"Ouch," Whispers Itachi. "Sh-Shisui that hurts."

The bed creaks and dips beside her. Itachi makes a noise that Sakura thinks might be a whimper.

"Shisui," Says the pink haired alpha. "Knock it off."

He growls and she growls in response, sitting up and turning to face him.

Itachi is underneath him, shirt pushed up to his collarbone and hair messy. His lips are full and shiny from Shisui's mouth.

Sakura can't see any injury from her position.

One of his hands settle on the omega's stomach while he bares his teeth at her, a possessive gesture.

As far as the medic's concerned, it's moot when she sees the sticky, red substance coating his little finger.

"I'm okay," Says Itachi. "It's okay!" His voice calls after her as she hauls the bigger man out of the room, down the hallway and tosses him into the snow.

He comes back to himself as Sakura's fist hits him and she watches him disappear into the tree line. "Get your shit together!" She bellows.

She doesn't give a flying fuck if he can hear her or not. He priority is now checking on the injured omega.

"Wh-where's Shisui?" Asks Itachi as the alpha looks him over.

"Taking a fucking snow bath," She says. "Where are you bleeding?"

"I-I," Says Itachi. "I'm fine, really."

Her expression becomes dark and he shivers. Shyly showing her his slowly unfurling orifice. "I think he just got too excited."

"Don't care," Says Sakura. "He tries to fuck you again and I'm gonna fuck him up."

"It's really my fault--" Starts Itachi but Sakura pulls him against her.

"Shut up," She says softly. "He is still responsible for the shit he does during rut."

It's early morning and the sun is nowhere near making an appearance but the Godaime's apprentice is too wound up to go back to sleep. So she makes herself some shitty instant coffee and waits for Shisui.

"What's all the commotion?" Asks Izumi as she sits across from Sakura.

"Shisui's rut is full swing. You seem to be handling yours quite well."

"I don't want a fetus leeching the nutrients out of my blood," Says the female Uchiha. "I try to avoid getting parasites."

"Oh," Says Sakura. "I see."

When the curly haired alpha finally comes through the door, his hair has ice crystals and he's shivering.

"The stove's been restoked," The pink haired woman tells him. "Go warm up there."

He strides past them and down the hall.

"I'm only going to warn you once, Shisui." She calls after him.

"That was warning enough," He replies.

Sakura follows him to their room, prepared to beat him to a pulp, but his arms are wrapped tightly around their omega, face in the crook of his neck.

"It's okay," Says Itachi as he strokes Shisui's damp hair. "I'm okay."

Deciding to give them some privacy, Sakura returns to her coffee at the table. Izumi is lying her head on her folded arms.

After some time, Shisui reemerges. "Sakura," He draws. "Do you..." He rubs the back of his neck. "Do you have a minute?"

Her eyes are narrowed when her gaze meets his. "Maybe."

"I'm not moving," Says Izumi. "You can fuck on this table and I'm still going to be right here."

The medic stands and they go outside.

"I'm sorry," He says. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Did you kowtow to our omega?" She asks.

"You know I did," He runs a hand through his hair. "I can't fucking believe I did that."

"Why didn't you wake me?" She asks.

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"Itachi intercepted me. Told me to let him help me and I," He takes a shuddering breath. "I-I..."

The pink haired alpha sighs and wraps her arms around his waist. "Contrary to what Itachi tells you, it was not okay. But it's going to be okay."

They stand like that for awhile, her arms around his waist while his arm rests around her shoulders.

xXx

"Deidara and I are going out to play in the snow," Says Itachi.

"Me too! Me too!" Says Kin.

Sai starts pulling on his jacket.

The smaller Uchiha male turns to Sakura but she shakes her head. "No way. It's cold."

Hesitantly, Shisui says, "I'll go, if you want?"

"Yes!" Says Itachi. "Please come with us."

He glances at Sakura who watches him with raised brows. He sets her warm tea in front of her and grabs his coat, waiting for the medic to tell him he can't go but she simply says, "Have fun freezing."

He doesn't mind. Between his rut and his Uchiha blood, the cold doesn't particularly bother him.

They build snowmen and a large wall around the cabin to shield them during a snow fight.

Izumi makes it a personal mission to throw Shisui into snow banks at every opportunity.

Sakura briefly calls them back in for lunch, sending them out when they start to get on her nerves.

"No wonder he thinks he's a big fish now," Says Izumi. Ino has gone to play with them in her place while she warms up. "He's basically head of the little family you have going on here."

"What's going on in the compound?" Asks Sakura. "You mentioned it before."

"Fugaku hasn't been feeling very well since he fought Orochimaru. It's been six months but he's still recovering."

"Why did no one--"

"You're an outsider," Says Izumi. "You wouldn't be well received by anyone other than the main branch."

"But I would gladly tend to Fugaku-sama as we're still working on the relationship between the village and the Uchiha."

Izumi's long blue nails tap a slow, smooth rhythm. It doesn't sound like Shisui's, Sasuke's, or Fugaku's. "It doesn't matter," She says. "They're talking about making Sasuke the new Clan Head."

"Where does that leave Itachi?" Asks Sakura. "Isn't he supposed to inherit his position?"

"Itachi is an omega," Says Izumi. "As far as they're concerned, you can have him. The current Heads want him to return to the compound, but with the way things are sitting, it probably won't happen until after Sasuke has been established."

"Does Shisui know?"

"He and I are the same rank in the Clan," Izumi says. Her tone is smug. "They even talked about giving him Fugaku's position until they found out he was nailing an outsider. The Hokage's disciple, no less."

"I don't understand how that's connected," Says Sakura.

"It makes the Clan sincerely question where Shisui's loyalties lie." The tapping stops. Her hoop earrings jingle as she leans forward. Sharingan blazing, Izumi's hostility surfaces like a war submarine from the deep and she whispers, "If something happens to Shisui, it's going to be your fault."

Sakura swallows. Her spit feels more like a lump in her throat. "Why'd they pass you over for the position? You said you're the same rank as Shisui."

Izumi smiles. "In a way, they've already chosen me."

Before Sakura can ask anything else, the omega burst through the door. Izumi stands and goes to help them from their coats. Gone is her unfriendly demeanor. "You're soaking wet!"

Her hands linger a little too long when helping Shisui and Itachi from their jackets. Shisui's oblivious to it. Itachi softly steps away.

xXx

This time, Sakura wakes to Shisui pulling on his clothes. "Where are you going?"

His eyes are vermillion when he looks at her. It's the only feature on his face that she can see. She scrambles to pull her clothes on, making sure the omega are comfortable and warm before following him to the hall closet.

In the closet is a pair of bows and quivers full of arrows. He looks a little lost when he discovers they aren't strung.

Sakura snickers as she starts on the first one. "Why didn't you tell me they were looking at you to be Clan Head?"

"It wasn't pertinent," He says.

"I feel like such a dick, Sui."

"Don't," He says. "It's not your fault."

She hands him the strung bow and starts on the next one. "Why were they so mad that you were with me?"

His fingers glide along the string, eyes focused on the motion. "The Clan-- We don't trust outsiders."

"Oh?" She says.

"I didn't trust you originally," He says. His eyes flick upwards before returning back to the bow.

"Is that why you started hanging around?"

"Yeah," He says. White teeth glinting in the low light when he smiles, huffs a laugh. "But you... You surprised me."

"Did I?"

Vermillion meets jade and he says. "Every time."

Time freezes for a moment as they stare at each other. "Do I still surprise you?" She whispers.

"Every time," He says again.

She treads softly into his space, looks up and up and up to keep their gazes locked. "Is that what happened to the other girls? They got predictable?"

"Maybe it's because they weren't women, they were girls."

She pushes his arm softly. "Stop it."

He works his jaw, she can see him thinking about how to word what he wants to say. "Mikoto was right. But not in the way she meant."

Sakura picks up a quiver, handing it to him before picking up her own. She looks to him in askance as they step out into the freezing temperatures.

"They got burned," He says. "People tend to be so blinded by the light I provide, they don't see how deep the shadows go."

They trek into the forest surrounding the cabin.

Adjusting his beanie, he says. "The moment I let them see who I am underneath the veneer, they would vanish."

"So they become afraid of you?" Asks Sakura.

"And yet, you aren't." He says.

"Did you think I would be?"

He bends under a branch weighed down by ice. "That first night?" He says. "I thought I'd never see you again. That you would take Itachi and run away. I expected to be told you put a restraining order on me."

"Do you have restraining orders on you?" She asks.

He shakes his head. "When they tell me they're done, I leave them alone." He says. "Once the blood is in the water, you can't remove it."

"Are you saying you tried to be vanilla?" She says with a laugh.

They wind their way around a frozen lake. The tree limbs are weighed down so heavily they break the ice in spots. "I'm saying that once they've seen what I am, they can't unsee it. I can pretend to be vanilla and resist my urges, but it'll always be in the back of her mind."

"But it counts if you're trying, right?" She asks as she watches the birds chattering to each other and fighting for feeding spots.

He shakes his head again. "That's not how it works for most women. Once they see the teeth, they will never stop unconsciously labeling you as a wolf."

"Shisui," She says as they hit another wooded area. The narrowness of the trees forces her to walk behind him. "You are a wolf."

He pauses. There's hurt across his features when he looks over his shoulder at her.

"But so am I," She says. "And the sharpness of your teeth keep me feeling alive."