"It looks like he's making a really good recovery," Says Yamato.

They glance at the Uchiha who's been roped into playing hanetsuki by the younger omega in her teacher's care. It's been two months since Shisui had been called back to the clan.

"He's quite strong," She agrees. "Do you think there's anything I should be focusing on?"

Yamato hums. "If I thought he'd be returning to the Uchiha Clan, I'd tell you to desensitize him to the breeding bench."

She jumps to his defense but her teacher says, "However, once this is finished, I'm pretty sure they're going to tell you to keep him."

At Sakura's questioning glance, Tenzou says, "The Uchiha are strictly against having omega in the bloodline. Returning him to their gene pool puts them at risk of another being produced -- You're doing them a favor."

Itachi only just manages to keep the shuttlecock from touching the ground. A white haired omega runs for the game piece and tries to hit it but misses.

There's a chorus of, "Awww," when it hits the ground.

"Good game!" Calls Yamato. "Try again."

"How do I tell him?" She asks.

"Honestly," Says her old mentor as he watches them. "I think he already knows. He's very analytical with a high IQ."

"He's bored with me," Admits Sakura. "I can't keep him engrossed in anything for very long and Deidara isn't all that much of a challenge."

"His evaluation is coming up, too." Notes Yamato. "It might be time to put Itachi back on roster. He was an incredible shinobi before all this."

Sakura worries her lip. "Do you think that would help?"

"He's pretty used to the routine you have, right?" He says. "Maybe you should shake it up, somehow. He does need structure. But too much structure is bad for intelligent omega."

There's a cry and suddenly nearly every omega is running to Yamato with, "Yui got hurt! Yui got hurt!"

He breaks from their conversation to tend to the sobbing omega with a scraped knee.

"Come on, Ita-kun," Calls Sakura. "I've got to finish this paperwork."

He nods and they leave Yamato to his gaggle of omega.

"What did I score?" He asks as he falls in step beside her.

"Very high," She replies. "He said you've recovered quite a bit."

He doesn't reply, internalizing the information.

"He said you might be interested in stepping back into the shinobi world," She says. "That it might engage you in a way civilian life can't."

She glances at him and he seems pensive, so she decides to let him think on it and come back to her.

A crow lands on her shoulder, fluttering its wings before preening her hair.

"Oh," Says Itachi. "It's you, Takayuki."

The bird turns to him, scaring the shit out of Sakura when he says, "Itachi-san!" His voice is that of a gruff, middle-aged man.

"How is Shisui?" Itachi asks.

Takayuki stretches, wings pressing behind him as he arches what little back he has. "You and him should elope."

Itachi frowns. "Not well, then."

"We have twenty-four hours. He won't go by himself but if you," He turns to Sakura. "manhandle him out the door and run away with him, they can't stop you."

"I don't think he'd appreciate that," She says.

The bird cocks his head and side-eyes her. "I've never seen that boy as happy as he was with the two of you."

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"But he is bound by blood," Says Sakura.

"Bah!" Cries Takayuki as he flaps his wings. "Flock rhetoric!"

He hops from Sakura's shoulder and turns to face her from his place on the cobblestone. "Didn't you like him at all?"

"It doesn't matter how I feel," Says Sakura. "He is obliged to his family as I am to mine."

She moves to step around him but he jumps where she intends to place her foot and she has to frantically recalibrate so she doesn't squish him. In response, he starts screeching.

Itachi laughs but Sakura finds the crow's voice unnerving as he screams at the top of his lungs, hopping after them as they walk away from him.

He pauses in his noise making to say, "I can do this all day," before the ruckus begins again.

Itachi's chuckling starts anew every time the crow takes a breath to scream. "Takayuki," He says between peals of laughter. "Give it a rest."

"Never!"

"Did Shisui send you?" He says.

But the bird doesn't reply, he just continues the obnoxious squawking that is steadily driving Sakura out of her mind.

A cat jumps from the bushes and he dodges it. "Fuck off, damn you!"

He yelps as the cat comes for him again and leaps to Itachi's shoulder. "I don't know how you can be friends with those disgusting clawed fur balls."

"Did Shisui send you?" Itachi asks again.

"To check on you, yes." He says. "But I can tell he's miserable."

"Go and tell him we miss him, please?" Says Itachi. "Even Deidara misses him."

"Okay," He says. "But what do I get?"

Itachi's expression becomes thoughtful. "I found a brooch on the street a few days ago. It's shiny."

"Yes," Says Takayuki before he jumps from Itachi's shoulder and soars out of sight.

"Corvids," Says Itachi. "They're a little crackheaded."

"They're annoying, if they're all going to be like that," She says.

"Takayuki is just," Itachi pauses. "Really opinionated."

"Oh," Says Sakura. She's unimpressed.

Upon making it to Ino's house, she finds an annoyed Deidara being squeezed and nuzzled by Kin. He probably wouldn't mind if she weren't trying to grind on his leg.

"Must be that time, again," Says Sakura.

"A new romance," Says Itachi.

"I'm gonna fuck you up, un." Deidara tells the Uchiha.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Says Ino as she pulls Kin from the blonde. "Sai and I were doing some trauma work and I didn't realize--"

"He's fine," Says Sakura as she glances Deidara over for any slick streaks. "It doesn't look like she actually got him."

"That's so embarrassing," Says her friend. "I know it's going to happen, I think she'll be fine for another eight hours before it sets in, and then this happens."

Sakura waves her hand. "Itachi tried to take her arm off when they first met, accidents happen."

"I'm lucky yours are sexually reserved," Says Ino. "About a week ago someone brought their in-heat omega to the Social Center and he ended up fucking five or six of the lesser dynamic before it came to the attention of the facility."

"Yikes," Says Sakura. "I'd hate to be that guy."

"No kidding," She says.

On the walk back, Sakura can tell Itachi is thinking again. "What's on your mind?"

"Tsunade-sama and your parents are omega," He says. "But yet, many of us are treated as pets."

"Many omega, such as yourself, refuse to adhere to the current state of affairs," She says. "It's a long, frustrating battle for omega who seek independence from the dominant dynamic, so a good portion of them don't often try."

Itachi falls quiet.

"Besides, that," Says Sakura. "Omega get to stay home and be naked all the time while their alpha does all the heavy lifting."

"But we're expected to play the role of a housewife," Itachi retorts. "Cooking, cleaning, child bearing and rearing."

"Have I asked those things of you?" She says. They both know the answer is a resounding negative. She'd done a good majority of those things other than chore assignment and telling them she wasn't going to do their laundry.

She was their alpha, not their mother.

With Itachi doing mostly better and Sakura having her hands full with two traumatized omega, she'd started working at the hospital again.

Tsunade had wanted to set her up to rehabilitate yet another omega, but Sakura didn't have the money to move again. Let alone the time or energy to take on one that hadn't even begun a recovery.

To this, her Shishou simply replied, I'll get back to you.

Which did not bode well for the pink haired alpha. As it meant the busty omega had a whole new plan she was working on and Sakura would be swimming in work for months.

The Godaime's Apprentice always did enjoy a challenge.

Once home, Sakura starts on dinner. Something feels a little off, so while the food simmers on the stove, she goes to the back yard to check on them.

There's a click, click, click-ing behind her and she turns. She thinks she glimpses a shadow but nothing is there.

Her attention returns to the yard to find Deidara has Itachi pinned, looking smug until the Uchiha flips their positions in one, smooth motion.

Then he's angry.

She steps back inside, glad that they've retained their shinobi training. Part of her is a little sad that she'd be letting them stand on their own soon.

Konoha had reached out to Iwa to inform them of the blonde in her care but they'd made no effort and expressed no interest in retrieving him.

Which is more than fine with Sakura. She'd had him for almost as long as she'd been with Shisui. And while he is a wild one, there's nothing better than when he acquiesces or rubs his cheek against hers.

It strokes her ego and enflames her alpha side when they come to her if they're scared or happy or upset.

The click, click, click-ing starts again. It's so soft that Sakura thinks she might be imagining it. It comes from Deidara's room but stops when she pops the door open. The hair on the back of her neck stands up and she feels like she's being watched.

"Whoever you are, I found you," She calls. "Show yourself."

But nothing happens. The feeling fades and the pink haired alpha's agitation evaporates.

"Alpha!" Complains Deidara. "Ita put mud in my hair, un."

She glances back. There's mud in the long strands of both omega.

And on their faces.

"Go wash up," She says. "Dinner's almost ready."