• IT'S GOING TO SPEED UP FROM HERE ON OUT •

Yup you read that correctly. From here on Miss Author is giving this story an engine and driving us to where the story picks up again. Why? Two words; writers block. But that doesn't concern the readers, right? So let's go!

A while has passed since the recent development. Sakura and Sasuke still try to get the perfect dango recipe for Itachi (but Sakura doesn't know this), and after their first date Naruto and Hinata found themselves going for more– most of them involved food by the way. Things were going so much smoothly that everyone wished it would continue that way for a long time but of course, good things don't last forever.

The downward slope began with one trip to the hospital.

Sasuke went to visit Itachi as usual. He had a lot to tell the older Uchiha about so he was pretty excited and was practically skipping to Itachi's room. That excitement soon turned to dread when he got to his brother's ward and saw nurses scrambling around in the hallway. There was a crash cart being pushed along with them and Sasuke's heart fell. It couldn't be, right?

They could be running to another room on this ward, right? Itachi's room was not the only one at the end of the hallway, right?! As much as Sasuke wanted to run to his brother's room he couldn't move his legs properly. They were trembling but they still carried him to Itachi's room. The door was open and Sasuke could see how the doctor was trying to keep his brother's heart steady with chest compressions.

The nurse with the crash cart got a defibrillator ready and the doctor took it. Sasuke didn't realize he wasn't breathing until he heard his name.

"Sasuke."

It was his mother. She was there the whole time but he didn't realize. She was holding him, telling him to breathe, telling him that Itachi would be alright, telling him that it was okay. But was it? Sasuke knew just how little time he had left with his brother and right now he was afraid that he wouldn't make the best of it before he left. A nurse closed the door, blocking his view of what was happening inside.

It made him panic but at the same time it took his mind off things. It helped him listen to his mother's soft instructions to breathe in and out and her reassuring words. Soon he was calm and mirrored his mother's hope that this was just a jump scare.

In the end Itachi was stabilized and was sleeping peacefully. Sasuke and his mother, Mikoto, released breaths of relief as the doctor related the news. That was a shock but it was a sign that one of these days they wouldn't be able to see Itachi anymore. The realization was dark but the Uchihas had accepted this a long time ago. It didn't make things any easier on them though.

After his trip to the hospital today Sasuke got desperate. He was running out of time. He really needed the dango to be perfected and fast. The dangos he made with Sakura were good, great in fact considering he disliked sweet things, but they didn't feel special. Something was missing and he didn't know what. Sakura's recipe indicated that there was a secret ingredient they needed to complete it but since neither of them knew what it was they'd being making dango without it. Perhaps that was why the dangos felt ordinary?

Sasuke didn't know but he needed Sakura to remember what the secret ingredient was and fast. He hated to show a vulnerable side of himself but it seemed like the only way to show Sakura how serious he was with the dango recipe was to bring her to meet Itachi. He had no choice.

The next scene brings us to the Hyuga turned Haruno mansion where Sakura, Ino and Hinata were hanging around in the living room. It was funny how close the three of them became once it was established that they weren't interested in the same person. Ino found that she liked Sasuke's cousin, Sai, after being partnered up with him for a project once and Sakura's got Sasuke to herself.

The guilt of being with Sasuke sometimes ate Sakura up even though they weren't officially dating and Sakura's feelings were probably unrequited. After all the real person Sasuke was supposed to be with was her step sister. She didn't want to be with Sasuke this way but she was more afraid of what Sasuke would think about her if she told him the truth than the guilt clawing at her chest so she stayed quiet.

Hinata on the other hand was on the fence when it came to relationships. Sure she went on dates with Naruto but with the dude she could never tell if they were real dates or play dates. And besides she didn't have the time for a relationship anyway. She wasn't allowed that liberty.

The three of them were closer but nothing really changed about their relationship. Ino and Sakura still made messes for Hinata to clean up but they were becoming more self aware and making less messes. Hinata still wore horrible clothes that Ino laughed at and Sakura told her to change but she was making an effort to be a bit more fashionable...though it was barely visible.

They were all dissing a rom com movie that was playing on the TV– well Hinata was dissing it while Sakura was sincerely moved by the cheesy romance and was crying and Ino was teasing Sakura for crying over something like that– when a song suddenly started playing. It was Sakura's ring tone.

She checked her phone and discovered it was a text from Sasuke. She bolted up. This was new. Sasuke never texted her for anything unless it was to discuss the dango recipe. So imagine her surprise and elation as she read through a text from the boy telling to meet on Sunday and to wear something nice.

"Whaat?!" The pink haired girl screamed happily. Ino and Hinata jumped up in surprise but then they calmed, unimpressed.

"Dude what the hell?" Ino asked, mildly annoyed but Sakura was too happy to care. She pushed her phone into her best friend's face as she squealed.

"See! SEE!"

"Whaaat?! No way!" Now it was Ino's turn to scream.

"What is it?" Hinata asked curiously though she didn't hope much because Sakura and Ino could get frisky over the littlest things. Ino gave her the phone and she read the text. "Wow congratulations."

"Wha- is that all you have to say?!" Ino questioned in disbelief.

"Uh yeah?" Hinata wasn't sure how else she was supposed to react. She knew how over the moon Sakura was for Sasuke and she was genuinely happy for her for this apparent breakthrough but she just couldn't be as excited as Ino and Sakura were about the news. She wasn't as energetic.

"You're unbelievable." Ino huffed and faced Sakura promptly. "I'm so happy for you girlfriend!" She exclsi while hugging her.

"You think it's a date?" Sakura questioned unsurely.

"He asked you to wear something nice. Of course it's a date! What else is it supposed to be? An invitation to meet his family?" Ino yelled like it was the most obvious thing in the planet. If only she knew how close she hit the mark.

"It's a date?" Sakura asked once again.

"It's a date!" Ino repeated firmly.

"What if you're reading the situation wrongly?" Hinata questioned from the sidelines though she shrank back from the intensity of Ino's glare and Sakura's broken hearted face.

"Don't be a stick in the mud Hana." Ino still doesn't remember her name. "I know a date when I see one."

"Okay...? I just don't want to get your hopes up." Hinata shrugged.

"Hinata's right. I shouldn't get my hopes up." Sakura sighed, taking her step sister's advice. "But that doesn't stop the fact that I'm meeting up with Sasuke for something other than our normal school interaction. What am I going to wear?!" She freaked. Ino grinned. This was her area of expertise after all.

"Don't worry babe, I've got you covered. Let's see that closet of yours!" The blond pushed her friend out of the living room and up the stairs to Sakura's room. Hinata sighed after them. That room was soon going to be a mess of clothes and shoes.

***

Hi. It's been a while hasn't it? Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Vote and comment if you did!

-Star.