Best Friend's Brother 40

Winter Break Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters used aside from my OC.

It was Friday and after being dismissed from Guy-sensei's class for the day Natsumi and her friend's gathered along the side the building.

"So we're all in agreement to meet at the dumpling restaurant?" Temari asked looking around the group and earning a few nods of agreement.

"Uh I'm going to need to run home to grab my gift" Kiba said earning a couple nods from the others.

"Alright that's fine" Temari replied earning a sigh of relief from the brunette. "Some of us can start heading over now to hold a table while the rest of you meet us after getting your gifts" Temari said before the group disbursed.

Natsumi noticed Sasuke was one of the first to break away and it seemed that the boy was walking faster than usual as he headed toward the main entrance.

"Hey Sasuke wait up!" Natsumi called as she rushed to catch up with the Uchiha, only to receive silence as he continued on.

'Why is he in such a hurry?' Natsumi thought furrowing her brows in annoyance before quickening her pace and making a grab for his arm.

"Sasuke!" she said bringing the dark haired boy to a halt before he turned to look at her. "Didn't you hear me?" Natsumi asked.

"No" Sasuke lied making Natsumi narrow her eyes at him in distrust.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked raising a brow at the boy. "Is this about the finals because you're still top of the class just not in History and English" she said making the boy narrow his eyes at her.

"No I'm not mad at you about that stupid" he replied before the dark haired girl closed her eyes and dismissed the topic with a wave as she let go of his arm.

"Sure thing" Natsumi said releasing a sigh.

"What did you want?" Sasuke asked as Natsumi adjusted the hold of her school bag.

"A ride" Natsumi said. "I need to stop by my house to pick up my gift for my Secret Santa and a couple others and then to the dumpling place" she explained earning an eye roll from the Uchiha.

"Not today" Sasuke replied making a surprised look cross the girl's face before he turned to walk off again.

"Hold on" Natsumi said grabbing Sasuke's sleeve to bring him to a halt again. "Why not?" she asked as Sasuke turned to look at her again.

Sasuke released a breath before replying.

"I still need to go home to pick up my gift" he admitted.

"Then that's perfect because it's not like it's out of the way for you" Natsumi said. "Come on Sasuke I have a lot to carry and I don't want to have to walk all the way there" she said.

Running a hand through his black locks, Sasuke released a sigh of defeat.

"Alright fine we'll stop at your house first" he said making a victorious smile cross the girl's lips.

"Thank you" Natsumi said earning an eye roll from Sasuke as he turned back to the exit again. "But after I give Kakashi his gift" she said stopping him again before he turned to her with an annoyed look.

"You asked me for a ride now" Sasuke stated.

"Mmhm" Natsumi said with a nod as one of Sasuke's brows started to twitch in annoyance.

"Why did you ask now if you still had things to do?!" Sasuke asked.

"Because I knew you'd wait" Natsumi replied with an awkward laugh as she ran a hand through her hair.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes to take a breath to calm himself.

"So you have Kakashi's gift ready to give him, but not your Secret Santa's?" Sasuke asked looking back to the girl and earning a nod from Natsumi.

"Well I knew I needed to give him his gift at school but the other ones could wait until the exchange" Natsumi explained making Sasuke raise a brow at her in question.

"What do you mean others?" he asked.

"I'm going to be leaving for Kyoto tomorrow so I can't hand out the ones for the others on Christmas" Natsumi replied. "Like Hinata and Temari" she said as Sasuke gave a nod of understanding.

"Alright let's hurry" he said.

Natsumi gave a nod before walking alongside the boy as they proceeded to make their way toward the silver haired teacher's classroom. When they arrived, Natsumi pulled a medium sized package wrapped in red wrapping paper and a green ribbon out of her bag before noticing that the door was slightly ajar. Peeking in curiously, she caught sight of her silver haired teacher standing up from his desk as Naruto set a box on his desk.

"I got something for you sensei" Naruto announced proudly before a light chuckle escaped him while Kakashi raised a brow in question as he looked at the box. "A little present" Naruto said with a grin.

Natsumi watched as Kakashi slowly took the lid off of the silver gift box.

"Hm" Kakashi said wearily before a gasp escaped his masked mouth. "No way!" Kakashi exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that ... Is that really..." Kakashi started to ask in a wavering voice as he fell back into his chair.

"The entire collection of the make out series all signed by Jiraiya" Naruto said. "Along with the newest entry" he went on as Kakashi went about pulling the books from the box.

Natsumi was taken aback by the nervous laughter escaping Kakashi as he flipped through the books before coming to the last one and she saw his dark eyes light up in excitement.

'Wow there's no way I can compete with that' Natsumi thought as she held her gift for the man to her chest.

"Hey Sasuke maybe we should just g-" Natsumi started to say before being cut off by the Uchiha.

"You're not backing out just hurry up" Sasuke said before turning Natsumi toward the door, opening it and pushing her in.

Stumbling in Natsumi quickly regained her footing before looking up to Kakashi and Naruto with a blush of embarrassment.

"Oh hey Natsumi!" Naruto said waving to the girl with a smile before his eyes widened in alarm. "Alright then I have to go, I still need to give Iruka-sensei his gift too" Naruto said before turning to Kakashi. "I'll see you later Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said.

"Thank you Naruto" Kakashi said with what Natsumi assumed was a wide smile as he waved to the exiting blonde.

"See you at the restaurant Natsumi" Naruto called to the girl earning a nod before he disappeared from the room.

It grew silent after this as Natsumi awkwardly shifted on her feet as she continued to hold onto the gift and used her free hand to run through her hair.

"Are you alright Natsumi?" Kakashi asked breaking the silence as Natsumi nervously glanced up to meet the gaze of his dark eyes.

"Uh yeah I just ..." Natsumi replied before releasing a breath. "This is for you sensei" Natsumi said walking up to the man and setting the package onto his desk.

Kakashi's dark eyes lit up in surprise for a moment.

"I'm going to be out of town over break so Merry Christmas" Natsumi said as she subconsciously fiddled with the end of her sleeve.

"Oh thank you Natsumi. I wasn't expecting a gift" Kakashi replied as he began unwrapping the package before holding up a grey scarf.

"I um recently started knitting again so I figured I could make you a scarf" Natsumi explained making Kakashi's brows raise in surprise.

"You made this?" Kakashi asked in surprise.

"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod.

"Thank you Natsumi" Kakashi said with what she assumed was a smile from behind his mask. "I appreciate this a lot" he said bringing the item over his head to set around his neck. "And I'm glad you stopped by" he said before reaching under his desk and setting a gift bag in front of the teen girl. "I picked this up for you as a thank you for all your hard work as my aid" he stated.

Natsumi's brows rose in surprise before a small smile crossed her lips. Opening the bag, Natsumi brought a hand to her mouth before pulling out the gift.

"It's the group you like right?" Kakashi asked raising a brow at the girl before she surprised not only him but the Uchiha outside the door by releasing an excited scream.

Kakashi jumped in his seat while Sasuke rushed into the room just as Natsumi brought her hand back to her mouth.

"This is the new BTS album!" Natsumi exclaimed happily.

"Uh yeah ..." Kakashi said as Natsumi went about taking the plastic wrapping off of the album before pulling out a small card.

"It's a Tae" the girl said with a smile as Kakashi sweat dropped while Sasuke face palmed. "Thank you sensei" Natsumi with a grateful smile as she bowed to the silver haired man.

"No problem" Kakashi said awkwardly running a hand through his hair before he noticed Sasuke.

"Come on loser we have things to do" Sasuke said gaining Natsumi's attention.

The dark haired girl looked to him before nodding in response and turning back to Kakashi.

"Um Merry Christmas sensei" Natsumi said before Sasuke took hold of her wrist to pull her out of the door.

"Have a nice break you two" Kakashi called after the pair with a small wave as they left.

...

After leaving the school, the two dark haired friends made their way to Natsumi's to pick up the things she needed before heading to the Uchiha residence.

"You could've waited in the car" Sasuke said as the pair entered the home.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Natsumi asked raising a brow at the boy and earning a scoff before they removed their shoes and started toward the living room. "Where's your mom?" Natsumi asked noticing how the woman wasn't there to greet them at the door.

"She's probably at the store picking up some extra things for our guest" Sasuke replied.

"Guest?" Natsumi asked.

"My cousin Shisui is staying with us for winter break" Sasuke replied as they entered the living room to find Itachi sitting on the sofa while reading a book.

Glancing up his onyx eyes lit up in surprise upon seeing Natsumi standing beside Sasuke.

"Hello Natsumi I wasn't expecting to see you" Itachi said while sending a meaningful look to Sasuke.

"She was insistent" Sasuke said giving the girl an annoyed look.

Ignoring Sasuke's comment Natsumi smiled at Itachi before greeting him with a wave. Itachi smiled at her with a nod of acknowledgement. He wore a pair of blue jeans with a plain dark grey hoodie and a black denim jacket over top.

"Did you take care of the thing?" Sasuke suddenly asked making Natsumi raise a brow at the boy before looking to Itachi.

"Hn" Itachi replied with a nod. "Upstairs in your room" the boy said earning a nod from Sasuke.

"Wait here" Sasuke said looking to Natsumi and earning an eye roll from the girl before he turned to leave.

"Would you like to sit down?" Itachi asked motioning to the couch and earning a nod from the dark haired girl before she sat a seat away from him. "How was your last day of session?" Itachi asked closing his book as he shifted to look at Natsumi.

"It was alright" Natsumi replied.

"I heard you scored first in two of your finals" Itachi said surprising the girl.

"Oh did Sasuke tell you?" Natsumi asked earning a nod and a small smile from the dark haired boy.

"I don't think he was happy about you placing higher than him in two subjects but I'm happy for you" Itachi said making a small smile cross Natsumi's face as she fought off an impending blush.

"Thank you Itachi" Natsumi said folding her hands together before turning her attention to her school bag at her side.

"No problem" Itachi replied. "I think a little competition is a good thing now and then" he said with a light shrug.

"Don't let Sasuke hear that I don't think his ego could handle it" Natsumi joked earning a light chuckle from Itachi.

"Sasuke certainly has a lot to learn still" Itachi said earning a nod of agreement from the girl before a moment of silence passed between the pair. "But speaking of Sasuke, I wonder what's taking him so long" Itachi thought aloud.

Natsumi felt panicked at this comment, immediately standing and smoothing out her skirt.

'I don't want to be a burden to him' she thought.

"I could go check on him" she offered. "Besides I'm sure you want to get back to that book" she said before stopping when she felt him take hold of her hand.

"That's alright" Itachi said. "The book was only to keep myself busy until Shisui gets here" the dark haired book explained. "But I enjoy our talks" he admitted with a small smile.

Natsumi felt her face starting to heat up as she replayed his words. After another moment of silence she quickly took her seat again before looking everywhere in the room except Itachi.

"But that also reminds me, I'm glad we have a moment alone" Itachi said unknowingly making Natsumi suck in a sharp breath.

She slowly turned to face the boy in time to see him slightly lean forward as he shifted in his seat to remove a folded sheet of paper from his pocket before presenting it to the girl.

"This is all the contact information for the Akatsuki along with a chart with everyone's schedules" he said as Natsumi unfolded the paper.

Her brown eyes lit up in surprise as she looked over everything before looking back to Itachi.

"Thank you Itachi" Natsumi said with a smile. "Did you ... I hope that it wasn't too much to get this all together" she said looking back to it. "Wow you really organized everything" she commented before she looked back to the boy as a small chuckle escaped him.

"It was no problem at all Natsumi besides I had a lot of free time with being on break" Itachi said giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod before she glanced back to her bag again. "I um I actually have something for you too" she said making the boy's brows raise in surprise.

Reaching into her bag she pulled out a small package wrapped in dark green wrapping paper and tied with a thick maroon ribbon. Itachi gave an appreciative nod before reaching out to take the gift to begin unwrapping it.

"Gloves?" Itachi asked pulling out the black gloves before slipping them on.

"Hn I made them fingerless so you could wear them while you play" Natsumi replied nervously. "I heard you guys were doing an outside performance and it's cold so ... yeah" Natsumi went on as Itachi turned his hand to look over the item.

"You made them?" Itachi asked earning a shy nod from Natsumi.

"I recently got back into knitting so I figured you would need them" Natsumi said.

A grateful smile crossed Itachi's lips as he looked at the dark haired girl.

"Thank you Natsumi I'm very impressed" he said as Natsumi looked at him with a small smile.

It grew quiet as the two simply smiled at one another. Natsumi felt her chest erupt in warmth this persisted. The moment almost felt perfect until the sound of the front door opening caught their attention before they turned to see a tall young man enter the living room. He was around Itachi's age maybe older with short dark wavy hair and dark onyx eyes. He was tall and he wore a red flannel with a pair of blue jeans and he carried a red duffle bag.

"Shisui" Itachi said making the boy's eyes light up as he looked to him.

"Itachi" Shisui said with a wide grin. "It's good to see you" he said.

Itachi rose from the sofa at this point making his way over to Shisui and the two dark haired males embraced.

"How was the trip here?" Itachi asked with a light laugh as the two pulled away from each other.

"Great but I'm kind of hungry from the flight" Shisui said with a light chuckle as he glanced to the side and noticed Natsumi.

"Hello should I assume you're his girlfriend?" Shisui asked shooting a grin towards Natsumi that made her stiffen.

"Shisui –" Itachi began before being cut off by the male.

"I'm sorry where are my manners?" Shisui laughed. "I'm Shisui Uchiha" he said proudly. "You have to forgive my shock, I wasn't aware Itachi was dating again and someone so beautiful" Shisui said as he brought an arm around Itachi's shoulders. "I thought we were best friends" Shisui said earning a scoff from Itachi as Shisui smiled before being pushed off by Itachi.

"Natsumi isn't my girlfriend" Itachi clarified making Shisui's brows raise in surprise before an apologetic smile crossed his face as he looked between Itachi and Natsumi.

"Oh sorry" Shisui apologized. "With how comfortable you two looked on the couch I thought you were dating" he explained as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Ignore him Natsumi. While he may be very bright he can be a little dull sometimes" Itachi said looking to Natsumi.

Natsumi was hoping she wasn't blushing too much from embarrassment before standing and replying.

"It's fine" she said as she turned to Shisui. "I'm Natsumi Nakamaru" she introduced herself holding her hand out.

"Shisui Uchiha" Shisui said as he smiled lightly as he shook her hand before asking.

"If I might ask, how do you know Itachi?" Shisui asked.

"Oh I'm a friend of Sasuke's" Natsumi running a hand through her hair. "Maybe I should head up to meet him so you two can take a moment to catch up" Natsumi said as she began to step away.

"No it's fine Natsumi" Itachi said. "I'm sure Sasuke will be finished in a moment" he said.

Just after Itachi said that, the trio heard Sasuke come down the stairs and make his way into the living room.

"Sasuke" Shisui said in greeting to the dark haired teen male as his face lit up with a smile. "It's good to see you" Shisui said walking over to him and pulling him into a hug.

Sasuke stiffened a little at first before reaching an arm around the older boy and patting him on the back before being released.

"Hello Shisui" Sasuke said as Shisui pulled back. "I take it you met Natsumi" he said as his eyes shifted to Natsumi who was awkwardly looking around the room.

"Oh yeah" Shisui said with an awkward chuckle before a thought struck him. "Now that I think about it she's probably you're only other friend I've met aside from Naruto" Shisui said making Sasuke stiffen before sending Natsumi a warning look as he turned to see a grin cross her lips.

"Hn she's annoying but a little more bearable than the dobe" Sasuke said earning a light chuckle from Shisui as Natsumi rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you and your boyfriend are fighting?" Shisui asked teasingly as he smirked at Sasuke.

Natsumi immediately brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles while Sasuke glared at Shisui.

"I'm just messing around" Shisui said bringing a hand down on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke continued to glare at Shisui before he turned his attention to Natsumi.

"Are you ready to go?" Sasuke asked looking to Natsumi.

Yet before the girl could reply Shisui held his hands up in defense as he spoke.

"You're the same as always Sasuke" Shisui chided. "You need to lighten up especially since we're having family show up for the upcoming holidays" Shisui said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Hn" Sasuke replied.

"Speaking of the holidays ... Itachi do you know if Izumi is coming back?" Shisui asked curiously.

Natsumi watched as both Sasuke and Itachi seemed to stiffen before Itachi replied.

"I actually got an email from her saying she would be back" Itachi said earning a weary look from Sasuke as Shisui nodded in understanding.

A tense silence overfell the room after this as questions arose within Natsumi's mind.

'Who's Izumi?' Natsumi thought.

"Uh anyways" Shisui said breaking the silence. "I haven't eaten since getting into town; do you guys maybe want to go somewhere to grab a bite?" Shisui asked looking around to the room's occupants.

"We can't" Sasuke said shaking his head at Shisui. "We have to meet our other friends and thanks to someone we're already running late" Sasuke went on before Natsumi rolled her eyes at his pointed statement.

"He's right you know" Itachi said to Natsumi. "Thank you for the gift. I hope you have a great holiday" he said with a smile, earning a small smile and nod in return from Natsumi.

"Oh and Itachi ... thanks for the help" Sasuke said before grabbing Natsumi's wrist and pulling her out of the living room.

"I think that went well for a first meeting" Shisui said after the two teens left. "I also noticed that you and Sasuke seem a lot better" Shisui said making Itachi chuckle lightly.

"Thanks to Natsumi, Sasuke is opening up more" Itachi said making Shisui raise a brow at him.

"You're fond of her" Shisui pointed out.

"Hn" Itachi replied with a nod, before glancing over and noticing the grin Shisui wore. "Stop" Itachi warned.

"What? I'm just pointing out things I notice" Shisui said holding his hands up innocently. "And she's not dating Sasuke so ..." Shisui started before being cut off by Itachi.

"Shisui" Itachi said in a serious tone, earning an eye roll from Shisui.

"Fine" Shisui said with a shrug. "Where's auntie Mikoto?" Shisui asked changing the subject.

"The store" Itachi replied. "We should put your bag upstairs" Itachi said earning a nod from the boy.

"Sounds good to me as long as we can grab a bite afterwards ... I'm starving" Shisui said as he stretched upwards while walking after Itachi who picked up his bag and started heading upstairs.

...

The car ride was quiet as Natsumi found herself staring blankly out the car window before her thoughts became too much for her.

"Hey Sasuke" the dark haired girl said glancing over to the boy beside her.

"Hn" Sasuke replied not taking his eyes off the road ahead.

"Who's Izumi?" Natsumi asked making the boy raise an eyebrow before glancing over to her for a moment. "You and Itachi seemed really thrown off when Shisui mentioned her" she said making Sasuke release a heavy sigh before answering.

"Itachi's ex-girlfriend" Sasuke replied making Natsumi's heart wrench.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Natsumi asked receiving a nod from Sasuke as he continued to look at the road.

"They've known each other forever but they didn't start dating until she finished junior high." Sasuke stated.

"Hn" Natsumi replied looking to her lap as she took in this new information.

"They broke up when she decided to go to school in the states" Sasuke said as Natsumi felt her heart constrict.

'So they only broke up because of school ... if she would've stayed, would they still be together?' Natsumi wondered before being pulled from her thoughts as Sasuke spoke again.

"I never liked her" he said making the dark haired girl look to him in alarm.

"Why?" Natsumi asked taken aback by the statement.

Sasuke glanced over to Natsumi before looking back to the road.

"She was annoying" Sasuke stated making Natsumi scoff before a small smile crossed her lips.

"Of course" Natsumi said shaking her head at the boy as she turned her gaze back to the window. "Everyone's annoying to you Sasuke" Natsumi said making Sasuke snort to stifle a chuckle.

"She really was though" Sasuke defended himself. "She always tried being too nice to me to get Itachi to like her. She would try to baby me and the harder she tried, the more I couldn't stand her" Sasuke explained.

'He doesn't like her because she tried using him to get closer to Itachi ... Oh crap' Natsumi thought before shaking the thought from her head before deciding to listen more.

"But everyone else really loved her. They always talked about how nice and pretty she was" Sasuke said as Natsumi subconsciously balled her fist. "But she was nothing special." Sasuke went on, unknowingly making Natsumi feel better. "And when she left Itachi was a wreck" Sasuke said making the girl suck in a sharp breath. "He changed ... He still acted the same around me but you could tell he changed with how he interacted with the people around him ... he said he was fine yet he was a lot more closed off. I don't think he started acting like himself again until after he met the Akatsuki" Sasuke went on making Natsumi feel her heart grow heavy.

'He really cared about her' Natsumi thought.

"Now that she'll be back ... she's going to be hanging all over him just to hurt him again" Sasuke said as they arrived at the restaurant and he pulled into a parking space.

Natsumi felt numb. She wasn't sure how hearing these things from Sasuke could hurt her so much but if she weren't sitting beside him she knew she would probably burst into tears.

'Why do I feel like this? My heart feels so heavy' Natsumi thought before she noticed Sasuke starting to remove his belt.

She quickly followed suit before the two exited the car and started to make her way into the restaurant to meet the others. The entry way was much like that of Ichiraku's with how wide and open it was. After entering the two quickly caught sight of their friends crowded at a table near the back. As they started past the counter off to the side, they were greeted by a small older woman as she smiled from behind her register. Looking around Natsumi noticed that the restaurant seemed to be somewhat busy as many other tables were filled and the staff members were weaving their way to deliver orders to tables. As her brown eyes travelled around the room she noted that this place was slightly larger than Ichiraku's with crème colored walls and in the far corner past an entry way that she assumed was the kitchen was a hallway with a sign labeled restrooms.

"Hey Sasuke, I'll meet you at the table, I'm gonna run to the restroom first" Natsumi said catching the attention of the Uchiha in front of her as he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

Sasuke gave a nod of understanding before she handed him the gifts she carried and parting from the dark haired girl. She watched him make his way towards their friends before turning to head to the lady's room. Upon entering Natsumi released a deep breath as she leaned onto the sink's counter in front of the mirror as she looked downwards.

"Why do I feel like this?" Natsumi asked herself as she lifted her head and saw the hurt look in her eyes. "His ex-girlfriend is going to be in town. They might reconnect. But that's none of your business" Natsumi stated in a firm tone as she looked at herself.

Once again her heart felt heavy as she took in this information.

'Who was Izumi? Did she really mean so much to Itachi that he became closed off? What's going to happen with her coming back?' Natsumi wondered letting her gaze fall to the sink again.

"Why do I feel like this? Itachi is way out my league" she said to herself with a sigh.

It wasn't long until she felt her eyes begin water before she sniffled and looked back up to her reflection, but much to her horror she wasn't the only one looking back.

"Natsumi" the voice of the other person came making Natsumi feel her heart drop to her stomach as she turned around to fully face them.

...

"Shisui I really don't care where we eat" Itachi said as the two dark haired males entered his car.

"Come on Itachi, I can't make a decision right now. It's been a while since I've been in Konoha so I can't decide" Shisui replied as he put his seat belt on.

Itachi released a sigh as he buckled his own belt.

"How about Ichiraku Ramen?" Itachi asked as he turned on his car and looked over to his cousin.

But much to his surprise he found the dark haired male to be lost in thought.

"Are you alright Shisui?" Itachi asked raising a brow at Shisui.

Shisui blinked before shaking his head and giving a dismissive wave.

"Yeah I just lost my train of thought on something" Shisui replied with a small half smile.

Shisui ran a hand though his hair as Itachi gave a nod of understanding.

"Uh where did Sasuke mention where he was meeting his friends?" Shisui asked curiously.

"Hn" Itachi replied with a nod. "He said they were going to be going to the dumpling restaurant" Itachi stated making Shisui's face light up with a smile. "We're not going there just for you to pick on him" Itachi stated knowingly.

"I would never" Shisui scoffed, faking offense. "Don't forget I'm the one who took Sasuke in for a while so you can't blame me for wanting to see the fruits of my labor? He never really was too social but now he has another friend aside from Naruto and he's referring to the other people he hangs out with as friends" Shisui said in defense.

Itachi released a sigh of defeat that made Shisui smile in victory.

"Besides I'm actually craving dumplings now that I think about it" Shisui said making Itachi shake his head in doubt while pulling away from the Uchiha residence.

"Liar" Itachi said under his breath earning a light laugh from Shisui as he drove toward the restaurant.

"Ok I'm a little curious about Natsumi" Shisui admitted making Itachi glance over to him with a raised brow. "Her last name was Nakamaru right?" Shisui asked.

"Hn" Itachi replied earning a nod from Shisui. "Why do you ask?" Itachi asked as he looked back to the road.

"I got offered an internship by this company in Kyoto for the summer" Shisui replied as he looked out the window. "The Nakamaru Company I think" Shisui stated peaking Itachi's interest.

"Go on" Itachi said as he readjusted his hold on the wheel.

"Well I turned it down since your father already has me working at the Uchiha Company this summer but I still looked into it." Shisui said earning a curious look from Itachi for a moment. "It's actually a pretty well established company but according to some rumors they suffered a bit of a blow to their image when the owner went through a divorce and his ex-wife shipped off with his daughter." Shisui explained. "Apparently this left some of their partners with questions on the loyalty of their bonds so I heard they're currently in negotiations with the Nekozawa Group to make another deal. In my opinion it seems like it's only being done to establish that their still liable for business but I also heard a rumor there might be a possible engagement between the two company's heirs" Shisui went on.

It was quiet for a while as Itachi processed this information. Thoughts of the dark haired girl went through his mind, all the times Natsumi spent among him and his friends. She was quiet but her smiles and laughs were always so genuine. It bothered him to think that these rumors could be true because while she enjoyed life in Konoha, another life was being planned for her future in Kyoto.

'She never seems like it's bothering her. Maybe she's good at hiding it or she's unaware' Itachi thought as he came to a halt at a red light. 'Sasuke and I are fortunate enough to not have to worry about such things with our father and the Uchiha Company but Natsumi ... no I can't concern myself in her affairs after all, maybe she isn't the one Shisui is talking about' Itachi thought.

"Hey Itachi the light turned green" Shisui said waving a hand in front of Itachi's face to gain his attention.

"Oh yes" Itachi said shaking his head as he pulled forward. "Forgive me I was just thinking" Itachi apologized with a small smile.

"Anyways what's the deal with Sasuke and Natsumi?" Shisui asked changing the subject.

"Their friends" Itachi replied.

"Does he like her?" Shisui asked.

"I'm not too sure I'd be the best person to ask" Itachi admitted. "Although Sasuke and I are closer now, we don't discuss those types of things" Itachi said.

"Do you think he likes her?" Shisui asked rephrasing his question.

"I don't know" Itachi replied honestly.

"Come on give me something Itachi" Shisui complained. "She's cute" Shisui pointed out.

"Hn" Itachi said with a nod of agreement. "She is" Itachi said.

"Put yourself in your brother's shoes, would you date her?" Shisui asked taking Itachi by surprise.

Itachi turned to Shisui with his brows raised in alarm.

"I think I might" Shisui said not paying attention to Itachi's reaction as he looked at the road ahead.

"Why would I think that about her?" Itachi asked confused turning forward again.

"Come on man, you know every guy thinks about that with the girl they spend time around" Shisui replied.

Itachi huffed before feeling a little heat come to his face before answering.

"Maybe" Itachi said as he released a breath.

"Do you think they'd be a good couple?" Shisui asked. "Because if I'm being honest I really can't picture Sasuke in a relationship" Shisui said.

Itachi scoffed before a small chuckle escaped him.

"You'll always see him as a little kid" Itachi pointed out making Shisui laugh as well.

"I'm not the only one" Shisui said as they neared the restaurant.

"I think Natsumi could make him happy. I mean, she's already done so much just as his friend, just think of how much she'll pull him out of his shell if their closer" Itachi said as he pulled into the parking lot.

Shisui gave Itachi a weary look at this statement while Itachi pulled into a vacant space.

"Is that how it worked for you and Izumi?" Shisui said in a serious tone that caught the male off guard.

Itachi turned to him with a blank expression.

"Sasuke isn't like you" Shisui said. "He'll do a lot better from having friends then having a relationship. And as for being pulled out of his shell, he's out but I think you should know that him and Natsumi aren't you and Izumi" Shisui said making Itachi's brows raise in alarm.

"Shisui I-" Itachi started before being cut off.

"You probably can't tell you're projecting onto them. But them being together isn't going to fix what happened with your relationship" Shisui stated.

"You're took a psychology class this semester didn't you?" Itachi asked after a while.

Shisui scoffed before a small grin crossed his face and Itachi rolled his eyes.

"I'm being serious though" Shisui said regaining Itachi's attention. "And I'm only saying something because I'm worried about you" he admitted.

"I'm fine" Itachi stated.

"I know you and Izumi promised to stay friends after the break up but this is going to be your first time seeing her in what a year? You guys stopped talking after she left and well how do you feel about seeing her again?" Shisui asked.

Itachi released a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his chair.

"You only talked about Sasuke and Natsumi to bring the conversation around to me and Izumi" Itachi stated knowingly.

"Itachi" Shisui said prompting a huff to escape Itachi before he replied.

"I'm looking forward to seeing her again" Itachi admitted.

Shisui released a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh cousin, you've always been so difficult when it comes to talking about yourself. It's a good thing I know Sasuke is a good way to soften you up" Shisui said making an annoyed look cross Itachi's face as he looked at Shisui.

"Let's just go inside" Itachi said removing his belt and opening his door as Shisui laughed before following.

...

A/N: Part 1 of the Winter Break arc is done! I'm really sorry about updating late guys ... I had a pretty bad case of writer's block ... kind of ... if I'm being honest, I kind of went to a dark place where I didn't feel like any of it was good enough. I was struggling with writing because even though I've had this arc planned (technically the Christmas chapters were some of the first I planned) and I've been looking forward to writing them since the beginning , I felt like my heart wasn't in it. So I took a little break to step back and readjust because I didn't want to give you something I didn't fully believe in. I hope you don't mind and I want you to know I really appreciate all the comments. Thank you to all of you for supporting my story so far and I hope you continue to read and review for future chapters. Anyways I'm not too sure what else to say than the usual let me know your thoughts so I'll leave you with make sure to stay safe out there

...