Mebuki and Kizashi were ecstatic, to say the least. Sakura was going to embark on her first mission after being reinstated as a shinobi of Konoha, and it made their hearts swell with joy, although they presented it differently. The two chūnin had gone all-out, or as much as possible with the late notice, in celebrating the matter. Kizashi was hogging the kitchen and baking a plethora of sweets that filled the house with a pleasant aroma while Mebuki and Sakura sat in the living room. The pink-haired girl had immediately brought out her mission bag and was neatly arranging her belongings on the coffee table. She also had her whetstone and the poison Shizune had helped her with from Shino's beetles.

Sakura had accepted Mebuki's offer to sharpen her weapons while she went through her checklist of items. Tsunade had informed them to pack for a wet environment. Perhaps Amegakure? Sakura dipped a kunai into the purple liquid, still thinking, the silence between the two not uncomfortable, but rather the work of two shinobi working together mechanically. The fan in the corner rotated towards her, blowing air, then spun in another direction. Konoha summers were muggy and humid.

The radio was playing from the kitchen as Kizashi bumbled around, checking the oven, mixing something over the stove, then returning to whisk something in a bowl, glad to be in his environment.

Sakura's eyes shifted back to her bundle of medicinal herbs and creams. Tsunade was a firm believer in natural healing methods, and used any sort of modern medicine as little as possible. She said it was something about knowing the components of what you put into someone else's body, someone that trusts you to take care of them. Mebuki placed the last kunai down on the table and reached for her mug of tea, leaning back on the couch. Sakura looked up from her spot on the floor, redirecting her attention to the senbon. Tsunade's insistence on learning the human anatomy was greatly beneficial to the use of them.

After a long moment of serenity and marvelling in the domestic mood, Sakura concluded she had all she needed, and methodically packed away her emergency MRE's, poncho, and other things. She leaned back, lying on the wooden floor before getting up and sitting on the couch, not too far but not too close, next to Mebuki, who merely inclined her head.

Sakura wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling, but it made her feel wholesome to be accompanied in a quiet environment. She had been so accustomed to the constant bickering between Naruto and Sasuke that when she was alone in her apartment, it felt oddly empty. The pink-haired girl mulled over these thoughts and deducted that she was now quite accustomed to Mebuki and Kizashi, as well as her graduated classmates from the Academy. It was strange to imagine not being pestered by Ino and Lee, being without Shikamaru and Kiba's complaints, the quiet companionship that Shino and Hiroto provided. Even Chōji's unending snacking, she had grown used to.

Perhaps she had judged them too quickly, although it was a requirement of shinobi on the field. Sakura had begun to notice the switch of Tsunade's personality with and without training. At practice she was bossy and aggressive. Other times she was still tough, but abiding to her. A sudden thought came to her. "How do you function on missions?" Sakura knew the quiet woman that took a liking to jasmine tea and wore white a lot and would laugh freely after a couple of glasses of wine, but that was at home. With Sakura.

Mebuki seemed surprised first, but nodded, thinking. "I would like to think I'm sufficient," she finally replied. "I like to think objectively, but I also know that the emotional well being of my charge is important, too."

"Huh?" Kizashi poked his head out from the entrance of the kitchen. He had turned down the radio to listen in on their conversation. The man smiled mischievously at Mebuki. She prickled. "She's very hot-blooded on the field. That's what I thought when I saw her for the first time."

Sakura turned to Mebuki, silently asking her if it was true. The blonde sighed irritably, shooting Kizashi a withering look as she bunched her dress in a lethal grip. He paled and ducked his head back into the kitchen to finish whatever it was he was making. "I'm objective when I need to be. And that's the case for most situations." Her tone left no room for questions, and she relaxed when Sakura simply nodded.

Another question rose. "When did you meet? Did you fall in love?" Sakura then proceeded to explain her earlier conversation with her teammate on love, and presented her findings to them. After a few minutes, she munched on a still-warm cookie, staring expectantly at them. There was a pause between Mebuki and Kizashi, the both of them staring at each other. Who knew Sakura could be so chatty?

✿ ✿ ✿

Sakura had woken up in the early morning, feeling a little apprehensive for her first mission as she quietly dressed. She would get there early. Just in case. Sakura stared at her reflection on the vanity's mirror as she pulled her hair into a small ponytail, satisfied that it was long enough to hold altogether. She double checked that she had everything on her person, yes, she had the pack she kept on her lower back, and then nodded to herself. For a moment, Sakura stared at herself some more. Her hair was softer now, and her skin was no longer sallow, but had a slight tan instead. Her eyes trailed to her thin lips, then darkened at the scar she found. Sakura's attention moved to her ear, her stomach dropping and a rush of cold overwhelming her.

She pulled her hair from its ponytail and let it fall loose, then turned towards her bed. A small black storage box was the victim of her scrutiny. It had been delivered by an ANBU from Tsunade an hour or two after dinner. Sakura had been playing board games with Mebuki and Kizashi until the door rang. She remembered the shock on Kizashi's face as he accepted the box and closed the door. "It's for you from Hokage-sama," he had told her.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, then pried off the lid. Scrolls. She picked up the first piece of text and opened it carefully. Some of them were yellowed and no doubt old. "Basic Stances and Handsigns for Senju-Specialized Jutsu," she read aloud, then stared at it suspiciously for a few seconds before rolling it up once more. Tsunade still wanted her to practice Shōkuton; she just wasn't as physically aggressive about it.

Carefully, Sakura had selected a couple of scrolls from the top of the box and gently packed them into her bag. There was no harm in reading about some of the capabilities she had, she reasoned, slipping on her knee-high sandals at the door. After all, if the mission she was a part of was meant to bond the team, it would be low maintenance and allow her plenty of time to herself. With this, Sakura promptly shut the door to the Haruno household and made her way to the Hokage Tower.

[A/N]: Goodness I love writing about the interaction between Sakura and the Harunos. Also, Sakura pondering the separation of work and personal life? If you couldn't remember, the scars she got were from the Tazuna mission.

Also personal life update! I'm now on summer break and I'm still debating whether or not I should not be friends with my best friend :///

aNYWAYS please vote and comment!! Anything you like or don't like, I'll accept constructive criticism!