Chapter 7: The Pressure

A/N: Whew...it's been a whole year and a half since I updated this story. I apologize. Feel free to blame writer's block because I certainly won't be taking responsibility. Y'all know how crazy the world's been since then.

Sitting back into his wheelchair, Touma was understandably crushed. His daughter had just dropped a bombshell on him the likes of which he'd never seen before in all his years of living. She was leaving and on top of that she was getting married into another family - and unorthodox family but a family nonetheless. Regardless, he never expected her to leave the family home so soon. When he finally gave his daughter's hand away in marriage to another man, this was not at all how he envisioned it. While he surely did not approve of the union, he would not be so selfish as to deprive Jaina of the freedom to make her own choices. No matter how much he didn't like them. As a father, he has to stand by her decision even if he didn't quite understand it.

And yet, he's still completely torn over this.

What kind of father did it make him to allow his daughter to wed a man who already had an ongoing union with two other women? Personally, he would never allow such a thing to take place with his own children but that choice did he have in the matter when Jaina had already made up her mind.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

He's familiar with the Uchiha's and their considerable reputation within Japan. He's curious to know how his daughter came to become acquainted with one and secure a marriage.

Jaina is not an irresponsible or untrustworthy person, in truth, she's proven herself to be quite intelligent and dependable. Touma's eyes slid over to the bag filled with money laying untouched on the kitchen table. He'd rather not put his family through such stress and turmoil. After all, the bills had been mounting for some time now. The meagre sums from the shop were little to no help. Suddenly, her visit to the hospital made perfect sense. Now he knows why she felt the need to confide in him during the visit - why she wouldn't flat out tell him what was going on. This is exactly why it's important for parents to understand and connect with their children.

He highly doubted that there was anything he could say to change her mind at this point. Voicing his objections would get him nowhere. As this is certainly the most extraordinary of circumstances. According to Kimiko, Jaina has worried about his well-being for some time now. The dark cloud of his declining health constantly loomed over them all. His subsequent illness has directly affected Jaina to astronomical levels and his heart aches to know that she bore the brunt of his sickness.

Still, his concerns are valid. The idea to wed for financial reasons has become more prevalent with the young people nowadays. Legally binding themselves to individuals without true love or trust. Back in his day, such a concept was not heard of nor encouraged.

The family's situation might be dire but was this really the right way to go about solving it? A father's role goes far beyond simply being a provider for his family. He sets the tone for the household. Things happen, oftentimes with hard consequences. And it ultimately fell to him to preserve his family. In the event of his death, he could not leave his family to deal with grief and a mountain of debt as a result of hospital bills.

Asami's emotional state would be another challenge to contend with. He knew how close she was with her sister. Finding how she would be getting married and leaving to live with another family had to be crushing for her. As a younger sister, she would not be so willing to accept such a new change in this shirt amount of time.

A hand slid onto his shoulder, drawing out of his jumbled musing. "Dear? Are you alright?"

Touma took in a breath. "I'm fine. Just a little blind-sighted by the whole affair. I understand her motives but why would she-"

"She did it for the family. For you. It's not our place to question her actions, Touma. She did what any child would do." Kimiko asserted.

"But we are her parents. Surely there could've been another way." He started.

"Do you think if there was she would have us sign those marriage forms?" Kimiko answered. "Touma don't you think you're being unfair to her? She has sacrificed for us - did what she thinks is right, can we not just accept it for what it is?"

Touma resisted the urge to shake his head in sheer disagreement.

Children should not have to sacrifice anything for the sake of their parents, it should be the other way around. While he'll always have faith in her to do the right thing no matter the circumstance, this was too great a price for her to pay. Not to mention the hassle it was going to be to remain civil to his new son-in-law.

"I accepted it when I signed those papers…"

Kimiko squatted down in front of her husband to meet his eyes. "Then why voice any objections now? Have her actions disappointed you that much?"

"She's my daughter, I will love her no matter what she does." Touma expressed, feeling somewhat defensive against the line of questioning.

"Or who she marries?" Kimiko insists, watching calmly as the man's lips tightened at the words.

"We have given her our blessing. Best to leave it at that." He asserted.

The wife promptly stood. "Tomorrow, I'm going to give the money to the bank so we won't lose the house."

Touma nodded in response.

Silently watching as his wife moved to leave the kitchen, leaving him at the table. The bag of money still lay there untouched as he had no desire to touch it. That very bag of money was the cause of his daughter leaving. A strange feeling of contempt came over him and he had to push it down. What good would it do him to hate an inanimate object?

Honestly, he had no idea where to go from here, what to do.

Time might help him get used to all the new developments but he wasn't so sure.

The light reflected brilliantly off the diamond ring which was beautiful in every sense of the word. It was a shame that Jaina couldn't really admire or cherish the ring due to the circumstances of how it came to be on her finger. Technically, she's a married woman now. She would be bearing the Uchiha name whether she liked it or not. Already, it was hard to imagine herself being married to anyone.

Though her reluctance ran much deeper than that. Everything was coming to a head. As if the pressure of everything had finally hit and she was left grappling with everything. The pressure itself, full and suffocating as it was, had indeed set in. She'd been feeling some type of way about it since yesterday and it hasn't let up.

She would never forget the look on her father's face. The look made her feel conflicted despite her initial confidence about the decision.

Touma didn't pay the money a single glance when the Uchiha slid it onto the table, all of his attention was solely on her. Jaina recognized the look - one of disappointment. Her father was disappointed in her. Disappointed because he expected better judgement from her. And just plain better from her period. What child liked to disappoint their parents? What she did could be seen as impulsive but what other choice did she have? He was not willing to acknowledge that she'd done this for him. For the entire family's sake. In the end, Jaina had gotten the money for his treatment and to keep the shop open. The desire to fix everything that had gone wrong had taken precedence over all else. Her choice was wrong based on his moral ground.

One man plus multiple wives equals big problems she was thoroughly convinced. There was no doubt that her father believed so too. Now she's expected to learn and adapt to her new life in a polygamous relationship. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The only thing her family could do for her was provide support, love, and understanding. Even with those three requirements, she might be asking for too much. As a matter of fact, Jaina was sure that Asami was plotting Sasuke's death at this very moment - It wouldn't be like her sister if she wasn't.

Being married meant she had to commit to her role as a wife entirely. Even if that included having sex. The thought made Jaina cringe both inwardly and outwardly. She wasn't sure if she could hold up her end of the bargain in that aspect and she carried a proportional amount of dread because of it.

"Ah...welcome home!" Ino expressed, running over and throwing her arms around her husband before he could get through the door properly. Not surprisingly Sakura was right behind her. If she didn't know any better she'd think that they'd been purposely waiting at the door for them to return. It wouldn't be that surprising to find out they were.

The women's dynamic was pretty much the same in terms of aim. The two women truly loved and idolized Sasuke while she wasn't even the slightest bit entranced by him. Despite his looks and money, what else did he really have to offer?

"How did it go?"

Sasuke chuckled, reverberating baritone filling the room as he replied. "It was fine. Jaina's parents signed the papers and I handed the money over."

"I'm happy that everything went well." Sakura softly chimed, though Jaina could make out the veiled sarcasm that practically oozed from her words.

So she was good at lying. Interesting.

Jaina continued walking right past them, intent on going straight into her room for solace. She had no intention of listening to the rest of the conversation. And surely a little peace and quiet. She desperately needed a lot of that at the moment.

However, Sasuke's next choice of words stopped her in her tracks.

"I think we should all go out to celebrate. Don't you agree Mrs. Uchiha?"

Jaina didn't have to go through several mental hoops to know that the question was directed towards her. The suggestion felt like more of a command than anything, like it was already set in stone. The minor irritation she was feeling had started to spike in that instance.

When she finally turned to face him, the raven-haired Uchiha's features were schooled into his normal, impassive, hard-to-read expression.

He had to know how standoffish she felt at the moment and only a smug asshole would propose something like going out to have dinner in an intimate setting. All this did was make her hate him all the more. Under no circumstances, did she want to have dinner with them let alone be around them longer than she had to. In fact, she could feel a 'hell no' sitting on the tip of her tongue.

She didn't even manage to get a scathing response out before she was being interrupted again.

"I have the cutest dress that I've been dying to wear!" Ino gushed, wrapping her arms tight around his midsection.

"Just make sure you're covered up. We don't need everyone thinking you're wearing a swimsuit like last time." Sakura admonished.

Sasuke let no comment pass through his lips.

Ino scoffed. "Oh please, showing a little skin might do you some good. Don't you get tired of dressing like a nun?"

"Dressing modestly is not the same as dressing like a nun!"

"Could've fooled me. It'll probably work better if you had some curves to show off but you don't." Ino smirked.

"You-"

"Ladies, that's enough." Sasuke curtly stopped the argument before it progressed any further. "There will be none of that tonight. Tonight we celebrate a joyous occasion."

The words sent a shrill of hot, white anger sizzling through Jaina. Why even ask for her opinion if he already had his fucking mind made up?

She did not want her face to reflect the emotions raging loudly in her heart. Effective self-care is silence and she expected to remain silent a lot around here. Luckily, Jaina was generally good about keeping cool in stressful predicaments, otherwise she'd be busting some heads right about now. She could only assume that that was what they expected.

At that, Jaina pushed away from the wall and headed down the hallway towards her bedroom.

"I guess not everyone thinks it's a joyous occasion." She heard one of the women whisper.

Extricating herself from the space seemed to be the only way to preserve her sanity. All she wanted to do was retreat into her room for the remainder of the day and not be bothered. She'd be content ignoring their existence but obviously that luxury wouldn't be afforded to her much to her dismay. At least not anytime soon.

It's her first day legally married and she already hates it.

Although not too optimistic, she was curious about what life would be like from now on. Could she end up living a happy life with them? She wasn't so hopeful. Only time would tell.

The practice of eating while conversing smoothly with others at a table was something Jaina had long since mastered, so why was she having so much difficulty now?

The celebratory dinner is going exactly as she expected. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the outing except her. The dinner is more like she's third wheeling to three other people than a family outing. Not that it surprising to her - things had already been tense since breakfast and things really haven't been back to normal. In fact, things seem to have been escalating since then.

Sakura and Ino sat closely on either side of Sasuke. All prettied up in their nice dresses that complimented their skin and body types generously. While Jaina unenthusiastically chose a sundress since she wasn't all that interested in playing dress up. Even Sasuke himself, wore a nice suit that looked good on him. So far, Jaina was able to maintain a distance from all three of them, although the seating itself was borderline rude.

Jaina had been somewhat standoffish all evening, as if she purposely sought to exclude herself from the family as much as possible. She's not interested in joining in on the drinks and laughter. Her mind just wasn't there. By definition, she was dissociating. They probably thought she was just being difficult but she didn't give a damn. She absently stared at any little thing that happened to catch her attention. Anywhere but the people expected to become her new loving family.

Having half heartedly eaten over half of the pasta on her plate, Jaina hadn't even thought to try the bowl of bread. Ino, who had more than enough glasses of red wine, was in her element, acting more boldly than usual.

"This place was soooo much better than I expected!" She uttered, slurring slightly over her words while she batted her lashes at the man sitting next to her. "Come on Sasuke, I'm ready to go home."

The pink haired wife was quick to shut her down with a look of disapproval. "It's not your night Ino...it's someone else's turn."

"Awww, I almost forgot." The woman's eyes cut towards her a second later, a teasing smirk beginning to pull at her lips. "Let's hope it's a memorable one."

With that she promptly dismissed Jaina from her notice, choosing to scoop closer to her husband in a bid to gain his attention. Not surprisingly, Sakura would not be outdone and silently slid closer to the man as well.

For Jaina, it was hard not to be irritated by their obvious show of affection and devious behavior - a constant reminder that she shouldn't be here in the first place. The women were obviously pissy at having to share their husband with another woman. After the conversation with Ino in the kitchen that night, she thought she'd made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to have beef with them about a man she didn't even like as a person. However, there were only so many snide comments and behavior she would let slide. Someone cannot continue doing the same thing and expecting different results.

If one of them thought Sasuke was showing too much attention to the other, then it would turn into a pissing contest of epic proportions. The jealousy had to show up at some point. From the first day, she knew the women would not warmly embrace her - not that she was expecting to be buddy buddy with either of them. It was just too tiring to play these kinds of childish games with these so-called 'adults'.

She'd much really rather be at home. With her real family.

As much as she'd like to think the world is filled with sane, fair, and ethical people - that isn't the case. Some people live life too bizarrely.

Not that she's in the business of judging others harshly for their lifestyles. The open partnership doesn't sit well with her and she doesn't think it ever will. She's just so bothered by the fact that he requires multiple wives and they just go along with it. Is one truly not enough?

This isn't exactly how she pictured achieving romantic companionship. Now she's stuck in a marriage with a selfish husband and his two vindictive wives. Words couldn't explain just how much she didn't want to be there. And when this was all over, every single person at the table had to go back and live in the same house.

Jaina felt as if she was constantly being watched and scrutinized on all sides. Sasuke was definitely watching her every move, dark orbs watched her intently from under darker eyelashes.

Jaina wasn't all that interested in making conversation with them no matter how many times they tried to get her to engage. Everything that was said and done to her up until this point had been incredibly condescending. They can kick rocks.

"You know, you're being a bit of a buzz kill." Ino's insufferable, brash voice directed to her once more.

Of all their tactics, Ino's straight-forward, no filter approach had to be the most annoying.

Jaina almost snorted. The fact that the woman thought she gave a damn about her ruining her drinking experience was laughable. That topped with the liquor giving her a confidence boost, told Jaina all she needed to know. For once, Jaina couldn't resist taking it there. "Good. Maybe you won't turn into even more of an alcoholic."

This time unfortunately, the shocked blonde woman couldn't offer up a clever response quickly enough. Settling instead for a, "Oh so it talks…"

"And you talk too much."

"I don't really understand why you're acting like this. Isn't this what you wanted, you owe it to your husband to at least give it a chance. You did take the money after all."

Jaina couldn't deal with the uppitiness of her tone. "Look this back and forth...I'm not doing it."

"I bet you aren't...Little Miss High and Mighty." The woman continued.

"I'm high and mighty because I had to leave the house I shared with my parents and sibling just to move in with people that don't like or respect me?"

The pinkette's head lifted towards her. "That was a choice you made."

"And I don't need to be reminded of it every few seconds." Jaina's appetite was virtually nonexistent now.

Ino laughed as though the line was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. "It's all in good fun. No need to get serious." She innocently enunciated.

Jaina fought hard not to roll her eyes. She had to give it to her, the woman was committed to getting on her nerves tonight and so far she was doing a fantastic job.

"I've had enough of the good fun. That and the snide comments. I've been sitting here, picking over this nasty ass food. Not saying a word. And you just keep nitpicking."

"Well if you can't take the heat-"

The problem is that the women think there's a competition going on and it's not. Men aren't all that great for them to be going so hard for his validation in the first place. The asshole didn't need an ego boost. Vying for his attention is the last thing on earth she wanted. Someone needs to tell them that being bitches isn't a personality trait.

Jaina gripped the fork in her hand tighter. "No, if you want to be mad then be mad at your husband. Because I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."

Ino leaned over the table, dropping her clenched fists onto the table particularly hard. "Look, all I'm saying is that it's about time you dropped the act. Throwing a temper tantrum isn't gonna get you anywhere."

"I don't want to hear anything from a woman that's been trying to get a rise out of me the entire time we've been at this table. You're too old to act the way you do." Jaina hissed. "Just keep hanging off your husband's arm and leave me alone."

This time, Sakura cut in. "You might want to work on your attitude." She quietly advised.

"And you might want to kiss my ass." Jaina snapped back.

"Sakura, Ino, that's enough. Jaina isn't feeling her best right now. Let's not antagonize her." Sasuke suggested, tone clearly booking no argument.

The whole cool, passive demeanor of his was something she was already growing to hate. Made worse by the fact that she couldn't look past him being the insufferable jerkass she'd begun to see him as from the first day they'd met. Clearly he was under the impression that all women he came into contact with were supposed to worship the ground he walked on. All he did was sit back and watch them go back and forth like the smug dick he was.

Sakura calmly settled back into her seat. "Of course."

"Okay, fine." Ino huffed.

That's it? That's all it took to get them off her back? Why the hell didn't he chime in sooner?

Jaina eyes met Sasuke's unreadable gaze evenly, one pair blazing with barely concealed anger while the other were noticeably calm. For some reason or the other, the look from him made her even more infuriated. He must've known that she was 3.5 seconds from flipping the table over.

She needed to get away from them - needed to clear her head before she went ballistic.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom." She said, throwing her napkin onto the table, sliding the chair from the table and storming off.

Three sets of eyes watched her back retreat.

"Well, someone doesn't seem happy to be married."

"I wonder how it's gonna be when she's expected to fulfill her wifely duties tonight."

Jaina burst through the bathroom doors in a huff, rushing up to the sink and gripping its surface. The action served as a grounding method to rein in her spiking temper. She needed to calm down before she completely lost it.

This family was undoubtedly the biggest irritant she ever had to endure.

Sasuke Uchiha didn't strike her as a person that cared whether his actions were viewed as beneficial or detrimental, only if it's in his best self-interest. She's quickly learning that this is the typical 'Sasuke' behavior that she would have to look forward to from now on.

He wanted her all but she just needed his money. This seemed very much like a marriage of convenience. All the other women cared about was making Sasuke happy - something she didn't necessarily care for in any sense. For starters, she's not willing to put forth the time, effort, or dedication as the other wives. And she's not big on the whole compromising thing either.

Jaina peered at her enraged expression in the overhead mirror - her brows were drawn down and her jaw was set. Simply put, she was beyond pissed. And when she got pissed, she didn't want to be around the person or thing that had pissed her off. The bitter truth is that she's here of her own volition and it would be wise to leave. Because of that, she can't help but feel emotionally lonely and isolated.

The other wives certainly didn't make it any better with their comments. Truthfully, she shouldn't let them get to her so effortlessly.

Some of the statements were made to escalate conflict but what does a person do when conflict is directly brought to them? While Ino was more bold in her approach, Sakura's way is more subtle and sneaky with her digs. Either way, both were equally condescending and nasty so the purpose was still being served. Jaina deliberately chose to avoid conversation at every interval for this exact reason.

Jaina cocked her head to the side, expression unchanged. They weren't privy to the storm constantly raging within her head. All she could do was silently contemplate her next course of action.

As a way of calming her flaring temper, she started to repeat. "I won't let them get to me. I won't lose my temper. I won't fight with anyone."

In the end, she just couldn't take the high road. At this point, she was willing to reciprocate any energy directed at her. And that ended up with her hurling insults across the table at the women. It's strange that the women didn't seem to like each other but had no problem ganging up to antagonize her.

Her nonchalance was something she guessed they just couldn't take. It's pathetic.

By nightfall, the house is quiet but still not without an underlay of unresolved tension. The day had gone by more uneventfully than she'd hoped and the fact that Jaina couldn't completely submerge herself in her own world for a second poised a serious issue. After the absolute disaster of a dinner, Jaina hopped right into the shower.

She still was not comfortable living in the house with these particular people but she didn't have much of a choice. Perhaps if she went to a separate house for the night she'd be fine. Besides, she would never get used to a man ordering and dictating her life. She could never fall at his feet and worship him, she was too defiant for that. Nor would she willingly embrace him.

Having dressed in her pajamas with a towel around her neck, Jaina quietly walked the hallway into the living room area. She wasn't tired just yet and the tv in her room wasn't set up. It seemed like forever since she last consumed any television programs or films. Considering what her life's been like lately, she can understand why.

Wasting little to no time, Jaina took a seat onto the bouncy armchair that was situated the closest to the entertainment center, legs propped up over the arm of the couch. Jaina relaxed until she was perched comfortably.

After going through a selection of motives and an annoying amount of game shows. Jaina eventually found a good psychological thriller that had her attention the moment she read the synopsis. Asami would've hated a movie like that but her younger sister would still sit and watch it with her all the same. That girl hated any movie that required her to think too much. God, Jaina missed her already.

A serenity she had been able to obtain for a while suddenly washed over her. For almost an hour, she stayed in the same position observing the television images. That is until a pair of footsteps put her on edge again. The proximity of the footsteps indicated that someone was in the kitchen.

After getting whatever the person sought from the kitchen, the footsteps came to a pause near the entryway to the living room lingering for a few seconds before they headed into the opposite direction of the kitchen back down the hallway.

Jaina didn't realize that she'd been holding her breath the entire time. She only released the breath when the footsteps faded in the distance.

She didn't know what she was expecting but she was glad that it hadn't taken place. She wanted no one to engage her.

Whether intuition or just mischance, the footsteps were back in increasing numbers, as if it weren't just one person this time. The irritation she thought she'd washed away came back with a vengeance. She didn't recall inviting anyone to join her so why were they assembling here with her.

"Oh a movie night? Sounds like fun!" Ino's grating voice breaks through the silence.

The smell of popcorn nearly sent Jaina over the edge right then and there. Who the fuck just popped popcorn?

Without looking behind her, Jaina guessed the trio had settled on the loveseat against the back wall. The way her body was positioned, she couldn't see them unless she looked over her shoulder. From the sound of it, the trio had begun to make themselves quite comfortable on the other sofa. The sounds indicated that they would not be leaving anytime soon.

"What's the name of this one? I don't think I've seen it before." Ino continued, likely directing the question at her. Only she would receive no answer.

Jaina maintained a mostly guarded disposition, not showing how she currently felt on the inside. All of them remarkably obvious to the wildfire spreading internally, destroying every sensible thought and measure of self-control she had.

At the very least, she thought that everyone was off on their own devices in their own bedrooms. Jaina tried not to let her face shift into a disgusted sneer. A muscle in her jaw started to ache with how hard she was clenching it.

She really didn't want company right especially while she was trying her damniest to ignore their existence. So far, Jaina was doing a phenomenal job of ignoring the occasional giggle and murmur.

She crossed her arms loosely across her chest, trying not to shudder in revulsion. She didn't need the emotional shift since she had no problem being straightforward with them. Shifting uncomfortably in the chair, Jaina clenched her teeth together in aggravation. Couldn't she just be left alone? Why couldn't they understand that she just didn't want to be around them?

Seconds turned into minutes and Jaina remained content to focus on the blaring screen.

She'd only known them for a short time and they were already driving her up the fucking wall. A year couldn't go by fast enough.

Shortly thereafter, the movie ended and before she could get any unwanted requests, she just pressed play on the next movie without reading its title. Her tolerance level was way too low. Just as she was getting into the movie almost fifteen minutes in, something caught her attention. Sounds. Smacking sounds. Wet smacking sounds that persisted over the movie itself. Noises that eerily sounded like kissing.

No - it can't be. They would do that right here, right now.

Jaina's lip curled in revulsion at the sounds. Why they were doing this in the living room lay outside of her common sense. There were separate bedrooms for them to do their freak shit in, not in here where she was trying to watch tv. In fact, it's totally disrespectful on their part.

Snatching the remote up, Jaina pressed the volume button until she could barely hear the unpleasant noises.

The resurging irritation made itself known. She resisted the urge to ball up her fist and throw it at him. Lashing out in anger meant she was getting them all the power, she couldn't let that happen but she was sick and tired of being the bigger person in every situation. Their conduct was sewing seeds of hatred within her that she'd rather not have. Not that she should care but still.

Having met her limit, Jaina quietly rose from her chair and moved to leave the living room altogether, never once sparing a single glance in their direction. She didn't want to make it seem like they'd run her out of the room, especially since the reason she left was because she wanted to.

When she was safely enclosed within the safety of her bedroom, Jaina's lethargic eyes swept the interior of the space. Is this really what she had to deal with on a daily basis? Apparently so. The realization that she willingly stepped away from her former daily life is still a devastating one for her to contend with. But there was no point in second guessing now - what was done was done. She was fully in this now. Even though that didn't mean put up with their shit.

All of a sudden, they were supposed to be a big family now? Bullshit. Fucking bullshit. All of it.

Jaina ran over and snatched her phone up from the nightstand and keyed in a number. Pressing the device to her ear while the phone rang.

"Hell-"

"Hana I can't do this. I thought I could but I can't."

"What do you mean?" Hana asked, totally confused.

Jaina paced furiously around the room unconsciously. "This whole marriage shit. It's too much for me."

She might just fuck around and move out tonight.

"Didn't your parents already sign the papers?"

"Yeah, they did it this morning." Jaina answered.

"And they haven't been turned over to the judge?"

"Nope."

"Well, if you really want out then just rip up the papers and go. Nothings really stopping you. But aren't they going to want the money back?"

Oh yeah. She hadn't thought of that. But there's a huge possibility that they will.

Jaina drew her bottom lip between her teeth.

A distinguishable knock at the door pulled Jaina out of her musing.

"Hold on." She spoke to her friend as she dropped the phone from her ear. Walking over, Jaina placed her hand on the nob, deliberating n whether she really wanted to open it. She was surprised to see the Uchiha behind it, all dashing and unruffled. Oh, she was not in the mood to look into his steady crimson gaze.

He paid close attention to the slightest muscle tension in her body.

Jaina raised her chin in aggravation. "What?"

Sasuke, having expected this type of response, very nearly let a smirk cross his face. There it was - that feisty nature that encompassed his women's personalities, the thing that he would never tire of. She might have the worst temper of them all.

"It's nearly ten o'clock." The lush baritone murmured.

Jaina shrugged. "Yeah so?"

Then she realized what the look meant.

Hell no.

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