Kyori was finally on her last few days of being partnered with Fu, and she was thankful that it was coming to an end soon. It really wasn't that bad! The Yamanaka surprised her quite a bit with how much he was willing to pry under the guise of "making conversation." He was never privy of communicating or wanting to know about things that would be irrelevant to him, so she was shocked that he led majority of the conversations.

What surprised her even more was that she hardly minded, depending on the subject. She discovered that she could talk to Fu about her home life, how things were going with school and despite how inappropriate it could be, she could rag on Inoichi to his very own— yet distant—cousin. The only times where she was reminded as to why they weren't friends was whenever the subject involved either her father or her love life.

Besides that, it felt like they were on their way to being friends again. Loosely, if not in a complicated way. Maybe this time, Kyori and Fu can just be civil and really leave it all in the past. If it was possible for the two of them to keep things platonic, of course.

She had slim hopes though; to trust someone that worked under her father was one of the dumbest things she could ever fathom. But anything was better than carrying out this long-winded drama. Now that she has given herself the chance to move on and find happiness in someone else, she didn't feel the need to carry so much anger and hostility in her heart.

As unofficial as things were with Shisui, Kyori was practically over Fu. It hadn't even bothered her to see him loving up on Maki even though they didn't seem to be faring well as of late. She guessed her and Fu being partnered up was an uncomfortable situation for all parties sans Shisui.

But if he was here… Kyori doubted he would be all that happy about her being cool with the Yamanaka. She didn't peg him as the jealous type, but he was definitely protective.

The burgundette held a small smile at her lips as she was exiting her mother's car. Kinoto was frequently unavailable to the point that she figured he requested for a vacation; Kyori was sure being surrounded by brain-dead teens thoroughly annoyed a gruff, no nonsensical man like himself. He was more than well deserving of a few stiff drinks and a fresh box of cigarettes for enduring three months with her.

She snickered to herself while gripping her messenger bag, absently strutting down the hall to her locker. Although she wasn't used to being all alone, the stares were hardly an afterthought and today was no different. Kyori learned to keep her eyes up ahead and to ignore her peripheral. However, it was to her delight that she caught a familiar face from the corner of her eyes. Kyori was then met with a cheeky grin well paired with dark, chaotic curls that gently flopped as the Uchiha ran to her.

"Oh my god," She uttered lowly, astonishment painted the whites of her eyes as she took in his features. "Shisui!"

He looked a little different. His hair was as untamed as ever but a tad longer and his fair complexion was lightly toasted due to the throes of the wild and survival. It seems.

"Finally you're here!" Shisui beamed, instantly wrapping his arms around her slender waist as he rested his head in the curve of her neck. "Well aren't you glad to see me?" he mused, a teasing grin could be heard in his velvet, tenor voice as he gave her giddy feels.

Kyori stood still, her mind barely processing that he was here with her before her smaller arms welcomed him with a long hug. The burgundette held him tightly, then tighter as his scent seeped into her nostrils. Eucalyptus and a dash of sandalwood, that was different.

"What took you so long?!" The girl pulled back, a soft glare paired with the slightest frown dusted upon her face as she playfully whacked him on the arm.

Shisui soon challenged her glare with a smile, his eyes bore into pools of blaring fudge as he pulled her closer. But the Shimura's glare grew shaky the second she stared into those deep pits of coal. They were smoldering to the point that she had to urge herself to breathe.

"You're not actually mad at me, are you?" The Uchiha's brows furrowed delicately.

"No." Kyori looked away momentarily as her cheeks were set ablaze. He was too handsome sometimes, especially when he proceeded to pout. "I just — it's not that," she murmured. Her voice so small she hardly recognized it and for some reason she felt ashamed? Ashamed enough to burrow her face in his clothes and allowed his fresh scent to bring her down to earth. "I was worried and…"

'I missed you.' She really wanted to express that, but Kyori couldn't bring her lips to form those exact words as her throat swelled with fear. If she were to tell him how she felt, was it possible for him not to hold it against her? Could he be the first to not weaponize her feelings? She wasn't all too keen to find out, no matter how vulnerable she wished to be.

So her smaller arms enveloped him deeply, and she basked in the feel of his hot-blooded, hard body. His warmth lulled her into feeling absolutely boneless along with the rhythmic thumping of his heart, greeting her. She missed being in close proximity to him so much.

"I missed you too," The Uchiha admitted, his touch continued to be as gentle as his voice as he placed a kiss on her hairline.

"You did?" the burgundette pulled away with a quirked brow. Her dough eyes slowly sharpened when a chuckle passed his pretty, pink lips. "Shisui," The girl then grumbled, trying to pull away. She wondered if her feeling undeserving was that funny?

Her tone snuffed out his fit of giggles, immediately. "I'm not laughing at you I swear!"

"That's not what it sounds like to me." She glared, still struggling to pull away from him. But she found herself defeated the moment he held her to his chest, their breaths shortly mingling as his bottomless gaze poached the air from her lungs.

"You really don't think you're worth missing and you couldn't be more wrong." The Uchiha smirked as Kyori's eyes grew as wide as a blimp! He then wet his lips, his cimmerian orbs flickered onto her gaping lips before trailing upwards to those big, round eyes. "I missed you like crazy."

The Shimura felt like his stare was morphing her entire being into jello, and his words jolted her back to life. And what had made it worst was that his intent probably didn't match the signs he was giving to her; he was initially trying to tease her, but he ultimately succeeded in making her swoon. So she brought her attention elsewhere, only for the last functional part of her brain to rot as her bubbling set of fudge grew fixated on his lips.

They sat on top of his pearly whites, curtaining them with their fullness as the pink of his lips was accentuated by his nearly fair complexion. 'Pretty,' she thought while remembering how they moved against her own. He always kissed her like he was holding back. And she hated that. She wished that one day he would kiss her without much of a thought, without this idea that she would break if he were to use a little force.

"Me too," she breathed out her hand absently traced her bottom lip as she brought her eyes onto his. "I missed you too."

"Oh?" He questioned with a bemused simper. "Really? You're not just saying that. Are you?"

"I'm not!" the Shimura squeaked, huffing as she turned away and busied herself with gathering her things. He sure had a way of ruining the moment. But… she chortled and shook her head, those wild tresses were swooshing with every sway as a smile tugged at her lips. This—what they had felt right to her.

It was him that was missing.

"You really shouldn't leave like that," she uttered quietly, and her eyes traveled as she turned to face him. She could tell that he took her words to heart by the way his pitless eyes bore into her sweltering ones.

The next thing she knew his arms had her engulfed in a sweet hold and before she could recognize their warmth, his lips grazed her hairline in a chaste kiss.

"Then I won't leave you."

It was like he murmured for her ears only, making her belly blister like that of her cheeks. It was all too much for her. The conviction in his voice, and his words. Kyori searched his midnight gaze, finding no trace of deceit or lightheartedness. Despite how many times she's heard and believed those words before, never had it felt as real as it did in that moment.

The burgundette's fudge brown eyes lowered to his lips once more. And just as before, they made her mouth run dry with as she felt the urge to taste him. Her slackened grip on the unruly haired Uchiha was no more as she had grown as close as she possibly could. The small girl tugged him down to her height, her lidded eyes fluttered shut. Closing completely the moment her glossed lips caressed and encapsulated his, moment he felt her lips on his, Shisui felt as though he melted into the kiss. Instinctively he challenged her as his tongue crept into her mouth for a quick fix, earning an approving squeak from the garnet haired Shimura who only seemed to bring him closer.

"It's as if Christmas came early this year." Izumi simpered the moment the two teens pulled away from each other after totally forgetting where they were. Tucking her forest brown tresses behind her ear, the younger girl turned her deep java gaze onto her partner in crime.

"Agreed. They should really consider having privacy... you know, four walls and a bed will do," Itachi added with the ghost of a chortle. "If I wanted to watch two people feverishly yearn for each other, I'd purchase Jiraiya's slop at the nearest shopping district."

"Ouch Tachi, some of it is actually good!" the female Uchiha nudged the pretty boy playfully. "But it definitely got nothing on the two of you. Looks like y'all are ready to cut a rug or elope after being away from each other!" Izumi eyed her friend without much of a smirk in sight. She really was hoping her words were close to the truth.

Kyori rolled her eyes. "I missed the both of you too, that and your poor senses of humor." The burgundette smirked before turning her eyes onto the surprisingly flustered Shisui. "Cya at our spot during lunch? We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Oh Shisui! See you during lunch," Itachi teased before mushing his cousin's face while making kissy noises, all of which had completely knocked Izumi back in her jovial mood.

"You're in for a big trip Shishi," Izumi stressed as he walked her to her economics class. Her big brother quirked a brow, wondering what was so outlandish for her to be scowling at him like she did.

"Is it about Kyori and I having a lot of catching up to do?" he asked with big moonless eyes, imploring for the slightest hint.

"Well- "his sister sighed as her fingers tapped anxiously at her binder. She most definitely had a way of succeeding to grate his nerves like nobody else- "Possibly?"

"Really?" The raven haired Uchiha leaned against the locker. He had time today apparently, and he made that clear once he withheld Izumi's bag. "Other than Kinoto not being around, what else has happened?"

"Some of you are here early, so let's not waste time. Get into your groups."

Izumi rolled her eyes dramatically before turning to her big brother. "I guess you're about to see," she grumbled, not wanting to leave his side during this moment. However the lost puppy look he was shooting at Kyori, made her feel bad for showing him this. But it was all so scandalous!

She wanted her brother to step his game up, otherwise he would lose Kyori to that bland face Yamanaka.

"Where is she going?" Shisui's brow raised as he watched the burgundette collected her things. She then trudged towards the same direction as the auburn haired teen that he had a stare-off with that same morning. "Wait... why are they seated together?" Shisui demanded in a whisper.

"I'm partnered up with someone else, stupid!" The brunette rolled her eyes at his bafflement. It wasn't like Fu was chopped liver, but he definitely wasn't Shisui. Not to mention they would be wrapping up with the project very soon, but even Izumi could tell that there was less tension between them. Which meant her brother serious could get hurt if he wasn't on the same page as Kyori.

The two turned their dark gazes onto the burgundette that was now smirking and rolling her eyes at something the boy had said. Then the Yamanaka turned, meeting Izumi's troubled gaze.

There was a smug smirk on his face as his light eyes dribbled onto Shisui, he then waved at the Uchihas as though he was taunting them.

"You need to do something about that, if you're serious about her." Izumi then proceeded to snatch her bag and sauntered into class, not without tossing a nasty glare at the Yamanaka. She hoped that nothing was going on between him and Kyori, but more importantly, she hoped that Kyori wouldn't hurt her brother.

Kyori wasn't all too happy about the project coming to an end. And no, it wasn't because she wouldn't have any more reasonable time to spend with Fu. It was because he had questions for her. Ones that she promised she had answers to albeit she wasn't sure she could manage. What if he asked about more than their last night together?

The burgundette pursed her lips, and stomped through the sea of teens as it was the start of lunch. She was just trying to meet up with Shisui; being with him was the only thing to really look forward to. And of course the possibility of making out came second.

Still, she was hoping that Fu wouldn't pry too much. But that was sort of his job, if it was all the same as it used to be… according to Fu himself, her father tasked him with knowing all the knows that were relative to her being outside of the Shimura manor. So there was a possibility that he would tell her dad things she wasn't ready to tell the war veteran herself.

Ultimately, Kyori was fucked if he asked all the right questions. She was hoping that he was stuck on just having closure.

Huffing for what could've been the seventh time in one sitting, the sun-loved girl shoved the doors to her away-from-home sanctuary open and unlike the days before, she was greeted by wild raven hair and those pitless eyes that she missed so dearly. A smile crept onto her lips the moment he darted upward to possibly greet her with a hug… maybe a kiss.

Shisui turned, slightly pouting at the thought of what he could say. He didn't want to cause any doubts or worse, to start an argument. He just wanted to know what he was getting into… He wanted to know if he should prepare for just being friends if anything had changed while he was gone.

"What's wrong Shisui?" Kyori frowned, feeling slightly disappointed. After all the hugging he did this morning, she was sure she was in for a few kisses. None of which would be chaste or appropriate for others to see. But she got nothing, just him with this dejected expression. "You're beginning to freak me out."

"Last time I asked if you were dating me to spite the Yamanaka and you denied it." The Uchiha's gaze lowered in fear of his thoughts becoming a reality. He really didn't want to ask, but he had to know. Was it just some fucked up ploy to get Fu back? "Has that changed since I've been gone?"

Kyori flinched at the question alone. It wasn't like she had done anything, she just wasn't prepared for a question like that. "Shisui, Fu and I are just being cordial for our joint project."

"You two looked more than cordial, or am I jumping to a wild conclusion here." He brought his eyes on her bewildered ones.

"You are," the Shimura insisted before wrapping her arms around him. So much for making out. She needed to reassure Shisui and let him know that her and Fu were history. Laying her head on his broad shoulder, the Shimura had lost herself between his new scent and her thoughts.

"Am I really?" Shisui wondered out loud as he held her, her small waist was perfectly engulfed by his arms when he returned her embrace.

What could be done to make Shisui feel more secured in their relationship? She knew sex wasn't the answer, no matter how convincing it sounded. He would just have to trust her words.

"You know how I feel about Fu as of now, so why are you doing this?"

"Because - "

"You know what, you're right." Kyori brought her hand onto her hips as her tone grew icy."Things have changed… I've decided to at least try to be cool with Fu."

"And what does that mean?" his pitless eyes bore into her as his brows furrowed distastefully.

"It doesn't mean that we're friends, I'm just tired of all the fighting." This time, she scowled back at him. She could understand how he may have felt about this, but she was hoping that he didn't think she would outright hurt him.

"How can you be so sure?" the Uchiha stepped away from her, feeling doubtful of her for the very first time. As much as he liked her, he also couldn't avoid her track record. He really wanted to trust her, and at the same time, he wanted for her to be sure about making a commitment to him. "You would've done anything to be with him, Kyori so I am sorry if I'm having a hard time believing you."

It was once he uttered those words, he knew he made a mistake.

And the sound of the garnet haired Shimura scoffing had confirmed it all. A pang in her heart began to echo as she thought of what he had just said. "So you don't believe that I can be with you while just being acquainted with him? You think that I would willingly hurt you or that I lack control when it comes to Fu?"

Everything was going to shit, it really seemed like it.

"It's not like that Kyori and you know it," Shisui desperately tried to assure her while formulating his next words to match his exact thoughts. "It's just that you never done that before and I know how much you loved him… I just don't know what to do, but I want to trust you."

"How can you trust me…?" Tears began to well up in her eyes and it was because he had a point and second, that made her angry. "When you don't even believe that I could be good to you?" Kyori blandly stared ahead, sniveling as she blinked her tears away.

"Kyori- "

"Y-you don't have to explain," the girl uttered. She nodded absently, completely ignoring the tears that ran down her face before rummaging her bag for something she hoped he would deem as special. Kyori really couldn't believe this is what they were doing after not seeing each other for weeks.

"But Kyori, I never meant to- "Kyori shoved a small gift bag into his chest before storming past him. But of course, Shisui being Shisui, he couldn't let her leave like that. "Please don't go, Kyori. We can talk about this… I'm sure!" he pleaded while trying to match her pace.

"I really don't wanna hear it." She was ready to go now and yet, she could… but she had not wanted to shrug him off like she had done to the Yamanaka countless of times since he's been away. That was how loyal and determined she was… It was all for a boy that couldn't trust her to do that. The bare minimum. "I hope you like your gift... I made it for you."

"Kyori please!" The teen urged her to stop, but she just kept going. "Slow down!"

"Bye Shisui."

Shisui frustratedly ran his hands down his face, then proceeded to rake them through his hair before his eyes settled on his gift. It was a home-made, finely knitted scarf that clearly took her weeks if not longer to complete in his favorite color: green, in the shade sacramento. She took the time out of her days to make this for him, and what had he done in return? He ended up hurting and disrespecting her with his insecurities.

He fucked up big time.

Ochaaa here!

This chapter gave me trust issues!

It seems like there's a big Yamanaka-shaped bump in the road, and while Izumi had tried to convince her brother to step up his game... he ended up taking a detour and is now on the chopping block as far as we all know.

Was Izumi in the wrong for telling her brother about Kyori's developing friendship with Fu? Kyori should've known not to risk what she was developing for Shisui for the sake of "mending things," if you can call it that... What will happen next? Will Shisui and Kyori make amends and finally take the next steps or will they end it all, giving Fu his shot at those previous benefits that he so dearly miss?

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).