Chapter 2 - “Stop beating so fast…”

"Izumi! Where did you run off to? Hey, Sarame did you see Izumi come this way?" Haku was concerned about Izumi's whereabouts after he came back to the same spot, they had been conversing only to find that she had vanished.

"Oh Haku, what's up? Where's Izumi?" Sarame was standing drinking some alcohol reserved only for adults of drinking age.

"I think she might've walked this way. I went to grab us some drinks but came back and she was gone." Haku held two glasses of wine in front of him.

"Thank you, Haku!" Sarame grabs one of the drinks from Haku's hand.

"H-hey take it slow, will you? You look like you've already drunk enough tonight." Haku quickly grabbed the already half-full glass from the tipsy girl.

"Haku...shut up...hahaha..." Sarame was beginning to feel the headaches coming and it was getting hard to concentrate.

"Alright, let's find Izumi so she can take you home." Haku helped Sarame up so that she wouldn't fall down.

"B-but...I h-havuent... evuen dwank yet..." Sarame was really out of it but she was having the time of her life.

Haku and two other friends who came by began to help her up and took her to the closest seat nearby. Sarame smiled at them and then closed her eyes. They watched over her and made sure she was going to be okay until they could find Izumi.

*****

"Thank goodness I was able to get away. How do people have the energy to talk nonstop?" She chuckled. Izumi stopped to take a deep breath. She looked up and could see that she was now away from the crowd.

"Hm, now where's the bathroom?" The more she walked the more it felt like a maze of never-ending hallways. This establishment really was huge. It felt like a giant mansion.

Izumi continued to walk the halls and as she approached an intersection, she suddenly bumped into a sturdy figure.

"Ah! S-sorry! I wasn't paying attention. I didn't mean to...Itachi?" Izumi looks up to see Itachi standing in front of her staring at her.

"Izumi. What brings you here?" Itachi was shocked it was her that ran into him. Seeing her again made him feel somewhat tense.

"A-actually I was trying to get away from Haku...but ended up here and...I decided to look for the bathroom so I could fix myself. Do you happen to know where the bathrooms might be?" Izumi looked at Itachi and could feel that piercing look he gave her like he did before.

"Fix yourself?" Itachi was beginning to wonder what she could be fixing. He didn't want to admit by words but to him, she already looked perfect.

Itachi stepped closer to Izumi then suddenly he pinned her to the wall. Arms over her head and the other palm in contact with the wall enclosing Izumi inside.

"Say, do you feel proud wearing such baring clothes?" He couldn't hold himself any longer.

"W-what do you mean?" Izumi's heart began to pound fast. She can feel Itachi staring at her from top to bottom with tense eyes.

"This world may be full of shinobis whose duty is to protect their own nation. They may be seen as strong, wise, and composed. But don't forget that although the composure is seen on the outside, there's a hidden animal inside waiting to divulge." Itachi had noticed other shinobis in the establishment laying their eyes on Izumi and it made him feel a certain way.

Izumi couldn't grasp what Itachi meant. It was hard for her to even think when the man in front of her was pinning her to the wall.

"I don't understand." She responded.

Itachi leaned in closer until he was about an inch away from Izumi's face. Her head looked up to meet his eyes. The tension was making it difficult for her to breathe properly.

Izumi began to turn into a tomato when suddenly Itachi poked her forehead with his finger.

"Ow! What was that for?" She reacted to the pinch of pain that was left on her forehead.

Itachi slightly chuckles then leans back giving Izumi some space to breathe.

"Here take this." Itachi takes off his jacket and wraps it around Izumi. He noticed how cold she was getting when she was talking to Haku. Plus, it was getting late. With the way she was dressed, she could get herself sick.

"It'll be dark and cold outside. And it doesn't seem like you brought a jacket with you. So, keep this for tonight." Itachi buttoned the jacket that looked oversized on her.

"T-thank you Itachi." It was hard for Izumi to stop blushing, so she averted her gaze to the left to avoid eye contact.

"If you're still looking for the bathroom, it's the next hallway to the right. See ya." Itachi headed back to the main building to find Shisui.

"W-what was that?" Izumi thought to herself as she was trying to catch her breath.

"That scared me a little..." She put her hand to her heart as she could feel the speed rapidly increasing.

"Damn it. Stop beating so fast will you." Izumi closed her eyes and tried to stay calm as she stood still on the wall behind her.

*****

"Sarame!" Izumi found her best friend sitting on the chair looking drowsy.

"I-Izumi?" Sarame was finally waking up and was still feeling a bit tipsy.

"Let me take her. I got it from here. Thank you for taking care of her, Haku." Izumi grabbed Sarame by the arms and helped her get up.

"Y-yeah no problem." Haku was shocked to see Izumi and wanted to ask where she had been.

"Izumi, w-where *hiccups* wuuur you this *hiccups* huul time?" Sarame was still a little tipsy.

"I had a bit of a stomachache, so I needed to step out a bit." Izumi couldn't think of a better excuse.

"Are you okay?! Did anyone or anything hurt you?!" Sarame suddenly shot up.

"Are you okay, Izumi?" Haku was also concerned.

"Oh, yes I'm fine! Nothing too serious, ha-ha! Let me take you home, Sarame. You look like you've had enough for tonight." Izumi began to walk out as she put Sarame's arm around her and held on to her hips to help her walk.

It was getting late, and a majority of the crowd had already left home for the night.

Izumi walked Sarame in the direction of her house.

"Whose jacket is that by the way?" Sarame was beginning to feel a bit sober.

"Oh, this? It's Itachi's. He lent me his jacket since it was starting to get cold." Izumi smiled and blushed remembering Itachi putting it around her at that time.

"You know, guys won't just let you borrow their clothes out of the kindness of their hearts. Unless they like you!" Sarame began to laugh.

"Shhh! Sarame, it's late. Stop being so loud. People are already asleep." Izumi responded in a slightly sharp and almost whisper tone.

"You may be best friends but I'm starting to get this feeling that there's something more going on between you two." Sarame grew a bit suspicious. She poked a finger at Izumi's cheek.

"Come on stop. There's nothing going on." Izumi backed her face from Sarame's fingers.

"I-z-u-m-i. Stop hiding it." Sarame grinned while she tried her best to walk properly.

"Sarame, we're here! Hurry up and get inside. You're getting heavy. Have a good night!" Izumi pushed her best friend inside and rushed away into the dark.

"Ow! T-that girl!" Sarame rubbed her head and her hips.