I'm heavily underdressed compared to the rest of the people at this restaurant. Including my work colleagues.

The men are wearing expensive and custom-made suits, and the women are wearing lavish dresses made by very famous fashion designers.

Here I am, in my nicest dress, a small fraction of the price of what some women spent on their dresses.

I tug at the material of my black dress. The skater skirt swishing around my legs when I let go of it. It has a high neckline, sleeves that cover my shoulders and the skirt reaches my knees. I'm not overexposed, yet I feel like I am. It's not my fault I'm not from a wealthy family, and I'm the only person here that is a personal assistant.

I make a decent living, of course I would, I work for one of the best companies in the country. I'm not a lawyer though, so I don't make as much. I make enough to get by and that's it. I don't have enough to live comfortably in the city centre, but I make enough to live comfortably in my home town. That's all I want, a comfortable life.

Not only do the lawyers make quite a bit more money, most of them are also from very wealthy families. There are the occasional few who are from working class families like myself, but most are pretty rich. They can afford to spend a ton of money on a dress or suit they'd wear occasionally. I wouldn't be surprised if they bought the dress purely for this evening and they'd never wear it again. Rich people are pretty wasteful.

I definitely don't have enough money to spend a few hundred thousand yen on a dress I'd only wear once or twice, because let's be honest, I don't get invited to posh restaurants every day.

"I love your dress!" Izumi exclaims, her grin wide on her face. I blush at the sudden unexpected compliment.

"Uh… thank you." I say quietly, feeling quite awkward about the compliment. "I love your dress, it's really pretty." Izumi's dress is peach, its neckline falling just below her collarbones, the skirt slightly loose around her legs. The dress accentuates her figure. Her makeup is rather light, making her dark brown eyes stand out. Her hair is done up nicely into a nice up do.

We're then all led to our table. As I walk through the restaurant, I notice how nice it is. I don't want to know how much the company is spending on it. I'm guessing they have quite a few work dos, but since I'm a personal assistant I rarely get invited to them. Just the one at Christmas really, and that's always held in our building. Never anything flash like this. Purely because so many employees would be attending, it'd be impossible to hire out a whole restaurant for all of us, let alone how expensive it would be. So the company always makes use of the large hall on the ground floor in the building.

It's weird that I have been invited, I wonder if Izumi asked if I could go? Or was it Itachi's doing? It is a new restaurant after all, paparazzi stand outside when places like this open, just to see what celebs go in to try it out.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was a stunt to make us seem more like friends, so the press and public stop speculating.

The table is rather large, obviously since there's quite a few of us here. It's lined with very expensive looking cutlery and wine glasses. There are cards with our names on them, signalling where we need to sit.

I make sure to look at everything and try to remember what it's like here, since chances are I won't see an expensive restaurant like this again. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for someone like me.

I sit down in my seat and Izumi sits down next to me. Someone I don't know sits on my other side, and surprisingly Itachi sits opposite. It shouldn't be surprising, maybe he always sits near Izumi? They are close friends after all.

The man on my left turns to me, his black eyes and black hair makes me instantly believe that he's an Uchiha too. His resemblance to Itachi is quite close, but then most Uchiha look the same.

I can't help but notice that he looks familiar… where from though?

I don't exactly follow the Uchiha, I never really followed celebrities. Even when I was a teen in school, I was more concerned about doing well so I could go to a decent university.

That doesn't mean that I can't name a few of them, they are very powerful and very famous in Japan.

Shi..Shi…

I rack my brain for his name. I'm fairly certain he's Itachi's best friend and cousin.

Shi…

"Hello! My name is Shisui Uchiha!" He greets, a playful grin sweeps his face.

I realise I've been staring at him and my face turns red with embarrassment.

"Uh… hello. My name is Akira Hanakawa, it's nice to meet you." I greet awkwardly. Luckily it doesn't feel too weird to be surrounded by celebrities, most people would be losing their minds right now, my little sister included. Not me. They're just people, so their status in society doesn't really bother me. Although, if I met a member from my favourite band I would squeal a little bit. I'm only human, okay?

"It's nice to meet you too, aha. Itachi has told me a lot about you." He scratches the back of his head as he grins at me. A quick glance in Itachi's direction shows that he's not too happy about Shisui's confession, but he sits there in silence. Quietly watching the exchange.

"He has?" I question. My cheeks redden more, what did Itachi tell Shisui? I'm starting to worry about what happened that night, I don't remember any of it. What did I do?

"Yeah. He told me how you two met…" Shisui catches Itachi's eyes and his voice trails off. Itachi's glare deepened, leaving Shisui sitting in silence with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"Hanakawa-san?" Izumi asks, I turn to face her. "I forgot to ask earlier, did you finish sending out all the emails?" I nod.

"Yeah, they were all done. I don't think you received anymore after either."

"I might have done, but you can just tend to them tomorrow." Izumi replies. A small smile taints her lips, and she turns back to Itachi. "Itachi-chan, when's food arriving?"

"We still need to get our drinks first." He responds. Izumi frowns slightly. I'm guessing she's quite hungry. My stomach growls quietly, and I realise I haven't eaten anything in over seven hours.

At that moment, several waiters arrive and they place several bottles of wine on the table. There's a variety of different types and brands. Shisui picks up a bottle of white and holds it out to me.

"Do you want some wine, Hanakawa-san?" He asks politely.

"Yes please, Uchiha-san." Shisui then carefully pours me a glass of wine, my eyes meet Itachi's and I quickly look away. "Thank you very much, Uchiha-san." I say politely as he puts the bottle down. His hands find the closest bottle of red and he pours himself a glass.

I take a sip of my wine and the acidic taste hits my tongue. I try my best to not grimace. The aftertaste is quite pleasant, however, so I take another sip.

Menus are then placed in front of us, and I pick it up. I open it and my eyes widen at the prices for the food.

The red on my face finally disappears as I take in how much everything costs.

I scan through and find the cheapest thing on the menu, which luckily is a meal I like. Even though I'm not paying for it, I'd feel bad for taking advantage of the opportunity and ordering something expensive. My mother always taught me to be considerate of others, and this is me following her words.

Several minutes later, the waiters return to take our orders. They then take our menus and they walk off once again.

I notice a brief flash and I turn to the direction it came from. Sitting at a table is what appears to be a paparazzi, who's now staring at his camera. I quickly turn away, not wanting to be caught staring at him.

What should I do? Should I alert Itachi or Izumi? Or is this part of the plan? Maybe Itachi had let the paparazzi know where he'd be tonight. It could be part of a plan to sell our "friendship".

But then what if he doesn't want the paparazzi spotting him out today?

I tap Izumi's arm gently; she turns to me with her eyes full of curiosity.

"What is it?" She asks gently.

"There's paparazzi here, he's taking pictures of us." I tell her quietly. Her eyes widen slightly and she turns around, she spots him immediately and turns to Itachi. I think she gently kicks his leg under the table, as he's pulled out of a conversation with Shisui.

Izumi turns her head slightly, signalling the person sat a few tables away from us. "Paps." She mouths to Itachi. He nods.

"It's fine. We could use the publicity." He says quietly, conversations from other people almost drowning out his voice.

Another flash goes off and I resist the urge to turn around.

Does he not realise that he's being really obvious?

Suddenly, all conversation stops. I look around and see everyone is looking to where the photographer might be.

"Excuse me sir, we don't allow the use of flash photography within our premises. I'll have to kindly ask you to leave." Someone in a crisp suit snaps. His arms are folded across his chest, and he stands completely straight. He must be the manager or something, either way he has some power over this place.

The paparazzi bows his head and mutters something, before fleeing the building.

Well that's one way of getting rid of the paparazzi.

The rest of the evening flies by, I spoke to both Izumi and Shisui for most of the night, I also had a brief conversation with Itachi. The food was, of course, delicious and I savoured every mouthful.

I stumble behind everyone as we leave the restaurant, slightly regretting the several glasses of wine I had. Since I rarely drink, I don't handle alcohol well at all.

I clutch the railing as I descend the steps into the main part of the restaurant, where most guests are eating. My foot bends painfully as I misjudge where to place my heel. I feel myself fall forwards, but before I could meet the floor painfully my arm is grabbed by a rather large and warm hand.

"I'm sorry." I immediately splutter out. I quickly look up and see Shisui holding my arm. "Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"No problem, Hanakawa-san. Have you had too much to drink?" He asks, his eyes are rather warm and inviting. I nod, unable to find words. "How are you getting home?"

"I don't know." I reply honestly. I didn't arrange for my journey here and I forgot to ask Izumi how I was getting home. Shisui looks around and tries to find someone in particular within the crowd.

"Itachi!" He calls out. Everyone's heads snap towards us and I lower my head, masking my face with my hair. I really don't want people to see me in this state. Hand clutched on the railing and Shisui holding me up. I glance up and see Itachi making his way towards us, when he spots me his face fills up with concern for a very brief moment before reverting back to his emotionless gaze.

"What happened?" He asks, worry grazing his voice.

"She's had too much to drink, do you know how she's getting home or should I take her in my car?" Shisui asks, his voice hushed: probably self-conscious of the other people in the restaurant. Chances are they'll spot this little scene and run to the press to make a quick bit of cash, we don't really need to give them anything else that could make the situation more news-worthy.

"We arranged for her to get her own cab back, but since she's intoxicated I'd like someone to go with her to make sure she gets home safe." Itachi says quietly. "Could you take her? If I take her it would only make things worse for us." He whispers. Shisui nods.

"Come on, Hanakawa-san. I'll take you home." He says, his arm gently tugs mine and I let go of the railing reluctantly. I stumble slightly and Itachi holds onto my other arm, steadying me so I don't fall over.

The two of them lead me out of the restaurant, and my face burns redder than it ever has before. This is definitely going to make headlines; I've just showed myself up by getting really drunk in the restaurant. Although, people did see me stumble, so hopefully they'll believe I hurt my ankle rather than me being quite drunk.

Shisui steers me towards a car, with an old man holding a door open. Shisui gently pushes me inside the expensive vehicle, and he slides in next to me.

"Where do you live?" He asks me. I tell him my address and he repeats it to the driver.

"Thank you, Shisui-san." I say absentmindedly, my mind a blur from the alcohol. What I said sinks in. "I-I'm sorry! I mean Uchiha-san." I apologise quickly. Shisui laughs.

"Shisui-san is fine, Hanakawa-san. On the condition that I can call you Akira-san." I nod in agreement, so that my stumble doesn't seem so rude.

My eyes begin to droop closed, I try to fight to keep them open but I lose. I drift off into a gentle slumber.

I'm not sure how much time passes, but I'm suddenly shaken awake. My eyes snap open and I look around me.

"We're here, Akira-san." Shisui says. I lift my head from his shoulder. He undoes our seatbelts and then climbs out of the car. He runs around and opens up my door. He holds his hand out and I take it gratefully. I mutter a thanks to the driver and step out of the car.

"Thank you, Shisui-san. You didn't need to do this." I say gratefully. He smiles at me.

"It's my pleasure, now let's get you inside." He leads me up the steps to my apartment and I point out which door is mine. I root through my bag and find my key, I unlock my door and step inside my warm apartment.

"Thank you," I bow my head slightly. He waves and smiles at me, before descending the steps. I shut my apartment door and head towards my bed, where I fall asleep in my dress.

I sip my tea as I reply to all the emails. I somehow managed to get into work this morning, despite my awful hangover. I ignored the text from Izumi saying I should have the day off.

I also need to see a doctor after work, since my ankle is killing me. I must have damaged it quite badly when I almost fell over last night.

"You look awful, Hanakawa-san." Izumi says as she peers at me from her desk. "Itachi had requested that I offer you the day off." Itachi asked her to do that? That's surprising, I wouldn't have thought he was the one offering the day off. I thought that maybe he told Izumi that I was quite drunk and she thought of it.

"I can't let a little hangover stop me from working, it wouldn't be professional." I respond. I turn back to my computer and continue working.

"Itachi said you hurt your ankle pretty bad." Izumi says after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, it hurts quite badly." I admit, my cheeks burning. "I really didn't mean to drink so much, the wine was just so nice." I quickly defend.

"It's fine, we all make that mistake. None of us are judging you for it, and no one ran off to the press about it. Please don't worry about it so much, Hanakawa-san." Izumi says gently. She looks at me sadly, before smiling slightly.

"I'm seeing a doctor after work, I managed to get an appointment." I stop typing and swivel my chair slightly so I'm facing Izumi directly.

"That's good, we can arrange for a company car to take you there and back home?" She offers. I nod. Not having to walk all the way there will be a bonus.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san." I say gratefully. I turn back to my computer once again, and try my best to finish responding to all the emails that Izumi has received.

After replying to some more, I check my own. At the top of the list of unread emails is one from Itachi.

To: .jp

From: .jp

Dear Hanakawa-san,

Please feel free to take the day off if you are feeling unwell, if you require a doctor then let Izumi Uchiha know and she can arrange for a company car to take you there.

I'd also like to make you aware of the fact that most news places now believe that we're just friends, thanks to the paparazzi last night. Here are some links to some news stories, if you'd like to check them out:

.jp

.jp

Regards,

Itachi Uchiha

I click on the links and view the news stories.

"Itachi and Akira spotted out together!

The pair were spotted out in the brand new restaurant last night! They were with

Shisui and Izumi Uchiha. It seemed to be a company meal, however Akira hasn't attended those in the past.

Maybe she recently received a promotion? But research shows that she's still a personal assistant of Izumi's. Maybe it's because she's now a friend of Izumi's and Itachi's?

This leads me onto our next question, when did Akira and Itachi become friends? Before his birthday party they had not been spotted out together. Izumi and Akira have been noted to have had lunch together in the past, but Akira had not been spotted with Itachi before.

We suspect that Izumi had introduced the pair at his party, and they became friends then. Since that's what seems more likely.

Akira and Itachi were spotted having brief conversations last night, but Akira seemed to talk more to Izumi and Shisui. She was also spotted leaving with Shisui and was taken home by him.

Only time will tell what is going on between the pair!"

I click on the next one.

"Akira and Itachi just friends after all?

The two were spotted at the new restaurant that opened last night. They were spotted talking to each other, but nothing more happened. Akira was also taken home by Shisui, squashing any possible hints that she's Itachi's new girlfriend. Why would his cousin take her home if she was dating Itachi?

I'm sorry fellow Akichi shippers, but it's not a thing. At the moment that is. Stay tuned for more celebrity gossip stories!"

I can't wait for the day when they stop writing about me. I hate it. It's like I'm a celebrity, something I don't want. Chances are I'll be photographed at the doctors later on. Chances are that'll fuel more rumours, if they follow me there that is.

I'm hoping they're not interested in me as long as I'm not with Itachi. They're only interested in me because there's a chance that I'm his girlfriend. So once he finds someone else or it's obvious we're nothing more than just friends, they'll leave me alone.

The rest of the day flies by, and soon enough I'm hopping into the company car that Izumi booked for me.

LNLN

The rest of the week passes by rather uneventfully. Gossip websites are quiet, concentrating on other celebrities, thankfully.

It's now Saturday, and I'm getting ready for Izumi's house party that she's organised. I don't know why, it's not her birthday and nothing special is happening. When I asked her why she just said "because I feel like having a party."

I put on a short cream dress, similar to the one I wore on Wednesday except the skirt is straight and a bit shorter.

I put on some light makeup and curl my long, black hair. Turning the messy waves into something that looks more neat and presentable. I carefully line my blue eyes, making them stand out more.

I always thought I was weird for having blue eyes, since they're not common here in Japan. I'm one quarter English, my mother is half, hence the blue eyes. I've only met a few people who don't have brown eyes.

I check the time and look outside the window. The car taking me to Izumi's is here. I pour some cat biscuits into Kyoko's bowl and give a her a quick goodbye before leaving my apartment.

When I reach Izumi's house, I'm stunned at how beautiful it is.

It's not as big as I thought, since she's probably the only person that lives here, and big houses in Tokyo are very, very expensive. It looks very modern and very square, the walls are all painted white and the roof is grey. There's an expensive car parked on the rather small driveway, and there's a gravel path leading up to the grey front door.

I ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer it. The door opens and Izumi smiles at me.

"You're here!" She greets me cheerfully. She takes my arm and pulls me inside. She immediately offers me a drink, but I decline.

The inside of her house is just as beautiful as the outside. All the walls are a pale beige, and the floors are wooden. There's framed pictures across the walls, some of Izumi and her family and friends, others are of art pieces that are breath-taking.

I follow her into the large living room, all the chairs are occupied and everyone is engaged in conversation. There are so many people here, some I recognise as other celebrities, and some are employees at work. Some are complete strangers I've never met before. I spot Itachi talking to Shisui in a corner, and I make my way over to them. The paparazzi aren't here, since they're not allowed to be, so I can talk to them both without worrying about the possible repercussions.

"Akira-san!" Shisui cheerfully exclaims when he sees me. He's wearing jeans with a suit jacket, looking quite casual but smart at the same time. Itachi, on the other hand, is wearing a suit. I don't think I've seen him wear anything that's not a suit, if I'm completely honest. He does have more of a reputation to up hold, since his family are rather powerful and rich.

"Hello, Shisui-san." I smile at him. I turn to Itachi. "Hello, Uchiha-san." I say politely, I bow my head slightly.

"Hanakawa-san," Itachi says politely. There's a cold edge to his eyes.

"So how are you both?" I ask, feeling slightly bad for ending their conversation and replacing it with an awkward silence.

"I'm very good, thank you, and yourself?" Shisui replies instantly. I nod.

"I'm good, thank you." I turn to Itachi, noticing he hasn't yet replied. "Uchiha-san?"

"I'm good, thank you." He replies, his eyes are still cold and they flicker from me to Shisui. I look at him questioningly.

Shisui playfully pushes Itachi's shoulder. "Well, I'm going to get another drink. Want anything, Akira-san?" He offers. I shake my head and decline. "I'll leave you two to it, don't have too much fun while I'm gone."

With that, Shisui leaves Itachi and me on our own.

"um… so what have you been up to?" I ask, I avoid Itachi's gaze. Not wanting him to look at me coldly. I wonder what I did wrong? Maybe I interrupted something important.

"Just work. My little brother managed to get into trouble with the press, so my father and I have been trying to repair the damage." He admits. I look up and meet Itachi's gaze. His black eyes are still quite cold, but not as much as before. They soften a bit more. "What about you? How's your ankle?"

"It's better. I've been told to stay off my feet as much as possible by the doctor, which isn't going so well." I laugh lightly and look around the room.

I turn back to Itachi and his eyebrows are furrowed. I watch as his eyes dart around the room. They stop and then snap back to me. He places his hand on my upper back and begins to lead me to another area of the living room.

Through some double doors, there's a little conservatory which is empty, except for a single bookshelf and a grey two-seater. I take a seat, and so does Itachi.

"Shisui won't know where we've gone," I say suddenly, realising that he's still getting himself a drink. My eyes widen in panic as I realise we've ditched him.

"It's fine, I'm sure he'll find us if he needs to." Itachi says monotonously. I lean back in the chair and look at Itachi, his eyes are watching my carefully.

"Thank you," I say, grateful for the seat and not having to stand on my sore foot.

"You're welcome." Itachi says softly, he smiles slightly at me. I notice that his black hair is quite long, and is tied back into a low ponytail.

We sit silently for some time, before I begin to find the silence unbearable, desperate to hear Itachi's voice for some reason I don't know.

"I don't remember what happened that night." I confess, my voice quiet. My gaze falls to where my hands are folded in my lap. I fiddle with my fingers, nervous for Itachi's reaction.

"Really?" He says after a noticeable pause. I nod.

"I think I had too much to drink. I just remember dancing with you, having another drink and then nothing. I'm sorry." I look up and into his eyes. I can't read his expression. He looks at me intently.

He tenses his jaw. "So is that why you didn't go to the press after? Because you couldn't remember what happened?" His face tenses up, his eyes harden.

I shake my head quickly, realising how my confession sounds to him. "Even if I could remember, I still wouldn't have gone to them. I don't want to be famous. I hate the idea of being famous, it's not the life I want. I like being unknown, I like people not knowing who I am when they pass me in the street." I confess, my words coming out rushed as I'm desperate to explain the truth to him. For some odd reason, I don't want him to hate me. I don't want him to think I just used him, or that I'm like every other girl in Tokyo.

His eyes soften when my words sink in. His face relaxes and he lets out a breath.

"Is that so?" The corners of his lips twitch up very slightly. I nod.

"Yo!" Shisui steps into the conservatory, his hands holding two bottles of beer. He passes one to Itachi who takes it and thanks him. "Were you two having a moment?" He asks. He smirks and his eyes fill with glee. We both shake our heads and deny that anything happened profusely. "Damn, I swear you two were having a moment. I could have gone to the press." He jokes, which earns him a slightly punch to the arm from Itachi.

"Are you sure you don't want anything, Hanakawa-san?" Itachi asks as Shisui makes himself comfortable on the floor.

"I'm sure, I'm fine for the moment. Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"Guys, could you two stop being so formal? It makes me feel so weird." Shisui complains and pouts. I look at him and my cheeks burn at the thought of being informal with Itachi. He's my boss, I'm supposed to be as formal as possible with him. If I so much as called him 'Uchiha-kun' or 'Itachi-san' I'd feel so awkward about it.

I shake my head.

"He's my boss." I protest. Shisui laughs.

"You're not at work, and it's a Saturday." Shisui retorts. His grin growing. "Plus, he's my boss too and I get away with calling him Itachi-chan."

"Shisui…" Itachi says warningly. I glance at him and his eyes are narrowed at the man sitting on the floor who's grinning happily at us.

"I'm sorry, Itachi." He says and waves his hand dismissively at his cousin. "-Chan." This earns a slap around the head from said Uchiha who doesn't like Shisui's honorific of choice.

I laugh quietly at the encounter between the two cousins.

A/N: Hello again!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review if you did!

I'm planning on updating every Friday, it may be a day early or a day late, but mostly it will be updated on Friday. Unless I have deadlines coming up, then I'll have to prioritise them, obviously. I don't want to fail my degree during my first year :p

I've had no sleep during this week, my flatmates have decided that it would be fantastic (note my sarcasm) to throw a party every night (including tonight, and they're also smoking so my room stinks). I have insomnia, so it's difficult enough getting to sleep without them making a ton of noise, while they're holding a party it's impossible. I have to wait for them to take their party elsewhere, or for them to call it a night. I've tried asking them to stop and let me sleep, but their response was "just go to lectures tired." Wtf. I'm planning on waking up super early tomorrow and playing guitar really, really loud. See how they like being disturbed :p

I'm sorry for the long A/N, I don't normally leave long ones, but I really need to rant :p I don't want to keep ranting to my boyfriend because I think he's getting sick of it.

- Yin