A/N: New York was a blast! I am an extrovert by nature, so the constant flow of people and the beautiful locations gave me the inspiration to get this chapter out and done. Many, many thanks to: KateKat1992, LeonaMasha, Guest, LePengwen, A Lurking Guest, LoveandWinning, Guest, sbfumayam, and Silverfox579 for the wonderful reviews! Your comments bring me so much joy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I do not own the MCU or Naruto.

"Cherry bomb!" Greets Tony Stark with a smile, a sleek looking Virginia Potts behind him, holding an envelope.

"Tony," she greets, looking up from her book. "Hi, Pepper," she says with a warm smile that gets returned readily. Tony looks more tired than she remembers him being. His eyes are dark and there is a frown on his face, but he wipes it away quickly when he sees her staring at him quizzically.

"We want you to come with us to California."

Sakura raises her eyebrow. "Why?"

Tony shrugs. "Summer is close to done, and the holidays will be here soon. We want you to spend it with us."

Sakura looks between the two of them and wonders, would she be intruding? She doesn't know Pepper all that well, besides the friendly greetings and quick conversations, but Sakura knows Tony and his soft spot for the kunoichi, and therefore knows Pepper's soft spot for Tony. She nodded briefly before saying, "We won't be staying here?"

"Ah, about that," says Tony. "Everyone has their own plans for the holidays so we won't be seeing everyone for a while. Plus, we're moving facilities eventually."

"Oh," Sakura says softly, understanding that the rules are different here. These people don't see what they've made as family, at least, maybe not yet. Back home, when you bleed together, you become part of one another and that is the closest thing to family many shinobi have. When there is no guarantee to life, no promises of coming home that can be kept, you somehow love more fiercely for it. She knows this, because each time she saw her family walk out the village gates and return weeks later, she felt her love grow for them. Love knows no boundaries. She knows because even after all their losses, her boys still love each other and love her. She wonders though, if her Avengers can see what they have, when there is nothing there to threaten it. Despite it, Tony welcomes her home with open arms and she can feel her heart skip a beat.

Instead of voicing this, Sakura says, "Ok, I would like that. I've never been to California."

Tony rolls his eyes. "Sakura. You're from a different dimension, of course you haven't been to California."

The woman with pink hair only giggles at the sarcasm laden words, and she heads to her room where she begins to pack up what little belongings she has with her.

The trip is not very long, but Sakura is fascinated by the landscapes they fly over. She's glued to the window, and can't hold back the gasps that leave her lips. They pass fields of green, miles of dry, red earth and huge lakes that reflect the sky like glass. When they land, Sakura is surprised how quickly the time seemed to have gone by her. She takes a glance at the modern look and size of the house. "This is your home?" She asks him, curious, and he nods.

"Come on, let's head inside."

Weeks pass as Sakura gets acquainted with the house. She lives in the same wing of the house as Pepper and Tony and begins to notice when Pepper sneaks into Tony's room, and the times when Tony isn't even in his own bedroom. It worries Sakura more than she would like to admit.

And that is how their days pass. Tony, in the basement of the house, tinkering away at something shiny that Sakura does not understand. Pepper, working each day. And Sakura, who had a better sense of anonymity in California, spends her days exploring the wilder parts of the state, only to return home in time for dinner. More often than not, it is Pepper who comes home, tired and weary to Sakura setting out dinner. She knows the two of them are busy, and that she is not integrated the way they are, but she hopes for all of them at the table. She is disappointed when only two of the three seats are filled, and one look at Pepper tells Sakura she shares the sentiment.

When it has become two months, and the house is filled with tension, there are more and more reports of unusual bombs and something called a Mandarin— although she's not sure what a fruit has to do with explosives—, Sakura has had enough. She marches down to the basement, and walks right up to Tony.

"Something the matter, buttercup?" Tony asks, when he sees Sakura's cocked hip and folded arms, a scowl on her face.

"Yes, in fact—!"

Her tirade stops when she sees suit after suit lined up, in various states of repair. "Is this what you've been doing down here?" She says finally.

Tony does not put down the tool he is using, but turns his body to face her. "We need this. A suit of armor around the world, I mean."

Sakura can see the deep bags forming under his eyes from the lack of sleep, and begins to understand. A strong man he might be, but he wasn't born and bred to be a killer. Not like her, especially not like other shinobi.

"Well. I'm no expert on that, but I can tell that you're too stressed right now. For good reasons, but you need a break: this project can rest for a few hours," she tells him, setting her hand down on his. It makes him stop his work in its tracks and look up at her. She softens her face, and says, "Let's have dinner. Pepper is very worried about you. All of us are." And it's true, because even Happy and James have noticed a difference.

Tony sighs and gets up, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I suppose I have to now," he tells her, shaking his head and chuckling. "I can never say no to you."

Sakura shrugs, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and takes his hand to lead him upstairs, glad he complies. He squints at the sunlight and shades his eyes and Sakura grins, feeling warm at the picture he paints. "You belong in sunlight. It suits you," she tells him, honestly, because she has never told a lie, not since she faced death in strange forests and sheared her own hair.

Tony is quiet as he looks at her, gaze strangely watery, and he quickly turns his head the other way. But his hand, so much larger than hers but no more calloused, briefly wraps around hers before he lets go, and they walk to the table, the food and Pepper waiting for them.

A/N: and so, the next arc begins. what awaits us? I really don't know. Leave some love and tell me what you think!