Chapter 1
Auld Acquaintances
Author's Note: I came up with the idea for this story while in the middle of writing "The Mentalist, the Artist, and the Archaeologist" and while re-reading a fanfiction called "The Centerpiece". It's a SakuIta pairing story so I suggest you guys check it out! Please note that Bellethiel is originally Brianna, my other oc, but I decided to take her name and form a different character with a different appearance. So, if you become interested in my other stories and see the name, don't be alarmed. She's not the same person as in here. Fear not! I am working on my other fanfiction!
Also, this is intended to be a five-shot (five chapter) story. I'm also working on a cover for this story and that will be up... soon.
Please, enjoy, read and review!
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
A ball point pen descended rapidly on the single sheet of paper that rested innocently on a solid oak desk. Beside that piece of paper receiving such violent ministrations was a lukewarm coffee cup that was half filled with dark roast black coffee (one spoonful of sugar added) and above the paper was a cylinder holding an array of pens and pencils. The paper wasn't blank. It was filled to the end of the page and over on its backside with printed writing presumably typed hastily via computer. It arrived to that desk thirty minutes prior and what the paper contained immediately warranted the poor deposit of wood frequent stabbings of a pen.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
A hand held that ball point pen and wielded it with such ferocity that, if the piece of paper was a sentient being, it would no longer be among the living. Attached to that hand was an arm that led up to the contemplative face of a dark haired man. Black eyes blazed with focus and slight irritation and the reason for this man's feelings lay in the words that ran across the paper he read. It is safe to assume that what the paper contained was nothing good in his very strong opinion.
The 'Dear Itachi Uchiha,' that came first made him think that it was from a client. When his eyes continued to the second line that began the body paragraph that thought was whisked away immediately. 'As your father I am deeply disturbed by the fact that you have yet to find a suitable bride in the United States. If I remember correctly, you said part of your reason for leaving Japan was because you wished to acquire a bride to produce an heir for the family business. I am still in full support of your decision. A young lady with good credentials and social standing from the States will do quite nicely.'
It always came down to him needing to find a wife.
Itachi Uchiha, heir of an architect business in Japan, left for America to become a lawyer and make some sort of name for himself. A lawyer, after all, was an acceptable job in the eyes of his parents. He was going to inherit the CEO job when his father died and that was sometime down the line. His father felt that he needed to keep busy during the time before his inheritance becomes reality and if his son wanted to be a lawyer in the United States, that was perfectly acceptable. Of course, he was still required to find a woman to marry and the letter his father sent him expressed, profusely, Fugaku Uchiha's distaste as his son's obvious neglect of finding a wife.
Itachi sighed and finally placed the pen that he was abusing the paper with down neatly on the bare wood beside it. There were plenty of women in the US that would jump at the chance to make an acceptable match with a young man of twenty-six from Japan with a lot of money to inherit. All of the people in the world were alike in that regard.
The thing was that Itachi didn't really want to get married to anyone at that particular time. He simply wanted to continue with law and maybe accept the inheritance of the company his father owned. He honestly wasn't sure he wanted to be some businessman in the architecture industry.
Now he was apparently being threatened by his father that, if he didn't find a wife soon, he was going to have to marry the young woman that his family picked out for him. The black haired Uchiha heir winced at that thought. He didn't want to marry anyone his family picked out. She would be wealthy and fertile and, well, that was about it. The young lady might be fine for someone who wants to inherit the business, but for him? Itachi? The woman he married needed to meet certain standards and he knew that the woman his father picked didn't meet them.
How was he going to get out of this one?
The phone on the far right hand side of his desk began to ring and Itachi picked it up.
"Uchiha. Yes please send her in," he ordered and hung up.
He had a meeting with a representative of one of his clients. The young lady, apparently, was a student of an archeologist who is overseeing the excavation of an old Native American city that apparently dated back before Native Americans like the Apache existed. Apparently, a company that was a branch off of his father's wanted to build an office building there and the archeologist was having none of it. So, her student, and underling, was scheduled for an audience with him to negotiate his services in court.
The door opened.
Thirty minutes earlier the imagination's eye is met with a solitary figure making her way through the crowded streets of downtown San Antonio, Texas. A young woman by the name Bellethiel McKie- it wasn't her fault- made her way to one of the law firms that dominated the city for a scheduled interview with the lawyer whom her professor, Tsuni Moruni, booked a few days earlier when it became apparent that their excavation project (sanctioned by the city and the state) had a serious clash with a building project that Uchiha Enterprises wanted to do. Naturally the fiery tempered red-haired college professor refused to have anything to do with such nonsense, so she immediately made contact with the staff of the best lawyer known in the city. To Miss McKie's sarcastically geared mind, she found it ironic (and not in a particularly nice way) that the best just so happened to be a guy she went to high school with and also foreign.
The foreign part of that really got to her; especially since the twerp was pretty much good at everything else he set his mind to.
Bellethiel (or Belle as she liked to be called as the nickname was less embarrassing than the full name) entered the medium height office building that housed the small office space of Itachi Uchiha's private local law firm.
'At least he didn't try to make himself too widely available to the US or else I'd be here for a while,' Belle thought dryly while she shook out her gold hair in order to air out the back of her neck which was sticky with perspiration due to the Southern Texas sun.
She grimaced when she caught sight of her hair in the mirror-windows where the security guards were stationed. Gold hair of all things! Not poetically "gold" but literally gold colored hair. Gold color really wasn't that much of a big deal (even though family members swore differently). It was simply a dimmer dirty-blond. Belle also had ice blue eyes, a color she was more tolerant of than the "gold" due to how interesting it was. Her favorite singer had ice blue eyes as well as her favorite actress. Naturally, knowing that she wasn't alone in her icy eyes made her less annoyed with how blank they appeared during the day. They were eyes meant for dim cloudy areas and not the bright glare of the Texas sun.
Belle curled her toes that were crammed into the high heeled shoes her best friend guilted her into wearing with evident discomfort before proceeding to where the secretary of the whole building sat typing on the computer whilst chatting on the phone with a customer. The pale faced young college student waited patiently for the other woman to finish her conversation before introducing herself and inquiring as to where the office of Itachi Uchiha was.
The secretary, upon hearing said introduction looked at her with caution.
"May I inquire as to why you need to visit Mr Uchiha?" she asked severely.
Belle attempted to hide her grimace but failed at it and fished into her pocket for her wallet. The professor encouraged her students to wear dress pants on all business and formal occasions as well as for her students to buy slim wallets to keep personal identification in. It was due to the wallet that the Texan finally invested in a debit card.
Miss McKie held it up and let the flap fall open to reveal her student's archaeological identification and the secretary raised an eyebrow.
"I'm scheduled, ma'am. It's an appointment. I'm here on behalf of Professor Tsuni Moruni," she stated brokenly in hopes that she didn't have to elaborate.
Thankfully she didn't because the blond glanced down at what seemed to be her personal planner and then nodded.
"Oh, yes, sorry. Mr. Uchiha sometimes gets unwelcomed visitors and we sometimes have to send them away. His office is on the fourth floor, suite four thirty-five," instructed the secretary apologetically.
The secretary was phoning the young lawyer in a business-like tone and Belle's eyes were suddenly drawn to the ring on the woman's third left finger. A vein ticked on her forehead when they young archeologist in training realized that Itachi Uchiha experienced the same amount of female admirers in adult life as he had in high school. It was vaguely annoying and she wondered how annoying it was for the woman who worked for him to deal with it.
The secretary hung up the phone and smiled at the golden haired young woman before her and Belle saw the warm appreciation flickering in their light blue irises. The ice-blue eyed woman smiled back nervously and scratched the temple of her head.
"Mr. Uchiha will see you now, ma'am. Please give Professor Moruni a warm greeting from our law firm and tell her that we hope to see her personally real soon."
As Bellethiel made her way from the front desk toward the elevators she thought, 'Probably best that she didn't know I that I happened to have known the stiff in high school. I wonder what he's like now, or whether he even changed at all?'
Such was a valid question to ask. Itachi Uchiha was one of those kids whose mental maturity peeked when they were extremely young. Most of the teachers said so and were always greatly impressed with the boy. Belle was a few years younger than Itachi and hadn't graduated with him, but she was in a few of the same classes as he was and she remembered much about what he used to be like. He never talked much and when he did it was in a low baritone (at sixteen) the other teenage boys were jealous of. He was a prodigy in pretty much everything that was academic and, in cases where he was actually interested, certain artistic endeavors.
Belle made it to the man's office and froze at the door for a second unsure of whether to knock or not. Deciding that she needed to maintain some air of superiority, the golden haired young woman opened the door and entered the room. Ice-blue eyes met with solemn black ones that widened with surprise at the site of her. She did notice that the look on his face was of barely concealed shock, though not the type of shock that meant he dreaded the sight of her. It looked like he was pleasantly surprised for some odd reason that she didn't understand.
She smiled wanly and greeted him, "Good afternoon Mr. Uchiha. Can I assume that you have already read the case file?"
Itachi felt rather perplexed at the sight that greeted him the moment the door opened at the golden haired girl-now-woman from his high school years entered his office. He blinked and studied her for a few moments attempting to completely take in the fact that she was there. He had graduated when she was sixteen, the dark haired lawyer recalled, and he remembered that she was in some of the accelerated humanities classes (English, History, government, etc) as well as the anatomy class that the school held shortly after she took biology in her first year of high school. They had sat next to each other for his entire senior year and Itachi remembered that the times he did talk to her was to merely poke gentile fun at her.
Well, not exactly gentile, but she did respond appropriately in ways that amused or irked him depending.
From the look on her face, it seemed like she already prepared herself for their confrontation and was calculating his reaction.
"Miss McKie it is a pleasure to see you again," he replied after she voiced her greeting.
It actually was a pleasure, he decided, she certainly hadn't been among the female populous that annoyed (stalked) him profusely during his high school years.
Bellethiel, as he remembered her first name was, blinked at him then glanced at the chair in front of his desk then back at him. Itachi nodded to the chair before him and smirked.
"I didn't think I needed to invite you to take your seat, Miss McKie," he retorted to her silent rebuke.
Bellethiel McKie narrowed her eyes at him, "Your wit is as sharp as ever, I see."
Itachi didn't reply and he waited for her to sit down before getting on to business. He fished out the case file from under the letter from his father and opened it. After a few minutes of silent re-evaluation he looked up at the bored expression on Miss McKie's face. Her expression somewhat amused him. She might have adorned dressier, more adult, attire, but she obviously hadn't changed too much from high school. Granted he figured that he had no right to talk on that point since he knew for a fact that he most certainly had not either. Still, it helped make the atmosphere in the room less awkward for the both of them.
"From what I've read of the case, if the judge doesn't throw it out due to the federal preservation laws the jury will rule in Professor Moruni's favor," he stated bluntly.
Bellethiel didn't look surprised by that fact. In fact she actually looked rather amused.
"We figured as much. I assume that your father didn't drop the case when you informed him of our laws?" she asked.
Itachi raised an eyebrow at her, "My father and I rarely correspond. With that being said, I did have a conversation about the problem with my mother and she had little success in persuading my father otherwise. He wishes to expand to this city and he means to do so."
Miss McKie's face showed, most plainly, her thoughts about his father and Itachi was most certainly inclined to agree with her. He couldn't help it since his father began to pester him about marriage… again.
She sighed softly and shifted in her seat, "Then, I guess, we need to discuss a payment plan. What are your options?"
Itachi was about to answer when he suddenly stopped short. An idea was slowly forming in his mind and he clenched his fists out of sudden anticipation. Bellethiel McKie shot him an annoyed look.
"Anytime now," she said gruffly.
Itachi held up a finger, "I have a proposition for you, but your professor needs to be present when I make it. It concerns a trade of sorts where little to no money is exchanged in the proceedings. The matter is as small as it is and this will end up benefitting both of us."
The look she gave him was priceless. It was a cross between confusion, interest and anger.
"The fu-," she checked herself and started again, "What on God's green earth, are you suggesting Uchiha?"
Itachi reached under his case file and pulled out the letter his father sent him and handed it to her, "Read it, I do not mind in the least."
She was staring at him with warily as she took the paper and began to read. After a few minutes she glanced up at him with a severe look, "I am NOT going to marry you."
Itachi chuckled, "I was not going to suggest that. My proposition is more innocent than such. We shall discuss it on a later date for I wish to polish some of the finer details and come up with an acceptable end date. Naturally, the proposition will extend beyond the court date as I will need to keep my family off of my back until I can make other arrangements."
Miss McKie blinked, "What, you want me to be your fake girlfriend or something?"
Itachi blinked, "I am merely considering the possibility and only wish to make the offer when your professor is present. This can easily be misconstrued in bad light when, in fact, it is something else entirely."
The golden haired woman stared at him dumbfounded and open mouthed. Finally she regained enough composure to ask, "And if we both do not consent to this?"
Itachi fished out the second payment plan and placed it before her. She set the letter from his father back down on his desk and picked up the conventional payment plan and scanned it. She nodded while attempting to not look ill from the shock of his former request.
"That will be fine, then, I suppose. Professor Moruni has acquired a lot of money for an archeologist so money is not a problem for her," she said in a shaking voice.
He nodded and took out his schedule, "When would be a good time for the three of us to meet?"
Miss McKie thought about it for a few seconds before replying, "Monday. The professor is busy this weekend and your firm is closed on the weekends."
He didn't reply mostly because he didn't need to. Itachi knew that the meeting was going to be short in any case. In fact, it went on longer than he originally thought it would.
Miss McKie cleared her throat and stood up, "Well, unless there is anything else for us to discuss, I will take my leave."
Itachi nodded, "Monday then?"
She nodded mutely and nearly scampered towards the door that lead of the office. Making as hasty of an exit was probably the better idea, in her personal opinion.
Itachi watched her go and sat back in his chair with an openly thoughtful expression on his face. She would do very nicely. His father needed to be offended by someone blunt every now and then. Her being his supposed girlfriend would just be icing on the cake.
'She most certainly was a godsend,' he thought to himself.
Belle stormed into Professor Moruni's office later that afternoon with an expression on her face that was a cross between flustered affronted. The red headed archeology professor looked up at her with a blank expression on her face. Belle vaguely noticed that Moruni was working on some sort of paperwork, but that wasn't the foremost thing on her mind.
"Did the meeting go badly?" asked Professor Moruni curiously.
Bellethiel frowned, "No, he's willing to take the case. He just… has an interesting way for you to pay for his services."
Professor Moruni straightened up, "Try me."
Belle sighed and plopped down in one of the chairs that sat demurely in from of the professor's desk, "He wants to employ me indefinitely as his sort of… girlfriend. Apparently his father's pressuring him to find a wife and he decided that he needed a scapegoat. That's me."
The professor's face was astounded, "Why you?"
Belle waved her hand airily, "We knew each other in high school. Apparently I didn't annoy him like the rest of the female populous."
Incredulous astonishment was suddenly replaced by complete and total amusement and Professor Moruni set her pen and papers down and leaned forward into her hand.
"You… want to do this?" she asked casually.
Belle looked dumbstruck at the sudden question and she was about to answer with a big fat "no" when the professor held up her hand.
"Let me re-phrase that question because, honestly, I wouldn't even want to do this if I was in this position. Do you think you can handle doing this?" she clarified.
Bellethiel was suddenly contemplative at the question and she sat in her seat pondering her answer carefully. She felt that she was being tested and whatever the answer she put forth would obviously prove something ultimately to her professor. Her icy-blue eyes locked with Professor Moruni's emerald green ones and a small, confident, little smirk made its way onto her lips.
"If I needed to and if it was a necessity, then yes I can probably handle a few months of Uchiha," she said while taking a bit too much credit for herself than was actually due her.
Professor Moruni noticed this but said nothing as she leaned back into her seat with a proud expression on her face regardless of whether or not she thought her student was being too full-hardy. It was enough to know that she was ready for anything.
"Do you think that wasting money on this case is worth it?" she asked curiously.
Belle shook her head, "If you don't want to actually spend money on a lawyer and spend it on something worth our time, I think I can do it."
Tsuni Moruni nodded and sighed, "Well, I don't have too much of a problem with it. The only thing that we would have to do is figure out a good cover story for as to why Uchiha is covering my case free of charge."
Bellethiel shrugged at this remark as the solution to this problem presented itself to her in bright flashing lights, "Itachi is doing this for me since he does happen to be my boyfriend… apparently."
The professor nodded and crossed her legs under her desk, "So, when do we meet with him to work out the details of this… venture?"
Belle took out her personal planner where she wrote down the time and date and placed it in front of her professor mutely. The red headed older woman peered at the writing over the top of her glasses and nodded with some satisfaction in her eyes.
"Lunch hour on Monday will be as good a time as any. I am assuming that, by the time he gave you that he has the same lunch hours as we do?" she asked.
The golden haired young woman nodded in response and took back her planner. The professor clapped her hands with a false cheerful smile on her face.
"Well then! All will be sorted out soon I fancy. I suggest that you enjoy what little time you have left as a free agent before Monday and have the rest of the weekend off. Sound good?" her green eyes sparkled apologetically and Bellethiel knew that she was trying to make up for the sudden situation that arrived.
Belle nodded her thanks and took her leave shortly afterwards with a troubled expression on her face. Could she really handle attempting to fake a romantic relationship with a guy who had the emotional range of a Q-tip and just about as much understanding of them? Probably not, but she would make the valiant effort until after the court case is finished.
In order to spend her valuable time as a free woman (which was depleting by the second), Bellethiel called her friends and asked them to meet her at one of the higher end bars in San Antonio. Drinking didn't solve problems, she knew this and understood this, but Belle also knew that it would help calm her nerves and relax her overly agitated mind at that moment.
Ino Yamanaka, a Japanese-American girl (seriously, her father married a woman from the States) and Sakura Haruno, Ino's best friend from college and a transfer student from Japan, to attend this bar with her. Belle learned the hard way a few days after turning twenty-one that it was best for young women to go in packs when drinking at a bar. Men were pigs no matter what society they came from. Of course, there was the occasional woman who tended to put moves on them, but it was easier to get rid of them when there happened to be a pack of them instead of just one or two.
Wisely, Bellethiel decided against telling any of her friends about the arrangement she was about to make with the lawyer, Itachi Uchiha whom all met at some point in their lives. Sakura Haruno was engaged to Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's little brother who decided to attend college in the states as a way to take up business courses. Apparently, Itachi was considering turning down the inheritance of his father's company in favor of remaining in the states as a lawyer and Sasuke was preparing for the potentiality of that time. Sakura was training to become a doctor under the guidance and tutelage of Tsunade Senju. Tsunade and Professor Moruni, Belle knew, went way back and was part of the reason why Sakura was in the states.
Ino knew Itachi from her association with Sakura and Sasuke. The association between Itachi and Ino turned out to vary between matchmaking, crazy woman to obsessed fangirl as Belle found out from her high school association with Ino.
While they waited for their food and sipped their respective bears/whiskey Ino was ranting about her boyfriend, Shikamaru Nara. The conversation was mostly one-sided due to the fact that Sakura didn't know Shikamaru as well as Belle and Ino and because Belle only vaguely cared about her best friend's problems at that particular moment. After all, her biggest reason for coming to the bar with her two closest friends was so she could otherwise forget about what she was inevitably going to have to do after Monday.
After Ino finally ranted herself out concerning the subject of Shikamaru, she tried to engage Belle and Sakura on the subject of dating and their past boyfriends. Since Sakura was engaged to the one of three long term boyfriends she had in her entire life, the rosette had a little bit more to say than the metallic haired young woman pulling her hand through her gold tresses while attempting to avoid several questions. Belle's blond friend suddenly focused her rapidly changing attention on the subject of Bellethiel's love life, which was rather pathetic if the icy blue eyed woman had to say so herself.
"Belle, you need to find some sort of boyfriend sooner or later! Your youth is fading away fast! Just think about it! Do you really think that you're going to find love in your carrier as an archaeologist?" the blond asked almost pleadingly.
Bellethiel just sent the overly intrusive blond a 'look' and went back to her second shot of whiskey with a grumpy look on her face.
"Ino, you're actually assuming that I don't have anyone at the moment," she grumbled more out of spite than actual truth even though this was going to be the story that she would soon be sticking too after Monday.
She figured that it was probably best to allude to her pending doom now than later. Needless to say the look of utter horrified astonishment on Ino's face and the look of perplexed confusion on Sakura's face was most certainly worth it. Ino, for her credit, didn't believe Belle in the slightest.
"Well, do you?" the blond asked incredulously.
Bellethiel shrugged, "I'm not saying either way. I honestly don't understand why it's so important to date anyway. It leads to nothing but heartbreak and utter annoyance."
Sakura shrugged at that one, "Not all the time."
Belle took another swig of whiskey before replying, "You and Sasuke had your fair share of problems in the past. How you two ended up together is totally beyond me!"
Sakura shrugged while Ino smirked at the rosette knowingly, "Well, I think a lot of it had to do with your crazy-ass military/cop family kicking a certain terrorist organization's ass for picking on underage children."
Belle snickered, "What? Like your family didn't get into the fray! Your dad's got some mad mental skills for a psychologist! And didn't Shikamaru's lazy ass of a father kick that one moron's butt to next week?"
Sakura chuckled, "Are you trying to insinuate that it was both of you two that finally brought Sasuke-kun and I together?"
Bellethiel waved her hand and interjected before Ino could continue that conversation, "We are saying that we cleared the way. What I'm trying to point out via the whole mess with Uchiha number two is that the relationship between you both was complicated and strained before the mess that led up to Ino and I needing to call the intervention squad."
Ino tapped her hand on the bar counter with a thoughtful expression on her face, "Speaking of the intervention squad, wasn't Sasuke's older brother working for the lawyer who represented him during the trial?"
Belle's blood went cold at the sudden mention of the other Uchiha while Sakura answered the blond with the affirmative. She sighed and figured that she would tell them at least.
"Well, now that you've mentioned Uchiha number… one, guess what? I saw him today," she finally admitted.
Ino and Sakura gave her a look and Belle continued, "He's finished law school, didn't take him too long to do that, come to think of it, and he's going to represent Professor Moruni in the case against his father's company."
Ino and Sakura waited for her to continue expecting more and their friend obliged, "While we were negotiating the payment, an alternative to the Professor actually giving up cash was brought to my attention and, I have a feeling, thought up on the spot out of desperation on his side."
Green and sky blue eyes blinked at the tipsy Texan expectantly and Bellethiel continued, "So once Monday rolls around I am going to be pseudo-dating him so that he can get his family off his back about getting married anytime soon."
Ino looked bemused while Sakura dumbstruck. The blond haired woman leaned against the bar table with a suddenly knowing smirk on her face.
"So, Lethie, what you're saying is that Itachi Uchiha, the most eligible bachelor in town and in Japan, asked you to be his girlfriend and actually wants you to be his girlfriend? As in he wants to enter into a relationship with you?" there was some unneeded stress played upon the fact that it was Itachi Uchiha.
Belle rolled her eyes and took a long swig of her whiskey and emptying the glass. She signaled the bartender for another glass before turning to answer Ino.
"Yeah, well, I don't think it has anything to do with him wanting to be romantic with me in the least. I think he's just trying to find someone who won't take this type of opportunity to try to seduce him into sleeping with her or something of that nature," Belle replied bluntly.
Ino looked positively shocked and was about to voice just how appalled she was at how such a thing was not Belle's intention, but was nudged in the ribs by a wise Sakura who read into Bellethiel's mood and realized that the young woman was doing this for business reasons and not personal. The gold haired young woman noticed their interaction, though, despite the creeping toxic haze that she was slowly acquiring.
Ino, still, would not be silenced, "But damn, Belle! I know that I haven't seen the man in a few years, but last time I checked that guy was incredibly hot and I don't think that's changed! You can't possibly be telling me that his awesome sex appeal escaped your notice?"
Bellethiel didn't bother replying to that. There was no need. Ino was right and Sakura was remaining unusually silent throughout the conversation. But that didn't change the fact that, despite the fact that Belle had about as much affection for the man as she had for raw onions and onion rings she was still of the feminine persuasion and she most certainly did notice Itachi's quote on quote sex appeal. What made it worse was the fact that his handsome features matured like fine wine. They got better with age. Not that Itachi was old. He was quite young, but even Belle could see the wares and cares of a man who had to deal with more than the average person line the corners of his eyes and mouth. Frown lines were appearing.
"Look, I'll admit, Itachi's a looker, but he's not exactly my first choice in dating. This is merely a matter of convenience. It's a relationship in which both parties have entered to secure their own means. We just have to get a little more… physical and emotional than normal business partners," Belle explained pointedly.
This brought up something that had been on Belle's mind the entire day after the meeting and was finally voiced by Sakura who saw the Uchiha heir more often than the other two ladies.
"Um, but Sasuke even says that his brother has the emotional capacity of a toothpick. He's a regular ice prince from what I've seen and I see a lot of him," commented Sakura contemplatively.
Bellethiel and Ino both exchanged amused glanced before bursting out laughing. When their laughter finally died down Belle replied, "Yeah coupled with my lack of experience we make one hell of a couple."
Ino giggled, "You putting up with him should be videotaped and sent in to comedy central."
The rest of the night was dedicated to commentary on the emotionally repressed men that they knew in high school and are recently acquainted with in college. Said men had a lot of various hilarious stories about how rare occasions caught them showing their emotions in the most entertaining of ways.
Monday came upon Belle like a thief in the night. The young woman felt like she merely blinked and suddenly she woke up and it was Monday. So, like a ticking time bomb who wasn't in a good mood at all, Bellethiel dressed as nicely and professionally as she could and trudged out of her room and into the kitchen. Sakura and Ino looked up from where they were reading the newspaper spread out on the table and smiled at her. Belle grunted, pulled out a chair, and sat down heavily.
She lived with Sakura and Ino in a small apartment near the campus. It was more cost efficient for the three of them to bunk together than in separate apartments. None of them had well-paying jobs.
Ino raised an eyebrow, "What's got your goat?"
Bellethiel glanced up at her and shrugged, "Nothing, just a weasel problem."
There. She alluded to her soon-to-be predicament without actually naming names. Somehow, she was slightly glad that the meaning of her client's name meant a pesky sneaky little rodent. Something had to be said about the Japanese. They certainly knew how to name their kids.
Sakura's face became a picture of confusion, "What weasel problem? We don't have wild weasels here."
Ino's eyes widened and she smirked knowingly, "Say, Lethi? Why were you out so late last night?"
Bellethiel winced, but mostly because of the nickname that Ino tended to use when she was playfully suspicious.
As a matter of fact, the golden haired woman spent her evenings in the library looking for various relationship books and reading through them fervently. For one thing, her ability to kiss was extremely… lacking despite her previous experience that wasn't exactly experience at all. She got the emotional side of dating, but the physical side and what to do concerning hand motions and boundaries? Belle was about as knowledgeable as a goose was about eating utensils. To attempt to remedy that problem she decided that a bit of research was in order.
She learned a lot, but…
"I was busy," Belle answered simply.
Ino drummed the table with her fingers and giggled, "Right."
At this point Sakura, who finally put two and two together, abruptly changed the subject while flashing Bellethiel as very happy smile. Belle nearly bit back a grown. It was going to be hard with Ino cooing about a possible romance that could flourish from this venture. Belle thought, of course, that such a thing was impossible. Uchiha was not even remotely lovable in her book.
"You know," ventured Ino, "you could just ask Sakura and me for advice if you don't know what to do."
Belle frowned at that. Ino would no doubt give her a great magnitude of advice and Sakura would be willing to put her two cents into the conversation. After all, she was engaged to the younger brother. Still, the golden haired woman wasn't too keen on engaging in "girl talk". It just wasn't her style.
'The things I do for people!' she though forlornly.
Itachi was pleased when he noticed that both Bellethiel and Professor Moruni arrived on time and modestly dressed. He nodded to them when they saw where he was sitting and made their way towards him.
"Professor Moruni, Miss McKie," greeted Itachi.
The red headed professor smiled and sat down while tapping the place next to her. Bellethiel stared at the seat next to her mentor for a second before sitting down. Itachi noticed that the woman looked a little green.
"So, Belle explained the nature of this proposition to me and I have to say that it is quite… unique," began the professor.
Itachi nodded, "Please be assured of the fact that I wouldn't have made the proposition to Miss McKie if I wasn't driven to a corner."
Professor Moruni raised an eyebrow, "Let me guess, your father has already picked out the woman and this woman is one that you have already met in Japan and she's not your type."
Itachi blinked in surprise for a second before nodding, "Partly. I am also none too keen on engaging into an early matrimony with anyone at present. If it looks as if there is a young woman whom could easily be seen as a potential bride and I seemingly accept her company, my family will cease their attempts in matchmaking."
Professor Moruni nodded and looked at her nails with a frown on her face. Itachi, watching this, understood her distaste for what she heard. The professor knew a lot about the cultures and myths of thousands of peoples and the Japanese were one of them. The thousands of years old tradition of matchmaking and arranged matrimony was a subject that the woman was quite versed in. From his knowledge, the reason why she knew so much about it was because she hated it so much. Professor Moruni was one of those people who, when they hated something with a burning passion, did as much research as they did on the things they loved. Arranged marriages apparently happened to be one of them.
"I thought arranged marriages were going out of style in the free countries of oriental east?" Bellethiel finally piped up out of curiosity.
Itachi waited for the snappy, passionate, outburst from the Professor and was almost instantly rewarded.
"Don't be silly, Belle. Many cultures still take part in arranged marriages. Hell, some of the moronic business tycoons or well-off performing stars make advantageous marriage for the sake of the marriage being advantageous. England's aristocracy still does it, the rest of Europe still practices it, most communist countries practice it and the free countries in that area practice it. Marriages get arranged every day. Mr. Uchiha, to his credit, has the ability to turn down the marriage in light of having another woman in mind. With you being a well-rounded, educated, and bright lady the head of the Uchiha clan, that is a family which includes its extended family, can't refuse. Plus, you're foreign and you have strange hair, in their eyes, seeing their son married to you would be like Christmas to them. Am I right, Mr. Uchiha?" her rant ended in a question directed at him.
Itachi immediately obliged to answer, "While my father will not be entirely pleased with her lack of status and income, the fact that some of her family members are decorated in the United States Military will appeal to him. The other factors weigh in as well and my father will not object despite how he personally feels."
Belle tapped the table with her hand in annoyance at what the conversation was seemingly implying, "So, to get this cleared up, I am not dating you seriously, right?"
Itachi met her gaze and nodded, "Precisely. While our relationship isn't serious we must make it appear to be serious to the rest of the world. The only thing that we will be required to do in private is discuss our next move. I figured that could be accomplished twice a week. Due to our lack of intimate knowledge of the other, I believe that it is imperative that we use most of these private meetings to get to know each other's likes and dislikes as well as our past experiences with dating and how to accommodate for anything lacking on either side."
Belle suddenly turned pink and looked away with an uncomfortable expression on her face. Professor Moruni observed this small thing from her student and laughed quietly to herself. Itachi raised an eyebrow at the professor. Before he could say anything, the red headed older woman beat him to it.
"She's only ever had three short termed relationships Itachi. I'm afraid that her experience is a little lacking in this department," explained the teacher.
Itachi observed the utterly embarrassed look on Bellethiel's face and silently cursed to himself. He had been hoping that she was experienced because he, honestly, had no idea what to do with a girlfriend. Still, she obviously had more experience than he did.
"Let me assure you, Professor, I have little experience in dating as well. We will seek advice elsewhere if we must," he said.
Behind the horn-rimmed spectacles that framed Professor Moruni's eyes amusement flared forward and danced in the florescent lighting. She smirked at him.
"You and my student have little to no experience in dating and you want to still attempt to this off. This is going to be hilarious!" she said in between chuckles.
Itachi kept his face blank while some small fires of embarrassment flared up inside of his mind. On the other hand the look that Bellethiel McKie had on her face made him feel slightly better.
"I believe, professor, that we will be able to work this out," he said in an attempt to calm the amused woman before him.
Professor Moruni cleared her throat after one last chuckle and sighed, "Alright, I'm okay with this if Belle is and she seems willing to at least make the attempt. If it doesn't work I will be happy to go on ahead and pay for your services as my lawyer in full. Does that seem fair?"
Itachi nodded, "Your proposal is adequate."
The Professor clapped her hands and stood up. Belle made as if to follow her, but the red head placed her hand on the blue eyed younger woman and shook her head.
"You need to stay and discuss some things with your new beau. I need to prepare my statement for the court date as well as gather information for Itachi about the digging sight. He needs to know what we found there so that the judge and jury will understand as well. Okay?" her green eyes still held amusement in them.
Belle didn't hide her displeasure at being left alone with him, but nodded her head all the same. Professor Moruni turned back to Itachi and waved.
"Have fun kids!" she chirped and waltz out of the office door.
Itachi looked slightly offended by the woman's exiting phrase, "Kids?"
Belle shrugged, "She calls Professor Hale a kid and he's two years younger than her."
Itachi grunted and returned his attention to her. The look on Bellethiel's face induced a smirk to creep onto his lips.
"First, I believe that we need to at least pretend that we like each other," he teased.
The murderous look she shot his way was priceless.