Happy Valentine's Day! Have an update. Finally. I have no excuses. Enjoy!

Itachi didn't know why his legs had led him to Izumi's house. All he knew was he didn't want to go home, and he most certainly didn't want to be alone at the moment.

So there he was, standing in front of the girl's house, debating whether he even should knock on the door or not. He'd gone on a walk in an attempt to clear his head and de-stress, no destination in mind. Surely she was busy. Why should he bother her with his problems? He should just turn around and go to Shisui's house if he needed a friend so badly.

Except Shisui was dead, and Itachi was being accused of his murder.

Itachi closed his eyes and shook his head almost violently, willing the images of his earlier encounter with the Leaf Police Force out of his mind. He'd lost his temper, and in front of Sasuke for good measure. But, who could blame him? Being accused of his best friend's murder was like a punch to the gut. If he was being honest, Itachi wasn't quite sorry for the words he'd spoken earlier in the day, or the beating he'd handed out.

Sighing to himself and deciding that being with a friend would likely be for the best, Itachi knocked on Izumi's front door.

It didn't take long for her to answer. She opened the door after a couple of moments, a bright smile appearing on her face. The raven couldn't help the own small smile that tugged at his lips in return.

"Oh, Itachi-kun! I wasn't expecting you. Please, come in," Izumi said, stepping aside to let him in.

The raven nodded and stepped inside, taking off his shinobi sandals and leaving them in the corner of the entryway. The two teens stood there awkwardly for a couple of moments, Izumi seemingly expecting him to tell her the reason for his sudden visit.

"I apologize for the sudden intrusion, Izumi. I was on a nightly stroll, and thought I'd stop by and catch up," he lied. "I can leave, if you were in the middle of something."

Izumi simply shook her head and waved her hand dismissively, almost as if she found his comments ridiculous. She offered him her hand, which he took wordlessly, and led him to the living room. Letting go of his hand, she gestured to the couch, where he took a seat.

The brunette remained standing and eyed him curiously, hands on her hips. "First of all, you could never intrude here, Itachi-kun. Secondly, you're not one to simply stop by here just to 'catch up', as much as I wouldn't mind that," she said teasingly.

Itachi opened his mouth to say something, but she put a hand up, silencing him.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. My parents are gone for the evening, and I'm not the best cook, but would you like something to eat? Or maybe some tea?"

The raven knew that if he denied her, she'd only think he didn't want to inconvenience her. He smiled at her hospitality. "Just tea would be fine. Thank you."

That seemed to satisfy her, and she nodded with a smile. After assuring him that she'd be right back, she headed into the kitchen to prepare the tea. Itachi took the opportunity to survey the room.

Pictures of a smiling Izumi and her family adorned the walls, along with rare ninja tools that were being displayed for decoration. Awards Izumi had won at the academy were also displayed, as well as artwork that had seemingly been drawn by a child. Itachi found himself both happy that she seemed to have such a loving and supportive family, and slightly envious.

Itachi didn't come over to Izumi's house often. He was simply too busy, but the two met up when they could. He'd never really had a chance to look around. The raven found himself wondering how Izumi's parents felt about the plot to overthrow the village. Izumi had mentioned that she was against it in the past. Had she spoken to her parents about it? Could they help convince his father and the others not to overthrow the village?

Or, would war break out?

Would everyone die?

Would Shisui's sacrifice be in vain?

"Itachi-kun?"

A voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to find Izumi standing over him, tea in hand. He took the tea from her and uttered a soft 'thank you' before staring into the steaming mug, seemingly shutting down.

Izumi sat down next to the raven, putting her own mug of tea down on the coffee table in front of them. She frowned at the troubled look on Itachi's face and sudden change in demeanor. She didn't want to upset him or pry in any way, but it wasn't healthy to hold one's emotions in as Itachi tended to do. She pondered the best approach, before placing a hand on his back lightly. Her touch made Itachi look over at her, and she could tell he was waiting on her to speak.

"I know something's bothering you. Does it have something to do with you and Shisui-san not showing up to last night's meeting?" she questioned lightly.

Itachi let out a shaky breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding, and closed his eyes momentarily at the question. His emotions were written all over his face and body language, and honestly, he felt weak in that moment. Shinobi weren't supposed to show their emotions. That was one of the most basic codes of conduct in their profession. But, he was just so tired and angry and oh, so very heartbroken because why did this have to happen to them?

All he wanted was to just talk to someone about it. To vent. To whine about how unfair it all was and how frustrated he was. And, he could. This was Izumi, his other best friend. She wouldn't judge him. She never had before.

"Shisui died last night, Izumi," he murmured after a moment, his own words making him feel sick to his stomach.

"Oh, my God. Itachi-kun, I'm… I'm so sorry," Izumi gasped, eyes wide in horror.

Itachi took a sip of his tea, whether to calm himself down or put off going into further detail, even he wasn't sure. He was quiet for a few moments before placing his tea on the coffee table beside hers. "The Leaf Police Force came knocking on my door this afternoon. They think I murdered him," Itachi said bitterly, anger seeping into his tone.

"What!? No way. You would never! What the hell is wrong with them!?" she replied in outrage.

"They believe I did, as we were the only ones absent from last night's meeting. When those men accused me, I lost my temper. I said things I'm not sure if I even meant or not. A physical altercation ensued, and Sasuke saw the whole thing."

Izumi began running her hand up and down his back. She occasionally drew what she hoped were comforting circles with her fingers, waiting for him to continue.

"I didn't kill him. To be falsely accused of murdering my best friend is more than I can handle right now. I'm tired, Izumi. I'm living in constant fear that civil war will break out because of our clan's foolish actions. No one seems to have considered the ramifications, except for a select few," Itachi finished.

Izumi knew that the select few Itachi was referring to was herself, himself, and Shisui, who was now dead.

"I believe you, Itachi-kun. I know you wouldn't even dream of hurting Shisui."

Izumi considered asking Itachi what really happened to Shisui, but she didn't want to cause him any more pain. Besides, she could draw her own conclusions from what she'd heard, and from observation. Itachi was clearly innocent, and he had no visible injuries. If he and Shisui were ambushed by an enemy and Shisui ended up dead, Itachi likely would have been injured in the conflict. Itachi appeared to be haunted by what happened, almost as if he'd witnessed something awful. Izumi could only draw one conclusion.

Suicide.

Izumi was sure her theory would be proven correct once the investigation was completed. That is, if it was done thoroughly, and not marred by baseless suspicions.

Itachi's voice brought her back to reality.

"Thank you, Izumi."

"For what?" She asked, her hand on his back finally ceasing its movements.

"For letting me vent, and most of all, for believing me." he murmured.

She gazed at him intently for a moment, before wordlessly pulling him into a hug. Itachi was momentarily surprised, but not uncomfortable. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, almost shyly, having never been this close to her, or any girl besides his mother before. He found that he didn't mind it, even when Izumi buried her head in the crook of his neck.

"Of course I believe you, Itachi-kun. Everything's going to be okay in the end," she said, her voice slightly muffled from being so close to him.

The two of them stayed like that for a while. Itachi seeking solace in her arms, and Izumi more than willing to oblige. They moved on to happier topics, such as what they'd do once peace was achieved, and whether the first or fourth hokage would have won in a fight.

Izumi had told him that everything would be okay in the end. Whether she was right or not, he didn't know.

For now, Itachi chose to believe her.