Best Friend's Brother 41
Winter Break Part 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters used aside from my OC.
Natsumi quickly wiped her eyes before addressing the person in the restroom with her.
"Hinata" Natsumi said with a weary smile as she looked at the female Hyuga.
She hoped Hinata hadn't heard what she was saying and she hoped she could attribute her watery eyes and sniffle to allergies, but these hopes were soon blown away when she was suddenly pulled into a hug from the Hyuga.
"Hinata" Natsumi exclaimed in surprise as Hinata tightened the embrace.
"Please don't cry" Hinata said making Natsumi's facade shatter as she found her arms wrapping around Hinata.
"How much did you hear?" Natsumi asked in a defeated tone.
"All of it" Hinata said making Natsumi release a sigh as she buried her face into the girl's shoulder.
"Hinata I-" Natsumi started before falling silent as she was unable to finish her sentence.
"Like Itachi" Hinata said knowingly.
This was the statement that broke the dam. All of Natsumi's hidden frustrations and feeling on the older Uchiha came pouring out as she heard this. Her eyes once again watered and she sniffled again while Hinata comforted her by rubbing her back in small circles.
"It's ok" Hinata said reassuringly as Natsumi silently cried.
'I can't believe this ... Now Hinata knows ... I know she won't tell anyone but I should've told Sasuke first' Natsumi thought.
"God I'm the world's worst best friend" Natsumi said in a small voice.
"Hey it's going to be ok" Hinata said reassuringly making Natsumi scoff before pulling back from the hug and bringing her sleeve up to dry her eyes.
"No one knows Hinata" Natsumi said. "I'm sorry" Natsumi apologized making Hinata furrow her brows in confusion.
"You don't need to apologize for crying" Hinata said making a small smile cross Natsumi's face. "If anything I should be apologizing her not letting you know when I walked in" Hinata said nervously twiddling her hands.
"It's not your fault" Natsumi said looking down as she leaned against the counter. "I'm just an idiot" Natsumi said shaking her head at herself.
"Why?" Hinata asked making Natsumi look back up to her. "Because you like a boy?" Hinata asked.
"He's my best friend's brother" Natsumi said.
"What's wrong with that?" Hinata asked.
Natsumi sniffled again before looking to the side and running a hand though her hair.
"Sasuke will hate me when he finds out" Natsumi said in a small voice.
"Why is that an issue?" Hinata asked.
Before Natsumi could explain why, she felt conflicted on telling the shy girl Sasuke's secrets. She thought for a moment until deciding it was safe to tell her.
"Listen Hinata you have to promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to say" Natsumi said in a serious tone, earning a nod from the Hyuga before she went on. "Sasuke ... has a complicated relationship with his brother. You'd never know from looking at him but he's actually really insecure when it comes to being compared to Itachi since he thinks there's some unspoken sibling rivalry between them" Natsumi explained making Hinata's eyes widen in shock. "I don't really know how to explain it but ... Sasuke thinks everyone favors Itachi over him so he ..." Natsumi went on before trailing off when Hinata raised a hand to stop her.
"I understand Natsumi" Hinata said in a small voice as she looked downward.
"Well if Sasuke finds out that I like Itachi ... I'm afraid that he won't just hate me but Itachi too because he'll think that I chose Itachi over him just like everyone else" Natsumi admitted earning a nod of understanding from Hinata before a silence befell the pair.
Natsumi turned back to face the mirror seeing the slight tear tracks that went down her face before turning on the water and cupping her hands under the faucet as she went about splashing the water on her face. When she was done Hinata handed her a paper towel that she used to dry her face.
"Thanks" Natsumi said as she finished wiping her face.
"Are you feeling better?" Hinata asked.
Natsumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself before giving the Hyuga a small smile of reassurance.
"Hn" Natsumi replied with a nod.
"Best friends fight sometimes" Hinata suddenly said making Natsumi's brows raise in alarm. "Granted that you two fight more than sometimes, but you always work everything out so I know it'll be ok" Hinata said placing a comforting hand on Natsumi's shoulder.
Natsumi smiled genuinely at the gesture before speaking.
"Thank you Hinata" Natsumi said. "Well we should probably go meet the others before they send a search party" Natsumi said motioning to the door and earning a nod from Hinata before the two girls exited the restroom.
When they made it back to their table they saw that they were the last to arrive as the others were all present and currently engaged in various conversations. Natsumi watched as Hinata took her seat between Shino and Neji before turning to see Sasuke nod to the seat beside him and Naruto. After Natsumi sat down she looked around to the many smiling faces of her friends and took in the feeling of warmth that radiated off of them.
'This thing with Itachi is really messing with me but do I really want it to ruin how I feel around the others?' Natsumi wondered before Naruto spoke up to gain the attention of the table.
"Since everyone is here I think we should start you know" Naruto said excitedly.
"Uh maybe we should wait until the food gets here" Choji said as the others turned to him.
"I'd rather just get it over with" Shikamaru said resting his cheek on his palm as he leaned his elbow on the table.
"Why is that? You know you don't have any plans after this aside from going home and taking a nap" Ino pointed out earning laughs from the table while Shikamaru sighed.
"What a drag" Shikamaru said shifting his attention to the side.
After this the teens ordered and thanks to the quick service they had an array of dumplings set before them. As they dug in, they decided to start the exchange. The first ones to go were Naruto and Gaara since they drew each other's names.
"Wow what are the chances we got each other the same jacket?" Naruto asked as he slipped his arms into the sleeves of the black jacket he unwrapped.
"I guess great minds think alike" Temari said as Gaara had a small smile cross his face as he put on the jacket Naruto got him.
"Well those two are very close" Kankuro said jokingly.
"Don't make Sasuke jealous" Natsumi mumbled under her breath, earning an elbow to the side from Sasuke as he had heard her but not the others.
At this point the others started to pass their gifts around while Kankuro would announce if he guessed correctly until being threatened by Temari.
"Fine last one" Kankuro said holding his hands up in defense. "Kiba has Natsumi" the boy stated as Temari readied to throw a fork at him until Kiba spoke up.
"Actually I have Temari" Kiba said making Kankuro's eyes light up in surprise.
"But you were looking for Natsumi that day" Kankuro argued.
"Yeah I needed her advice on what to get Temari" Kiba said before holding a small wrapped box to Temari.
Temari thanked the boy for the earrings before shooting a smile and wink to Natsumi while Kankuro pulled out a sheet of paper to try and refigure his guesses. The friends laughed about this until Neji suddenly cleared his throat and held a gift bag up.
"Sasuke" he stated before motioning for the others to pass the gift to the Uchiha.
Sasuke nodded in thanks before opening the bag and pulling out a black hoodie with a red line down the sleeves.
"Thank you" Sasuke said as he held it up and looked it over with a small smile.
This act triggered the others to resume with the exchange, especially Natsumi who slowly rose from her seat before walking over to the other end of the table and lightly tapping Shino on the shoulder.
"Natsumi you're my Secret Santa?" Shino asked as he turned to look at the girl and earned a nod from the girl.
Natsumi held the gift out to Shino which he accepted with a nod. She watched as the boy unwrapped the gift before pulling the green sweater out of the box.
"I made it" Natsumi said gaining Shino's attention as he looked from the article to her. "You should probably try it on to make sure it fits" Natsumi advised.
Shino nodded before getting up and beginning to remove his jacket, his school jacket, and his school cardigan, to leave him in his white button up as Natsumi nervously waited. As he pulled the sweater over his head, she released a breath of relief when he pulled it down and she saw that it thankfully fit.
"You actually made this?" Shino asked as Natsumi looked up to the boy and nodded wearily before her insecurities set in.
"Does it fit ok?" Natsumi asked worriedly.
"Yes" Shino replied looking at down at it. "Perfect actually" he said.
"Really?" Natsumi asked as she nervously ran a hand through her hair. "I was worried since I couldn't measure you but I figured you would like the color since you said moss green was your favorite" she went on as the boy stiffened.
"You actually remembered that?" Shino asked in disbelief.
Natsumi nervously nodded before noticing the light blush that crossed the boy's cheeks before he gave her a small bow.
"Thank you" Shino said surprising Natsumi as she waved her hands in front of her. "I'm usually only guaranteed to enjoy a gift if it's from Hinata or Kiba but I like this a lot"
By now the attention of the other table members were gained as they turned to face the other two in interest.
"Wow that looks really good on you Shino" Ino said.
"Yeah where did you buy that for him Natsumi?" Sakura asked.
"She made it" Shino said making the two girls gawk.
As the table turned to Shino, Natsumi slowly slipped away before tapping Temari on the shoulder and handing her a small box. Temari raised a brow at the girl before opening it and having her blue orbs light up.
"My mom got back from China on Wednesday so while she was there I thought she could pick up a fan to add to your collection" Natsumi said as Temari smiled and nodded in thanks. "I just wanted to give it to you since we weren't going to be in town for the holidays" Natsumi explained.
"Thank you" Temari said. "But I actually had a change in plans" she said. "My dad decided to come home for the holidays so we'll be staying in town" Temari said as Natsumi's expression shifted from shocked to understanding.
"Hn" Natsumi said with a nod and smile before making her way to back to her seat where she was fortunate enough to bump into Hinata who had just delivered Tenten's gift.
Natsumi smiled at the girl before holding a gift bag out to her.
"I thought Temari was my Secret Santa?" Hinata asked in a confused tone before accepting the bag.
"This is just something from me since I'll be in Kyoto" Natsumi said. "I was actually helping Kiba find Temari's gift when I saw this and thought of you" Natsumi explained as Hinata opened the bag before pulling out an orange stuffed fox with nine tails.
"A fox?" Hinata asked confused.
Natsumi gave a smirk.
"Well I was just thinking about Halloween and what we were all wearing" Natsumi said teasingly.
It only took a moment for Hinata to understand and have her face turn very cherry red from blushing. It was priceless to see.
"I-Is this because he-" Hinata started to ask before being cut off by Naruto.
"Hey isn't that a stuffed nine tailed fox?" the blonde asked making the girl stiffen as a small smile crossed Natsumi's face. "That's so cool! That's what I was for Halloween!" Naruto exclaimed rushing over and slinging an arm over Hinata's shoulder as he looked at the toy.
Natsumi watched as Hinata tried to control her blush as Naruto looked at the fox in her hands. The Hyuga smiled at him before sending an embarrassed look to Natsumi, who nodded before taking her seat by Sasuke who was now wearing the hoodie Neji bought him.
"That was mean" Sasuke said, making the black haired girl roll her eyes too.
"You look nice" Natsumi complimented the boy earning a nod from him before she surprised him by holding a small white box to him.
"What's this?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.
"A present for you since I'm not going to be in town for Christmas" Natsumi said now poking the boy with the box until he narrowed his eyes at her and took it.
Sasuke took the lid off the box to reveal a silver key chain of a half circle with the word 'friends' written on it.
"I have the other half" Natsumi said holding up her house key to show the Uchiha the other half with the words 'best' written on her part. "They were originally two necklaces but I figured we would get better use out of them as key chains" Natsumi said putting her keys back in her pocket as she turned to the table to take a sip of her water.
Sasuke looked at Natsumi before glancing down to the box.
"I know you probably think it's stupid since it's usually something girls do but you are my best friend" Natsumi said looking at her water.
"Hn" Sasuke said with a nod before pulling his keys out of his pocket and beginning to connect the new key chain. "Thanks" Sasuke said surprising Natsumi as she turned to see him looking at the plate in front of him.
Natsumi had a small smile cross her face before she heard a gasp that gained not only her attention, but the attention of the table. Turning to the source she saw Ino's mouth dropped open in shock as she had just unwrapped the large portrait of herself that was given to her by Sai.
"That looks amazing" Kankuro commented as Sai smiled proudly.
"Sai this is the best gift I've ever gotten" Ino gushed.
"Yeah right that looks nothing like you" Sakura said with a hint of jealousy. "Sai drew an actual girl instead of a pig" Sakura said earning a slight glare from Ino.
"I could do one for you if you'd like" Sai said looking at Sakura. "I could title it Ug-" the pale boy started before Naruto rushed over to slap a hand over his mouth.
"Don't do it" Naruto hissed as the two looked over to see a dark aura radiating off of Sakura.
"Uh what's the name of this one?" Shikamaru asked changing the topic.
"Beautiful" Sai said with a smile as Naruto removed his hand before sweat dropping as he turned to see Sakura cracking her knuckles.
"Oh Sai!" Ino gushed bringing her hands to face as she blushed.
The blonde then surprised not only Sai but the entire table as she pulled the pale boy in for a hug.
"Who knew someone as clueless as Sai would be able to shoot his shot" Kiba commented earning a few chuckles from the boys at the table.
"It must make you wonder what you're doing wrong" Sai said making Kiba stiffen before he narrowed his eyes at him while the others laughed.
The teens went about talking about Sai's drawing, until Natsumi felt a poke at her side. Turning to the source she was surprised to see Sasuke holding a small wrapped box out to her.
"I'm your Secret Santa" Sasuke stated making realization set in for Natsumi before she accepted the gift and started to unwrap it.
After taking the paper off she saw it was a black box, so she removed the lid, prompting her eyes to light up in surprise as her brows rose in alarm. In the box was a silver necklace chain with a small pendant of the Uchiha clan symbol.
"Sasuke-" Natsumi said.
"Hold on a minute" Sasuke said looking at the opened box with his brows raised in disbelief.
Natsumi watched as his face seemed to go through an array of expressions before he brought his hands to his face and sighed heavily while one of his brows twitched.
"Natsumi this isn't what it looks like" Sasuke said as he lowered his hands.
"Really?" Natsumi asked wearily. "Because this looks like your clan symbol" the girl pointed out before glancing over and much to her relief seeing that no one seemed to be paying any mind to her and Sasuke.
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he released a huff while pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Listen Natsumi this isn't ... this isn't me" he said making the girl give him a perplexed look. "Fucking idiot" Sasuke breathed out further confusing the girl. "If I'm being honest with you, when I drew your name I had no idea what to get you" Sasuke admitted.
"We're best friends" Natsumi pointed out making the boy hold a hand up to silence her.
"Don't start with me on that and just listen" Sasuke said. "I didn't know what to get you so I asked Itachi for his help and he picked this up and wrapped it. I had no idea it would be this though" Sasuke explained as Natsumi's brows shot up in alarm.
'Itachi got this ... Is he really trying to push Sasuke and I together?' Natsumi thought feeling her heart ache as her gaze traveled to her lap.
While everybody was talking and enjoying themselves, none noticed the awkward silence befall the two dark haired friends as they mulled over the gift.
"I'm sorry about this" Sasuke eventually said as Natsumi continued to stare downward. "Here give it back and I can trade it out for you" Sasuke then offered holding his hand out for the box and making Natsumi snap out of her daze.
As Sasuke made to reach for the gift, Natsumi pulled away slightly and looked up to him.
"No" Natsumi said.
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked reaching for the box and making Natsumi lean back to avoid his reach.
"I-I'll keep it" Natsumi said.
"Why?" Sasuke asked giving the girl a perplexed look. "Don't you think it would be kind of weird for you to wear my clan's symbol?" he asked.
Natsumi looked to the side trying to think of a suitable reply before deciding to be honest with her answer.
"It is weird" Natsumi said "But I'm your best friend and I do care for you like family" she said surprising the Uchiha with raised eyebrows.
"Can you honestly tell me you don't care for me in that similar regard?" she asked.
"Natsumi-" Sasuke started saying before she narrowed her eyes. He gave a sigh before stating "Alright fine, yes I care." She nodded happily, making him look to the side grumbling.
"But your still annoying" he said making her scoff.
Before either could say anything else, they heard a cough off to the side and looked to see Naruto looking at them.
"Can't you two go one day without fighting?" Naruto asked making the two stop.
"Naruto please not every talk we have is a fight" Natsumi said nodding to the Uchiha beside her and earning a quick nod before they tuned into the group discussion.
"Oh no I'm going to have to head over for my shift soon" Ino exclaimed as she glanced at her phone.
"Oh yeah and I'm supposed to be meeting Lady Tsunade in a bit too" Sakura said in alarm as the two girl started scrambling to gather their things while putting money down for their portions.
"We'll see you guys later" Naruto called as he waved to the two as they exited. "So do the rest of you have any other plans?" the blonde asked looking around the table and earning a few varied responses.
As she listened in on what everybody was going to be doing today, she felt a small nudge next to her and saw Sasuke looking at her.
"So you still want the gift then?" he asked wearily.
"Yes" she said while giving a nod. "It's actually really nice without the whole symbolism to it" she joked making him scoff to the side.
"I'll talk to Itachi when I see him again for pulling this" Sasuke said "The one time I ask for his help on something and this happens." He grumbled.
"Natsumi!" Naruto said gaining the dark haired girls attention. "When are you going to be leaving for Kyoto?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to speak before being cut off by the ringing of her phone. She gave the blonde an apologetic smile before pulling her device from her pocket and having her brows furrow as she read her father's name.
"Um I'm going to have to take this but I'll be right back" Natsumi said as she put the box with the necklace into her pocket and stood from her seat.
She started toward the entrance to answer the call as the restaurant was now far too noisy as it was filled with more people and more servers trying to weave their way through to deliver orders and drinks. Natsumi tried her best to stay out of the way of people and these workers but when she was nearly past the heavy flow of people with trays she looked up in time for her brown eyes to meet onyx.
Itachi and Natsumi made eye contact for a brief moment before a small smile crossed his face, and she started to turn away before she felt someone bump into her from behind.
"Yeah mom I'm on my way" Natsumi heard Kiba's voice just before a server spilt a water over the front of her school jacket. "Natsumi!" Kiba called.
"I'm so sorry" the waitress apologized bringing a hand to her mouth as Natsumi stood frozen.
She could feel more eyes on her as she looked from the apologetic look the woman gave her to the floor with the broken glass and her now wet front. Natsumi shook her head to dismiss the apology before looking back to her phone which was still ringing and hastening to the entrance.
Once outside Natsumi released a breath to steady her nerves before Kiba rushed out after her.
"Natsumi I'm really sorry, I was in a rush because my mom called to say Akamaru got out" Kiba explained before looking back to his phone. "Oh shoot I got to go but I'll make it up to you" Kiba promised before darting off as Natsumi released a sigh.
Ignoring the feeling of embarrassment, Natsumi shook her head dismissively before bringing her phone to her ear to answer.
"Hello father" Natsumi spoke into her device.
"Natsumi it took you longer than usual to answer" he father pointed out from the other line and earning a heavy sigh from the dark haired teen.
"My apologies father I wanted to make sure you could hear me rather than the restaurant chatter" Natsumi stated.
"Out with friends?" Natsumi's father asked.
"Yes" Natsumi replied. "Just like I mentioned in Saturday's call" Natsumi said.
"Indeed" her father replied before a silence befell the pair.
"Is everything alright father? This call is unexpected ... unless you're calling to make sure my affairs are in order for tomorrow" she said followed by a breath being released from the other line.
"Well Natsumi I was calling to inform you that your ticket has been cancelled" her father said making the teen's brows raise in alarm.
"Cancelled?" Natsumi asked shockingly.
"Yes, I had an unexpected meeting arise in the states so you won't be coming to Kyoto as originally planned" her father explained.
It was silent as Natsumi processed this information.
"You're working during the holidays?" Natsumi asked breaking the silence.
"Yes" Natsumi's father replied.
Natsumi took a moment to process this as the disappointment set in shortly followed by the slight relief of not having to go on the dreaded trip, yet all these thoughts went out the window when she caught sight of Itachi exiting the restaurant. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched him look around before his eyes landed on her and he started to make his way over.
"Natsumi?" her father's voice rang out, bringing her attention away from Itachi.
"Yes father" Natsumi answered.
"I said that this is something that is very important in terms of the company so I don't expect you to be disappointed" he said.
"Hm" Natsumi agreed halfheartedly as she turned to see Itachi giving her a small wave before holding a small towel out to her. "I'll let mother know I'll be staying then" Natsumi said.
There was silence on the other end until he decided to speak.
"Hn that's good to hear I'll be expecting a call from you on Saturday" her father said shortly followed by the click of him hanging up before she focused fully on Itachi.
"I didn't mean to interrupt your call" Itachi said with an apologetic tone.
"Uh it's fine" Natsumi said taking the towel with a quick thank you.
While she occupied herself trying to dry off the spot, her mind raced with all the thoughts of what had happened over the last few hours.
'Itachi got me my secret gift ... does he really see me and Sasuke like that?' she wondered refusing to meet his gaze. 'Does he really think we should be together?' Natsumi thought feeling her heart grow heavy.
"Are you ok?" Itachi asked catching onto the awkwardness and snapping her out of her thought process.
"Oh yes" Natsumi replied quickly handing the towel back to him. "Thank you for the towel" Natsumi said with a quick nod of appreciation. "I have to head back inside now to let my friends know I'm staying for the holidays" she said abruptly before rushing away from the older Uchiha, leaving him standing alone to look after her retreating figure with a confused look.
...
Sasuke watched as Natsumi rushed outside to pick up the phone call.
'I wonder what that was about' the Uchiha thought.
"Huh I wonder what that was about" Naruto said voicing Sasuke's thought.
Sasuke turned to answer the blonde haired boy before a certain voice caught his attention.
"Sasuke" Shisui called walking up to the table with his hands in his pockets. "Wow what a surprise to see you here" the older boy said with a smile, making Sasuke's eyes narrow at his cousin.
"Shisui what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked
"Hey I did say earlier I was hungry, so Itachi and I decided to get dumplings." the older boy said.
"Hey Shisui!" Naruto said. "I didn't know you were going to be in town."
"Naruto it's good to see you." Shisui said with a laugh. "You can blame Sasuke for not telling you, it's been planned for about a month now" he went on.
Naruto turned to Sasuke, giving him a stern look that the Uchiha ignored by hearing what Shisui said about Itachi.
Before he could ask where his brother was, Shisui's eyed the table they were at and saw all the others looking at them.
"You must Sasuke's friends" Shisui said standing by the table. "I'm his older cousin Shisui" the boy introduced himself as the others greeted him.
"Shisui take a seat" Naruto called motioning to Natsumi's vacant seat and earning a nod from Shisui before he took a seat beside the blonde while Sasuke stared at him.
"It's a good thing Sakura and Ino left already, those two would be having a field day if they had a chance to meet one of Sasuke's relatives" Shikamaru said crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes as he leaned back in his seat to relax himself.
The Nara's peace was soon interrupted though as he received a sudden slap to the back of his head that made him sit up.
"Don't be so rude" Temari chastised the boy.
"Troublesome woman" Shikamaru mumbled under his breath as he brought a hand to where she struck him. "Are you saying I can't complain about how well I know my friends?" Shikamaru asked earning a glare from Temari that made him sigh. "What a drag" Shikamaru sighed.
"Hello Friends!" Lee said suddenly running up to the table. "I apologize for being late as my discussion with Guy-sensei went longer than I anticipated" the boy explained gaining the attention of the table.
As everyone became distracted by the eccentric boy's entrance, Shisui turned to Sasuke.
"So Sasuke, you mind if I ask something?" Shisui asked in hushed tone.
"What?" Sasuke asked with a brow raised at Shisui.
"What's going on with you and Natsumi?" Shisui asked.
As Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by Naruto who actually answered the question
"Jeez why does everybody always think you and Natsumi have a thing going on?" the blonde haired boy asked.
Shisui turned to his right and saw Naruto looking at both them while Sasuke gave a sigh of annoyance to the blonde's interruption.
"It's rude to eavesdrop Naruto" Sasuke said making the blonde scratch the back of his head with a light chuckle.
"What do you mean?" Shisui asked Naruto.
"You're thinking something is going on between Sasuke and Natsumi" Naruto said trying not to laugh. "He treats her about the same as he does me" Naruto said making Shisui cock a brow at this.
"Yeah but didn't you guys ki-" Shisui started to say before both Sasuke and Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Nothing to see here" Naruto laughed awkwardly as he noticed that they had gained the attention of the table. "Don't mind us" the blonde said as the other group members gave the trio weary looks before slowly returning to their conversations. "We don't speak of it" Naruto hissed at Shisui before removing his hand as Sasuke glared at Shisui.
Shisui rolled his eyes at the two before glancing to Sasuke.
"Alright then how do you feel about her?" Shisui asked earning a scoff from Sasuke before he turned to the table to take a sip of his water.
Shisui raised a brow at him before Naruto brought a hand on his shoulder.
"I can tell you how Sasuke feels about Natsumi" Naruto stated peaking Shisui's interest. "He cares about her a lot but he definitely doesn't like her" Naruto said making a confused look cross Shisui's face.
"How does that make any sense?" Shisui asked.
Naruto took a moment to run a hand through his blonde locks before replying.
"Well it's kind of like this you know. Sasuke likes her but he doesn't like like her. They're really close and really good friends but not in a romantic way you know" Naruto explained. "I guess the best way to put it would be that their best friends but if you wanted to try and put it into better terms I guess you could say Sasuke sees Natsumi as family. Especially when you think about how much he hangs out with her but also on how much they annoy each other." Naruto said as Shisui turned back to Sasuke and earned a simple nod.
'The dobe's an idiot but he knows people and how to explain them' Sasuke thought as he drank more of his water.
"The only problem with that though is Sasuke isn't a very good big brother type since he sucks at communicating his feelings and showing care as he's only ever been used to being a little brother to Itachi" Naruto said making Sasuke choke on his water before turning to glare at the blonde as Shisui broke down into laughter.
Much to his horror though, when he turned to face the pair he noticed how quiet the rest of the table had become as they all looked at him after hearing Naruto's explanation.
"Naruto" Sasuke said in a warning tone that made Naruto stiffen before a familiar female voice caught his attention.
"Aww Sasuke I should have known you would need Naruto to express how you truly feel" Natsumi said with so much mirth in her voice.
...
After Natsumi abrupt departure from him, Itachi followed shortly afterwards as a single thought plagued his mind.
'I hope Natsumi's alright' Itachi thought before shaking his head dismissively. 'I shouldn't worry, after all Natsumi is mature than most people her age' Itachi thought as he walked into the restaurant and began searching for Shisui so they could get their food and go.
As his onyx eyes surveyed the room he noticed Natsumi returning to her table and taking a seat as a certain dark haired male stood up while laughing.
'Oh great Shisui found Sasuke and his friends' Itachi thought with a sigh.
Walking closer to the scene, Itachi was close enough to hear the discussion taking place while still being unseen. He watched as Sasuke face palmed and turned away in embarrassment while the others laughed.
"Would you feel better if I started calling you Big Brother?" Natsumi asked trying not to laugh and making Sasuke stiffen before turning back to face her with a look that could kill.
'Big Brother?!' Itachi thought in alarm as he looked at the teens in disbelief. 'Why would she call Sasuke that?' Itachi thought.
Natsumi held her hands up in defense while trying not to laugh while the others seemed to be watching with smiles on their faces as they were somewhat used to antics of the pair of dark haired teens.
"This is all your fault dobe" Sasuke said glaring at the blonde boy. "You just had to open your big mouth" Sasuke said as Naruto's shoulders shook with laughter as he struggled to hold back.
"Oh come on teme I wasn't wrong" Naruto said holding his hands up in defense. "You do care about Natsumi like she's family" the blonde said making Sasuke stiffen. "Besides it's just unclear what kind of family since you would be a pretty crappy big brother" Naruto pointed out before Sasuke suddenly reached over Natsumi and knocked Naruto out of his chair.
There was laughter all around at Naruto's despair, yet Itachi only had silence with a look of disbelief. He processed what Naruto had said and what Sasuke agreed to before he shifted his gaze to see Natsumi laughing with the others as she looked at Sasuke.
'She's not bothered that Sasuke sees her as a little sister? They see each other as family? What are they doing? Do they really not like each other?' Itachi thought as he expected a look of disappointment to cross her face, yet instead she laughed while trying to gain Sasuke's attention.
"Don't worry, I still care about you, Big Brother" Natsumi said teasingly poking the boy in the shoulder as he still refused to look at her.
'Why isn't she upset?' Itachi wondered continuing to look at the dark haired girl and his brother all the while trying to understand why he was so bothered by her lack of reaction. 'Sasuke doesn't like Natsumi and she's ok with it' he thought in confusion as he continued to watch the scene unfold.
While Itachi tried to understand the situation before him, he didn't notice that Shisui spotted him off to the side.
"Well it looks like I've done enough damage" Shisui exclaimed as he stretched upwards before turning to the others. "It was nice meeting all of you but I think I should go get my food and head out" Shisui said giving a small wave to the group of teens and earning nods and waves as well.
Shisui and Itachi walked off and after a while Sasuke seemed to calm down while Naruto and Natsumi tried not to start laughing again. Conversation among the table changed topics and soon enough, Natsumi found the attention of the table focused on her when Naruto suddenly exclaimed.
"Oh yeah Natsumi so when do you leave?" Naruto asked.
"Oh uh I'm actually staying now" Natsumi said awkwardly.
"You're not going to Kyoto anymore?" Sasuke asked making the girl look down to her lap.
"Well that's great, we can all hang-out during the break" Naruto said looking to the others at the table as Natsumi felt a slight nudge from Sasuke.
"My dad cancelled the trip" Natsumi said, answering the unspoken question.
"Hm" Sasuke said earning a nod from the girl just as the table seemed to quiet down again.
"Hey how about we go watch a movie after this?" Naruto asked gaining the girl's attention as she now turned back to him.
"Uh yeah" Natsumi replied wearily as she ran a hand through her hair and looked to the side.
She felt embarrassed being put on the spot and abandoned but that didn't seem to faze Naruto as he once again slung an arm over her shoulder. She turned to the blonde with her brows raised in alarm as he gave her one of his usual kind smiles.
"Don't worry Natsumi!" Naruto said. "Now that you're staying, we're all gonna have a great Winter Break in Konoha." Naruto said confidently.
"Really?" Natsumi asked.
"Believe it!" Naruto replied earning laughs from around the table as Natsumi looked around to her friends and allowed a genuine smile to cross her lips.
...
It had been two days since Natsumi's Winter Break began and she was enjoying all the time she spent with her friends. As she arrived home Sunday evening she took off her layers of warm clothes to change into a pair of flannel pajamas and an oversized t-shirt before laying back onto her bed with a huff.
"I love my friends but I already feel like I used up all my energy for my break" Natsumi thought aloud before sitting up and glancing across her room where she caught sight of her school bag leaning against her vanity and sighing.
'Well they say the early bird gets the worm' Natsumi thought before dejectedly rising from her bed to open her bag and pull out the things she would need for her English assignment.
She looked over the prompt before flipping through her English notebook to the questions she'd written down for her interview. She read over them with a more critical eye before picking up the paper Itachi had given her and allowing her eyes to run over the contact information for the Akatsuki. She set the items in her hands down before picking up her phone and dialing the first number that was listed on the sheet. It rang a few times before being picked up.
"Hello" the voice said from the other line.
"Hey Yahiko, its Natsumi I was wondering if you were able to do the interview a little sooner than expected?" Natsumi asked into the device.
...
A/N: And this is the chapter! Lots of drama with Secret Santa antics and misunderstandings on the nature of Sasuke and Natsumi's friendship lol and we can't forget about Itachi finding out how they really feel about each other ... Will this influence what he thinks of Natsumi? And what other drama can occur with her spending her winter break in Konoha? Let me know your thoughts in the comments even if they're not about predictions and maybe you just want to let me know what you thought of the chapter (PS I think my favorite part was Sai the Sai part but I'm a little biased) Anyways thank you to those of you reading and reviewing and I appreciate all the support. Also I wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to be going on a little trip to visit one of my best friends and my boyfriend's family so there probably be an update for next week and I'm sorry. But the drama will continue so please continue to read and review and until next time please make sure to stay safe out there guys
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