It's time for the dreaded dinner with the Uchihas. Let's see how well this works out...

I stood outside the Uchiha compound, fiddling with the edge of the midnight black obi. The navy kimono was the only nice one I had that wasn't turned into a… seductive dress.

The guards finally waved me on once they got word I was actually invited into the main manor and not some crazy fangirl trying to get in. Apparently, they have had a few issues with them in the past. I nodded to them before nearly sprinting to the main house.

From the few Uchiha's that I have worked with in the past, there is one thing that has always stuck out. They were mostly punctual, if not early as hell. And I did not want to be late. A good first impression would help in the long run.

With only a few minutes to spare, I knocked on the door. It opened seconds later, relieving a slightly annoyed Sasuke dressed in an elegant black kimono. He nodded his welcome before moving away from the door.

I bowed and walked in, placing my shoes by everyone else's. Sasuke lead me towards the family room where Shikamaru was already waiting, seeming to be in a light sleep. He cracked open an eye before giving us a slight nod and closing it again. Naruto was talking to him, seeming oblivious to the fact that the Nara genius was not paying attention to his long-winded speech at all. I sighed and took a seat next to Shikamaru on the couch.

Minutes later, Mikoto called us to the dining room. Fugaku had taken his spot at the head of the table, watching with a slight curiosity in his eyes as we entered. I gave him a low bow before taking a seat on his left side, as far away as I could get. He hasn't said much to me and I did not expect him to, but it would be best not to give him a reason to fire questions off.

Sasuke and Naruto took the seats to Fugaku's right, leaving an open seat on their ends. If I placed a bet on it, the last seat was most likely for their female teammate, Sakura. We talk every once in a while. Mostly about healing abilities, and rare herbs I manage to pick up when I travel out of the village.

Shikamaru took the seat next to me on my right, yawning loudly. He gave me a slight nod as if he sensed my hesitations at being in front of so many nin. I gave him a small smile and folded my hands in my lap, keeping my eyes low to the table.

Sakura stumbled in a few minutes after we had settled in, apologizing for just coming from a shift at the hospital. She sat across the table from me, shooting me a soft smile before jumping into a heated conversation with her teammates.

I stared down at the table, making sure to keep as much attention away from me as possible. Which was easy with Naruto being extremely loud as he usually is.

I could feel Itachi and Shisui coming from deep inside the manor. They were conversing about something, but I couldn't tell what. I kept my head down, only looking up when I felt a tiny flicker of chakara.

"Troublesome Uchiha."

Shikamaru was now sitting between Itachi and Shisui. The unlikely Uchiha was turned towards me, a cat-like smile played on his lips.

"Dragon-chan!" He wrapped an arm around my waist, still grinning wide. "I'm glad you made it!"

"Hisashiburi, Shisui-san." I paused, noticing a small twitch come over his face. "Though, I must thank Fugaku-sama for allowing me to come to dinner."

"Nonsense." Mikoto floated into the room, holding onto a large platter of food. "I was the one to invite you." She had a radiate grin. She was also extremely beautiful. I had never seen her so close, just in passing in the market place. "I hope you enjoy dinner."

"Arigatōgozaimashita." I bowed as low as I could, given that the table was right in front of me. I could feel Shisui tightening his grip on me.

It seemed to be the right move because she giggled and whispered to her husband about how sweet I was being.

Dinner was passed around, and everyone dug in. It was amazing! I said as much and Mikoto waved me off, saying that it was a little something she whipped together. But the smile she wore seemed to show her happiness with how everything turned out.

I was drawn into a few conversations. Thankfully, nothing too serious. I had completely forgotten about the arm that was still wrapped securely around me until someone said something.

"Oi. Why ya got your arm around Heather-chan like that? You guys dating or somethin'?"

I looked up horrified towards the loud blonde, a solid blush working its way up my neck and cheeks.

"N-no!" I squeaked out. "We-um… we…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Shisui said nothing but slowly removed his arm, and I immediately missed the warmth.

"Hn."

I whipped my head to the right, eyes wide. Never have I ever, heard Uchiha Shisui say that. Ever. Okay, granted we haven't really been in each other's presence much but still. This was the oddball Uchiha we were talking about.

Everyone else seemed shocked too, because they looked at him like he grew a second head. His eyes were hard, staring down at the table. I blinked, and he was gone. There was absolutely no trace of him.

Everyone looked from the now empty spot towards me with various degrees of confusion. Slowly dinner picked back up. Thankfully, Naruto managed to distract the whole table, shooting me looks of guilt the rest of the night.

Yep, leave it to the knuckle head to ruin stuff. Eh. New chapter might be posted shortly.