aĸaтѕυĸι ѕтυdenт coυncιl (ѕaĸυaĸaт)

тнε cняιsтмαs ραятү

Sakura and Itachi exchanged texts the rest of the week, maintaining contact for one-hundred percent certainty that things were fine. She wanted to make sure they were still on good terms. He wanted to make sure that she still was comfortable around him.

Still laying in bed at one o'clock, Shisui knocked on his door and invited himself inside, carrying a tray of food for his cousin. "How are you doing? I'm surprised you're still in bed," he greeted, setting the food at the foot of the bed.

"Just taking advantage of the break." Itachi lied, sitting up.

Shisui smiled, "If you need to talk about anything, you know I'm here. You haven't been eating a lot." It wasn't hard to see how many times Itachi had avoided him the past week. Barely any food in the house had been eaten, Itachi looked like a wreck, but Shisui didn't want to say anything.

As Shisui turned to leave, Itachi sighed, "Sakura doesn't share the same feelings as I do." He may not want his friends to know, but at least talking with Shisui may help him feel better.

Shisui looked down at his cousin, the shared feeling of losing someone that couldn't reciprocate their love gave him an unwarranted sense of empathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?" He knew the answer to that all ready.

"I'm kind of better. At least that's what I'm telling myself."

"I think you're better off now than continuing to question your relationship with her. Dragging it out would have only made it worse," Shisui reassured.

"You're right," Itachi stated solemnly.

Shisui knew he would need the time to really get over it. He loved her with all of his heart, so it was only expected that it would end in hurt feelings. Crossing to the door, Shisui changed the subject. "Just remember that the party's tonight at six. Hana-chan is coming a little early to help decorate."

"So what are you going to do about that?" Itachi asked, reaching for the tray.

Shisui laughed nervously, "What do you mean? Hana-chan and I are just friends."

"You've been calling her a lot. I can hear you talking after midnight in Sasuke's bedroom," he commented, taking a large bite of rice.

Shisui hastily opened the door, hiding his embarrassment with a hearty laugh. "Oh, you've heard that? Hopefully not too much! Anyway, I've got to get going, see you tonight." He shut the door, the sound of his footsteps racing down the hallway toward the living room echoing in Itachi's ears.

Taking another bite of his 'breakfast', Itachi read a new text from Sakura. He had promised her at the cabins that he'd stay friends with her, but damn was it hard. Itachi wasn't going to avoid her or cast her aside, but with the Christmas party, he didn't know if he could talk to her normally face-to-face. He also didn't want to avoid her because that would only fuel the flames.

Just try to act like yourself. This isn't about what you want, it's about Sakura, he thought, scolding himself.

...

Sasori stood idly against the brick wall of the arcade. Watching, bemused, as Deidara kicked the vending machine, his snack stubbornly stuck in its place.

"This is ridiculous! I've kicked this machine every time and it's always worked. Now, it decides to really get my candy bar stuck!" Deidara shouted, kicking the machine again.

Sasori crossed his arms and stared indifferently at the blonde. "Maybe you shouldn't take chances and use a machine that works correctly. You're just going to waste your money."