Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I'm writing this solely for the ItaIzu fans out there.

Note: In the Itachi Shinden novels; Fugaku actually approved of Izumi as being a good friend to Itachi, and even thought she was beautiful. And don't worry this won't turn into a cliche love story, nor will there be any love triangles included. (I just HATE love triangles with a passion!)

Warning(s): Itachi and Sasuke are 3 years apart in this fic.

Dedicated to: SpaceIsTheLimit; the talented author of the ItaIzu Not Very Refined Series

Chapter 1: The Plan

"No, I'm not going." She stubbornly refuses, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"Come on Izumi, aunty insists you come." The man, specifically lawyer, Shisui Uchiha desperately begs his surrogate little sister.

"What benefit is there of me going?" Izumi puts on her goggles and returns to the car engine she was currently fixing.

"I know it'll make him happy." He tries. At hearing that she lets out a bitter laugh and turns to sneer at him.

"Are you sure about that Shisui-nii? Do you remember him scornfully accusing me for thinking I was just an opportunist trying to gain fame for being a good friend?" She still painfully remembers him making her cry in front of his friends, that she was getting the wrong idea just because they were AP Physics partners and also insulted her dream of becoming an engineer. It was the last day of senior year and she was about to go give him a hug, but was harshly grabbed by the wrist and was told "What makes you think you can hug me Izumi? Do you think of us as friends? All you women want from the Uchiha is our wealth, and it's better if you give up this childish dream of becoming an engineer, a woman like you will never-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence because she slaps him. Hard. Was this the same shy, sweet-tooth, dorky partner she was with the whole year? She walks away with tears streaming down her face,not looking back, because if she did then she would see his Akatsuki friends patting him on the back and him smiling a smile of regret.

"You have a point Izumi." Shisui remembers Itachi coming to him distraught, after hearing everything Itachi told him; his first response was punching the living daylights out of his best friend's face to the point it made Itachi fall down on the ground; and after 30 seconds Shisui helped him stand up and told him "You'll only be hurting yourself if you keep on pushing away these feelings. I'm not happy what you did to Izumi, but you better tell her the truth, because she deserves to know."

"How about I be your escort tonight Izumi?"

"Hello? Don't you have to escort Hana?!" She asks incredulously, last time she checked, he was married to her best friend, formerly known as Hana Inuzuka.

"I'll escort both of you then!" Shisui declares.

"Fine, but you both better not act all mushy in front of me." She smirks at him, remembering how those two were lip-locking at the Hanami Festival earlier this Spring, while she was stuck baby-sitting their daughter.

X

X

It was now 8:50 pm and here she was, coming out of the shower and puts on her bathrobe around her body and then quickly blow dries her hair on high. After about 5 minutes she pins her hair with bobby pins and then puts on her bra and a pair of comfortable panties. When all of that is done she puts on her elegant black evening dress with lacy full sleeves and waits for it to reach her feet. For make up she puts on peach lipstick and a little bit of shimmery tan eye-shadow exclusively on her eyelids. Finally she finishes off with a simple pair of 2 inch black high heels.

At 9:00 pm she hears her apartment doorbell ring, 'Dammit Shisui-nii.' She still didn't want to go, but she didn't spend the last 10 minutes getting dressed up for nothing!

As she opens the door and she's shocked to see how classy Shisui and Hana look together. Shisui was wearing an all black suit and had a pink baby bag slung over his shoulder, Hana was wearing a strapless shimmery dark blue dress almost similar to the one Anastasia wore in the movie; with 3 inch black high heels and her hair was tied in an elegant up-do, and lastly she wore a pair of diamond studs. Let's not forget the little mush Hana was holding.

"Akira!" Izumi immediately takes her in her arms and cuddles her. Shisui and Hana's 9 month old daughter was dressed in a poofy pink dress and had a white bow on her black hair that reached a little bit above her shoulders; she also had her father's cat-eyes and curly hair.

"We better get going ladies." Shisui reminds them, so they won't be late for Sasuke's promotion as CEO of Uchiha International Trade and Itachi as his Adviser/Secretary/Moral Support.

"I'm only going to go to congratulate Sasuke-chan." Izumi warns Shisui not to set her and Itachi up' the three adults and baby then head towards Shisui's expensive black Honda.

X

X

Itachi Uchiha was rarely anxious over anything, and when he would be, it would be over something HUGE. Just now he receives a text from Shisui saying that he was bringing Izumi along with Hana and Akira. Of all days to surprise him, it had to be the day he's officially announced as Sasuke's second in command of Uchiha International Trade. 'Stay calm Itachi, once she arrives you can explain as much as you can to the point she'll forgive you...if she forgives you.'

Speak of the devil, in walks in Shisui with Hana holding onto his arm and behind them walks Izumi holding Akira in her arms. He was bewitched at seeing her look so beautiful. She looked so naturally beautiful, there was not a hint of super-expensive cosmetics on her angel-like face; just a little bit here and there. Her hair though, it was let loose with a pair of bobby pins pinning one side of her hair back; he had the urge to run his fingers through her dark brown tresses. Simply put, it will be hard for him to not let her catch him looking at her.

"We're right here you know." Shisui teases him, causing Itachi to look away from gawking at Izumi and Shisui's face suddenly turns serious, "This is your chance to explain yourself to her, don't blow it up." He warns him. "I won't." Itachi turns to face him determined. Once Itachi has his mind set to something, it's almost impossible to prevent him from accomplishing it.

"Izumi-senpai is that you?!" A bubbly voice calls out to her. She turns her head to see a woman younger than her with shoulder length natural pink hair tied in a half tie. She was wearing a simple strapless aquamarine maxi dress and a white shrug on top. And was wearing simple real pearl droplets.

"Sakura-chan, it's so good to see you." Izumi gives Akira back to Hana, that way she can give the 21 year old prodigy doctor a hug. Yes, Haruno Sakura is a doctor and surgeon trained by the Legendary Tsunade Senju herself. Did we mention that she's also Sasuke's fiancee? Just last week she was given a call from Sasuke telling her he proposed! Despite not keeping contact with Itachi, Sasuke still kept in touch with her, mainly him taking basic car repair lessons from her.

"You look beautiful." Sakura says her honest opinion; which was true because Izumi's black lace dress was looking elegant on her and a her hairline was side partitioned with bobby pins. All in all, Itachi wasn't going to let any man dance with her. Of that, Sakura was certain.

"Izumi." Sasuke acknowledges her with a nod.

"Sasuke-chan." She smiles at him. "Congratulations on becoming the CEO." She praises him. It's not everyday a 22 year old becomes a CEO.

"Ah." Was Sasuke's monotonous response before he takes Sakura's hand in his. Said pink haired maiden was blushing from her fiances's initiation.

'They're so in love.' Izumi solemnly observes the young couple in front of her. Now she was starting to feel depressed, almost all of her friends were in a relationship now. Shisui-Nii and Hana-chan, Sasuke-chan and Sakura-chan, Iruka-senpai and Ayame, Tenma-san and Shinko-san, and Konan-senpai and Yahiko-senpai; Konan was the only one of Itachi's friends that didn't break her friendship with Izumi.

'I'm lonely.' She thought depressed as she sees Sasuke and Sakura make deep eye contact with each other while conversing, though the latter was blushing heavily.

"Izumi." She tenses for a moment as she hears a familiar deep voice that always made her shiver from hearing it.

It was Itachi and hot damn he looked good.

Shock wasn't enough to describe what Izumi was feeling right now, right in front of her was her former friend from high school. And here he was acting like he didn't hurt her at all. Did he really think he could make small talk with her right now; after 7 long freakin' years? 'Well confidence was always a prominent trait of him.' Izumi clearly remembered.

Looking at him right now, she sees that Itachi has changed a lot in his physical appearance. For starters he looks much taller than he was in high school, more muscular as compared to the thin figure he had in high school, and much healthier now ever since he told her that he was going through intensive medical treatment back in high school; even the lines under his eyes have decreased, over all he looked like a fine young man in her eyes. He was wearing a red collar shirt with a black blazer and black tie, black pants, and an expensive pair of black dress shoes.

"It's been a long time Itachi." She acknowledges with a firm voice, but she was sure he could detect the slight hesitation in it. Right now they weren't even in the grand hall of the Uchiha Mansion, they, including Sasuke, Sakura, his parents, Shisui, Hana, and Akira were all standing in the smaller hall where all the guests had to wait before opening the big marble doors of the grand hall.

"Listen Izumi I'm sorry-"

"Izumi is that you?" Mikoto chirps upon seeing her and grabs her in a tight, warm hug. "It's been months since I've seen you dear. And you look so beautiful!" Wait his mother has recently seen her, and she didn't even bother to tell him? Itachi was some what annoyed at hearing this.

Mikoto Uchiha, the matriarch of the Uchiha Clan and also a world famous author, after writing her hit female empowering fantasy-novel series Natural Women. The deceptively young looking woman was wearing a full sleeves black gown which was fitted on the waist, and exposed half of her back, was wearing a pair of black diamond earrings with silver embroidery and a matching necklace to compliment the earrings. Over all, she looked stunning.

"We talked two months ago Obasan, and thank you." She speaks to his mother in a calm and teasing tone compared to tight one she used with him just moments ago.

"I know, I know - you and Sakura are like the daughters I never had." Mikoto cutely pouts which causes Izumi to blush at hearing that.

"I'm flattered you see me that way Obasan." She humbly tells her late mother's friend.

"Mother." Itachi catches her attention with an edge to his voice. And Mikoto caught the signal and nods at her son with a thin line on her lips, as she returns to stand next to Fugaku.

"As I was saying I'm sorry for what I did to you 7 years ago, I think you deserve to know the truth as to why I cut my ties with you." At hearing this new piece of information, Izumi raised an eyebrow at him. "I know what I said hurt you a lot and I didn't mean any of it, I promise." Itachi tells her in an unwavering voice. "I don't expect you to forgive me after hearing this but the reason why I said those things to you was because I-I um...began to...to develop feelings for you, and I knew that if I followed them, I wouldn't have worked this hard to help Sasuke become who he is now; I needed to focus exclusively on that." He finishes and waits for her to process everything he just told her.

Now Izumi has her arms crossed and gives him a 'Are you serious?' look. "If you had simply told me you were going to be super invested in Sasuke's career, I would've backed off and I also would've given you space!" Izumi angrily growls at him. "Goodness Itachi, I considered you to be one of my dearest friends and to have you say all of that horrible stuff to me in front of your friends was absolutely stupid and immature!" She raised her voice at him and turns her back to him, "Tell Shisui and Hana I'm going home." She walks to the main door of the mansion to leave.

"Izumi wait!" He caught her wrist in an iron grip. He was not going to blow his chance with her.

"No more Itachi. Just no more." She snarls at him, feeling a mixture of sadness and defeat.

"Didn't you hear anything I just said?" He asks her incredulously, he just admitted he had feelings for her!

"Elaborate." She demands in a clipped tone, arms folded.

"I-I...started to feel this way around a month ago senior year was ending, and it was at the same time my father was about to make me train as the next CEO, but I refused and persuaded him to give the position to Sasuke instead. I had to do a lot of work in convincing him and by that time I also began to see you as some thing more than a friend. It was all to inconvenient, you were a big distraction." He honestly tells her, and he knows the rest of the evening isn't going to go smooth.

"Do you still have feelings for me?" She asks him with no hint of emotion.

"I...yes." He resolutely answers and looks deep into her dark brown eyes then sighs. "I want to start all over by being your friend, you don't have to answer right away to my...confession, but I really missed you Izumi."

She gives him a small grin and holds his hand in both of her's, saying "Alright, but no more secrets."

At that he lets out a throaty chuckle and says "Deal." before poking her forehead.

***X***

I'm thinking of making this into a multi-chapter-fic.

OXOXO

~ walkingspring