help."

"I didn't say that last part out loud," Argues Izumi. "I just pointed out that you were old and decrepit."

Fugaku's gaze moves skyward, eyes creating an emphasized roll as his lips bow slightly. "I'm going to let that one slide."

"I'm not."

There's a thwack, and Izumi crouches, holding the top of her head. "Ow, you bitch!"

"You should know better than to talk to Fugaku like that!" Mikoto says.

Sakura tunes out their angry squawking and makes her way back to the battle that's finally coming to an end.

Shisui is gore soaked and she can tell by his stance that he's exhausted. Sasuke is bouncing on the balls of his feet. He can't stay still, even as he's talking to clan members.

"Where'd you go?" Asks Shisui.

"On an adventure," She replies. "What's the count?"

"We don't know yet," He says. "I don't think it's as bad as projected. But..." He shrugs.

They stand there for a minute watching black birds circle. One of them lands on Shisui's shoulder to rub its face and beak against him then shakes as though it's trying to free its feathers from water.

"What kind is that?" She asks.

"Rook," He says.

It flaps its wings and caws at her.

"Go on, then." Says Shisui. His voice has a note of amusement.

The rook looks to him, then back to Sakura before leaping between them onto the pink haired alpha. It startles her at first but she tries to hold still. Watching as it hops up and down her shoulder before settling close to her neck.

"I don't know how you can tell the difference," Says Sakura.

"Patience and time," He says. "Lots of time."

"I guess..." She starts, "I should head back."

Shisui awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. "Stay awhile?"

"I'm still mad at you," Sakura tells him before turning and making her way past the entry where there's a crowd forming.

He drifts after her until he comes to the exit of the compound. His chakra signature stops. Fades as she gets further from him.

There's corpses scattered around the front yard and terror takes hold of Sakura as she bursts into the house. "Omega!" She calls. "Omega, come here!"

"We're fine, un." Says Deidara as he and Itachi come into the living room. They're clean as if they'd showered not too long ago. The blonde's hair is still wet. They're bruised and scraped but Sakura finds no serious injury on them.

She's just about frantic when her cheek rubs against their necks as she tries to assure herself that they're okay.

"What happened to my family?" Asks Itachi. "Did they..." He licks his lips, "Did they..?"

"They're fine," Says Sakura. "Your brother and parents are fine. Shisui and Izumi are fine."

"The other two can rot," He says. Sakura can hear in his tone how much he misses them. "I'm glad Sasuke is okay."

"Well," Says Deidara. "I'm glad Shisui is fine, un."

"Bootlicker," Says Itachi quietly enough that Sakura thinks she might have imagined it.

"Your assumption is wrong, un," Says the blonde. "I'm oddly vanilla."

The dark haired man tilts his head. "I should have supposed that."

"I bet your favorite position is missionary, un."

Itachi hums a non-committal reply.

Sakura pushes past them. The click, click, click-ing has started again. She throws open Deidara's door.

There, in the middle of the room, stands the source of the noise. "Good evening, Haruno-san."

"Who the fuck are you?" Asks the pink haired alpha.

He smells like an omega. "No one important." Sakura moves to approach but he vanishes in a puff of smoke.

She storms back out to the living room. "Who the hell was that?!"

"Apparently," Says Itachi. "He's Dei's friend."

"I wish he'd be my fucking friend, un." Says the blonde. "He always calls my art stupid."