Kyori still couldn't believe it.

Not only had she went on a date with Shisui, but she enjoyed it. Very much… a lot more than she would have guessed. Shisui pulled all the right stops: he brought her flowers, they danced, and their date ended with another proposal along with a few kisses. She thought it was overall too good, it was close enough to be a dream.; He impressed her in many ways. Shisui was so attentive, and comforting. He always said the right things, he knew her well enough to bring her back in good spirits too. Had their encounters with Fu and Danzo never took place, their date would have been undeniably perfect! Everything fell into place—not that she would reveal that to the cheeky Uchiha, ever. Had he known, she definitely wouldn't hear the end of it.

Kyori smiled at that, sighing in her dream-like state with glazed eye.

If only Shisui had known what he did… how he made her feel. It was something akin to how she used to feel for Fu, well before things went wonky. The Uchiha made her feel good about herself, the progress she had made… she felt so at ease whenever he was around. With him, the burgendette could taunt and tease, they could talk about anything—superficial or not— and it was always a good time; there was always something to look forward to.

'Yeah… always,' She hummed softly to herself while stirring her cup of apple juice.

"Aren't ya going to finish that?" Shin asked, nudging her gently.

The older Shimura shook her head, still immersed with her thoughts absently before sliding her plate of hash brown and bacon towards her spunky little brother. This earned her a few judicious looks, some of which were laced with concern. One in particular had a hint of a sneer that was far from pleasant.

But Kyori hardly paid any attention as she bit her lip bashfully at the memory of the few kisses she has shared with the cheeky Uchiha. His lips were sweet… gentle and even forbearing against her own. Never had she experienced a kiss like that, meaning it was nothing like her first with Fu or like any of the guys she has been with after him. She was used to abrasive lips, followed by even bolder touches and tongues despite how dismissive they all were to her feelings. And while the chase had excited her in the past, nothing had her on the edge of her seat like Shisui and his lips. She wanted to melt all over until she turned breathless against him.

And although their kiss was much too short for her liking, Kyori couldn't help but wondered if she'd ever taste his lips again? She had hoped so… Shisui had mentioned wanting to take her out so if their next date would be anything like their first, they would definitely end up kissing. But she couldn't help but miss it! Not necessarily just kissing Shisui but she missed dating and being intimate too. It was something that she thought would never occur, especially since her and Fu had not worked things out like she had hoped for once she came back.

Now, she was somewhat exploring the idea of a relationship with Shisui. And she was kind of excited about it although she felt a tad conflicted. Kyori had a hard time with befriending Shisui, and now that she cherished their friendship, she was risking what they had by trying to date him. Hell, she would be okay with settling for kissing him, even as friends. If only Danzo wasn't there… She would have indulged in kissing the Uchiha as much as she wanted before the night ended.

Kyori blushed at that…

She shouldn't have been thinking about Shisui like this, let alone hope that they would have a chance to grow closer… they were supposed to be just friends after all. But friends wouldn't necessarily want or hope for what she wanted. It was very possible for her to lose him all together and despite it being concerning, she wanted to see how this would pan out. Kyori admitted that she could see them being more and a part of her wanted that, especially if it meant she could kiss the Uchiha again. HAnd how could she not yearn even a little bit when she has seen sees his potential as more? Or how about their potential? And their chemistry?! What they had was developing and it was appearing to be more than platonic, clearly.

Although deep within her sternum she felt a positive outcome, her head would only oppose.

'But what if it was a fluke?' she wondered with the slightest frown.

Instead of thinking about it any further, she removed herself from the table and ignored her father's scowl. Right now was not the time to continuously overt think things. Not when she made the decision to let things between her and Shisui play out; if it was meant to be more or less was not solely up to her. Collecting her messenger bag from the rack, Kyori checked it twice just to make sure that she didn't forget anything of importance. Just as she was heading out, Hizume scampered behind her with her keys in hand. The younger burgundette withheld a huff, just knowing that her mother wanted to have girl talk while taking her to school.

They always did, no matter how obtrusive her disdain appeared to be. But Kyori was not ready to speak about it. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to make her question how she felt about the Uchiha once again.

"What happened to Kinoto?" the younger burgundette questioned, showing bits of her concern as her mother was quick to slip on her sandals. "Is everything ok?

"Of course sweetie!" the woman said swiftly, too swift for her daughter to believe her. Hizume collected her purse and practically dragged her daughter out of the Shimura manner. "Why wouldn't it be? I mean, your father's finally home and today is your first day without Kinoto."

Kyori abruptly paused, causing her mother to slightly jerk before turning her soft light eyes onto the teen. The moment Hizume locked eyes with her daughter, her excitement was replaced with a thick slab of concern. She had thought that Kyori would be ecstatic to be without Kinoto, but by the blankness on the girl's face along with her squared shoulders she could consider that the teen was very uncomfortable and was even slightly dreading her day.

"Honey, you can stay home with me and your father. How does that sound?" the older woman offered gently only for her child refute immediately with a shake of her head. "Okay…"

She absolutely couldn't stay home with him! Since his return, Danzo has been nothing short of a menace. A stubborn one at that. No matter how much Kyori would like to gloss over their current issue, her father just couldn't let go of her blooming relationship with the Uchiha. And so, with every chance he had not failed to berate her, only for her to rightfully defend herself and blam! There was a new argument. And if they weren't arguing, she was avoiding him to the best of her ability.

"It's fine. I'd rather go to school, mom." Kyori planted a small, unconvincing grin on her face.

She would have to be on her own again, someday… It wasn't a lie though. She would rather go to school than stay at home and bicker. She would pick being alone over the heightened tension any day.

"So," her mother trailed off in a pleasant tone, her eyes focused on the road with seldom questioning glances towards her daughter. The younger burgundette held a soft scowl, she already knew where this was possibly going. "How did the date go?"

Kyori blinked, surprised by that question. "Didn't Papa tell you?"

Confusion seemed to grow within the woman's hazel gaze as her thin brows furrowed.

"…No. Why would he?" by the look on her daughter's face, Hizume's shock quickly morphed into dread and frustration. "What did he do?"

"He insulted me and Shisui, he basically ruined our date but-" her mother scoffed incredulously, but the teen went on with heat building on her cheeks, "But when Shisui took me home… he asked me out to make up for it."

Hizume couldn't seem to catch a break; she was on an emotional rollercoaster and she wasn't sure if she should be elated that her daughter was dating again, or to be upset and disappointed with her husband ruining their daughter's experience with a nice boy like Shisui.

"Honey, that's great!" she squealed, excitement brewing into the emotional cocktail she was slow to fully digest. "Did you to seal the deal with a kiss?" her bright honey eyes met astonished hickory ones, but that was all the confirmation the home maker needed. "Oh my god, you did! How was it?"

"Mom!" Kyori shrieked dubiously. And she thought she would rather pick being alone over the tension her father caused. Now she was unsure about that.

But the Shimura never considered that she would not be alone entirely.

Waiting near her locker was the cheeky Uchiha, himself with the widest grin etched onto his face was the boy who effortlessly disrupted her home and perverted her father's thoughts-

'Shisui,' she practically hummed, internally at that as he surprised her by gently wrapping her into his arms the moment she trudged through those wide, ugly doors.

And with a small ounce of time, Kyori welcomed the warmth radiating from him, practically basking in him. Her cheek rested against his somewhat brawny chest and he had no clue, but Kyori had a hard time coming down from such a greeting. The burgundette felt as though she could live in tranquility or turn into a hot piece of mulch just by the way his taunt limbs encapsulated her, leaving her to almost hum in delight at the hint of citrus and cedar in is cologne.

He felt so good and too safe.

"Morning…" she murmured, finally gathering the brain power to actually play it cool and embrace him fully before he thought to pull away.

"Good morning," the Uchiha blew out with a smile on his lips before planting a chaste kiss on her forehead, shocking the girl some more with how affectionate he was. He couldn't help himself though; he clearly wasn't afraid to show how much he missed her if not craved her. Looking around, he finally noticed the lack of gruff muscles and the waning stench of tobacco that typically accompanied the girl's black cherry perfume. Confused, Shisui frowned at the Shimura. "Uh… Where's Kinoto?"

Kyori shrugged, turning away from the Uchiha while she cranked open her locker and gathered her materials for the day. "Not sure, but today will be my first day without him... it was a long time coming, I guess."

Shisui took in the small frown at her glossed lips along with her slightly stiff shrug. By now, he could tell when she was feeling uneasy. The raven haired teen relieved the burgundette from carrying her books and even offered to hold her bag, much like her body guard had. He hoped that having a familiar routine would settle her nerves some.

"Well," he started, draping his arm around her in a protective manner much to Kyori's bemusement. "I'll do my best to keep you safe."

Getting over his tendency to be touchy, the burgundette fell into his hold and snickered, "You better… Or else Kinoto's gonna have lots of fun with you." Her laughter increased as she felt him grow frigid beside her while they walked to class. "Aw what's the matter, Stalker Boy?"

"Nothing. I'm just cold," the Uchiha managed, but the girl beside him rolled her eyes in disbelief. Still, she decided to humor him as she pulled him closer to the point their hips knocked into each others.

"Oh? Bet I can keep you warm~" she jokingly purred, tracing over his chest with her the tips of her finger. Her nails softly grazed him in an coquettish manner.

"Why are you doing this to me!?" the teenaged boy whined, his brows were raising as incredulously as his voice. But at the same time, his eyes held an intense, daring shade as they fluttered.

"Because it's fun." she winked, snickering mischievously as her lips found its way near his ear. "And clearly, you like it too," she whispered before backing off entirely.

"You're evil, but I lo-" he paused, flustered before continuing-"I like it though," he finished with the weakest smirk.

Her comments alone had Shisui balking with rosy cheeks. It had not helped his flustered state to see a devious grin upon her full lips as she settled into her seat. Although he knew that she wasn't seriously tempting him, this sort of advancement had his heart skipping beats. He was just glad that she was enjoying herself while teasing him; honestly, anything was better than her being weary of her surroundings.

If it meant he would have to endure her being a little minx then that was perfectly fine. He just wanted her to feel safe. Nothing else mattered, and evidently not even the auburn-haired Yamanaka could make him feel differently. Shisui was sure Fu was internally throwing fits if his and Kyori's playful advancements were being acknowledged.

'Serves him right,' thought Shisui as his eyes locked with Fu's hazel glare as more students entered the classroom. The Uchiha's mind played back to the blatant display of hurt that was on the burgundette's face whenever she saw the redhead with Maki. Fu was finally getting a real taste of his own medicine. Now Yamanaka would know how it felt to be discarded and dethroned for someone else and it was only fair since he had done it to her. He should've known how to treat a girl right, and since Kyori has finally decided to move on, hopefully Shisui would be the one demonstrating just that.

Because he was definitely up for the conquest of making Kyori Yamanaka-free.

And as perceptive as always, Shisui would be correct; Fu was watching them. Not only was he aware of their budding relationship, he could already see the changes. All the touching, longing, adoration and laughter, and most upsetting of all her genuinely smiling for another guy.

Fu was more than upset at the discovery of them growing undeniably closer. More like, obsessed and thoroughly frustrated. And although he knew exactly why he felt as he did, he also knew he had no right. He was supposed to be with Maki, and happy with her but that was becoming awfully unattainable. Ever since Kyori came back, their happiness unraveled until all that was left were frigid seams.

Maki became deadset on keeping the ex-lovers apart and despite all her efforts and her occasional threats, they would have these intense encounters which then led to Fu revisiting how he felt. And that did not go unnoticed by his girlfriend, it added more stress to his plate as they would constantly fight.

But he was the one to blame, he did that to her. He was the one that had eyes for someone else but was too selfish leave and pursue who he truly wanted. He was also the one that would rather continue to be in a failing relationship than to be alone or to appreciate and honor what he had prior to said relationship. And although neither Maki or Kyori deserved what he has put them through respectively, they stuck by him and even fought over him. He was just driven by desire, he was more than selfish, and clearly, he hardly was concerned about who he would be hurting to get what he had wanted.

The auburn haired teen scowled, his stomach funneling at the sight before him. Kyori laid her head on Shisui's shoulder with a playful smile upon her face followed by the Uchiha snickering with her.

Seeing them together had made him sick. But now he understood why Maki was so jealous and possessive. But more than anything, it made him wonder if Kyori had felt anything similar to this when he was openly with Maki while he was clandestine when it came to her? And if so, he wanted to make things right.

He had to win her back.

"Are you okay?" Honey brown eyes turned with hidden surprise as they met an onyx pair peering through heavy lenses. Torune leaned towards his best friend with contemplative pursed lips. "You look like you caught the flu!"

"I just don't feel too good today." The Yamanaka unclenched his jaw, his eyes no longer lingering on the pair as they slipped into their first class.

Fu felt so stupid for believing his lies and schemes would obliterate their chances. He thought that informing and riling up Danzo would cause enough drama to make the burgundette lose interest in the Uchiha. Instead, her fallout with her father had her finding solace in the enemy. He guess it was naïve of him to think that she would actually try to appease her father in every way.

He needed to do something, anything to win her back.

It was time to be more drastic.

And closer, is exactly what the two were hoping to get.

Or at least, the burgundette was hoping if her passionately clutching onto thick tuffs of his loose raven curls meant anything. But as her mouth worked hotly against his ravishing one, he abruptly pulled back before it could result in tracing her every curve with his palms. He couldn't touch her like that. Not yet…

They had barely started dating each other. And although he was extremely attracted to Kyori, Shisui was very capable of being a gentleman. Not to mention, this was dangerous territory with them being close friends and all.

Deep pits of charcoal bore into hot pools of fudge as the two teens panted profusely, her grip on his hair loosening along with his on her waist.

"We're not supposed to be doing this," he sung jokingly with a tantalizing smile. He was reveling in her tender touch as she hooked her arms around his neck, wishing to bring him in. The girl just wanted them to be closer; kissing him felt otherworldly… and she felt like in her past life she had to be some sort of addict by the way she was itching to talk less and kiss more. She was that deprived but…

"Is that you saying that you wanna stop?" Kyori wondered, the pit of her stomach bracing itself for the drop and her lips threatened to fall into a pout. "Because we don't have to do this."

"No!... I mean, I really like kissing you." A pink tinge unfolded onto his high cheekbones at the admittance. He didn't want to seem desperate but he wanted this as much as she had. And now, he was the one bracing himself. But it was worth it as long as she was comfortable.

"I thought so…" Kyori breathed out, a satisfied yet timid smile sprouted onto her full lips. "I do too and… and I've been thinking about you since our date."

"Oh?" the Uchiha smirked, gaining his confidence back tenfold while the Shimura pulled off her playful but signature eyeroll.

"Shut up," she huffed, growing a tad anxious. "This is serious Shisui, I like you more than I thought."

"Are you sure?" he blinked incredulously. It was as if his mouth moved without much of a thought. "Because I've been thinking about you nonstop too and I can't wait to take you out again…But," Shisui started, the hesitance was clear enough to make Kyori grow concern.

"But what?" she asked with fear clawing at her tummy. Kyori was hoping he wouldn't say anything hurtful.

"I don't want for you to rush into all of this with me, especially if you're doing this to get back at Yamanaka."

"Shisui… what?" Kyori gaped, gradually processing what he just said to her as she slid off of his lap. Her brown eyes settled onto his concerned obsidian ones, knowing he needed to be reassured and she needed to be clear. "I know the timing was pretty bad, but I like where this is going… I know my past is shouldn't be ignored, but I want to move on."

"With me?" he blurted out, very skeptically.

"With you," she muttered sheepishly, gifting him a soft, affirming peck as the bell rung. "Can't we just try?"

"Yeah, I guess we could." he smiled, watching her dust herself off to carry on with the rest of her day.

Ochaaa here!

It's been a long while since my last upload... I know, but I've just been finding it hard to write lately. There's so much turbulence in my life to the extent that I barely seem to have time to consider making time to write. BUT I still want to... I hope to upload once again.

It sounds like Shisui and Kyori are fairly reciprocating, Fu is hellbent on keeping the status-quo, Hizume is being a fangirl and Danzo's being a little bitch (nothing new tbh). Will they carry on this venture of being more than friends or will they let Fu win?

Anyways, what did y'all think? May we all find out later on, so make sure to favorite it, flame it, book it or keep it in your history (mobile users).

(updated 5/23/23