Three Months Later

Kisame concluded his business with an informant in the corner of the dark and seedy bar. He tossed a small satchel of coins which the man eagerly snatched in midair. He rifled through it and sighed dismally. "That's all?"

"You're right, I was much too generous. I should take some back," he teased as he reached out towards the bag. The man quickly shoved it into his pocket, sputtering gratitude. Kisame flashed a sharp grin as he hurried away with a clumsy bow. That's how you deal with greedy informants, kick them in coin purse. He stood up and shouldered Samehada, it was time to leave town now.

He made his way easily through the boisterous crowd, his large stature commanded respect.

"Ah, there he is!" A woman's voice rose above the crowd. "The Dreaded Monster of the Mist!"

He paused mid-step with a frown. He recognized the voice, but certainly not the tone. He turned to see Ritsuko the Loner at the bar with a drink in hand. Her face was pleasantly pink with a ridiculous smile. She was slouching precariously on the stool, swiveling back and forth with a soft swish of her hips. She giggled at his wide-eyed gawk as she raised her shot glass in mock salute. "So, what's your poison tonight? Booze or bitches?" She titled her head back to finish off the glass. The sudden movement nearly upset her balance and she laughed as she caught hold of the counter to steady herself.

He approached her warily, still marveling at the bizarre scene. Was she drunk? That was against Raiden Rouge regulations, as it compromised its neutrality. She tried to place her drink back on the counter but her hand weaved about unsteadily. "Quite moving around," she frowned as she slammed the glass down. The glass splintered at the force and she winced as it sliced into her hand. She sucked blood from her palm with a growl of annoyance. She tried to flag down the bartender with her other hand and he caught hold of her wrist.

"How many of those have you had?" He frowned down at her.

She smirked as she wiped the blood from her lips. "So, it's true, blood does attract the sharks." She giggled at the lame joke.

He glared at the bartender who came to collect the broken glass, "Why didn't you cut her off before now?"

"Dude, that was her only drink," he said in his defense.

"Wait! I want another one!" She cried out as he took the drink away. She nearly climbed up over the counter after him. "Something stronger this time!"

Kisame pulled her back against him. "Cool it kid!"

She elbowed him sharply in the stomach, forcing him to release her. She slipped off the stool altogether, he caught her under the arms just before she hit the floor. She struggled to free herself, but he wrapped one strong arm around her thin figure. She gasped at the tight pressure he applied to subdue her. He pulled her up to her feet and tossed a few coins onto the counter to settle her bill. "That covers it right?"

"Whatever, just get her out of here!" The bartender fairly pleaded. Disorderly drunks were bad for business and attracted all kinds of trouble.

"I'm not for sale!" She snarled at she bit his arm. He cried out in surprise, not from the pain.

"Don't be such a pain in the ass!" He snapped as he hoisted her up over his shoulder. She stopped fighting as a wave of dizziness left her disoriented. He turned abruptly on his heel and carried her out. She gently bounced against his back as her eyes rolled back into her head. He grunted in derision as she grew heavier. She must have fallen unconscious. He scowled as he carried her down the street like a sack of rice. In this part of town, he wasn't reproached for the odd scene. He did get a few cheeky winks from passing perves. He didn't give them any notice as his brow furrowed angrily. What was she up to? Sure, he sometimes teased her for being uptight but she was never this reckless.

He thought it best that she sleeps it off and brought her back to his hotel room. He didn't have to rendezvous with Itachi until the weekend so he could afford to leave a day later than planned. He really didn't want to leave her in such terrible shape. He carefully set her down on his bed. She lay like a fragile doll, delicate and petite. She was a vulnerable sight that made him wince, what would have happened if she had passed out on her own? He was familiar with her fierce, fighting spirit but in this condition, she wouldn't stand a chance.

He turned aside to set Samehada down. It growled softly and he realized that some of her blood had soaked through a few of the bandages. "Does she taste delicious?" He chuckled as he pealed back the damaged cloth. It purred a soft guttural growl of pleasure beneath his fingertips which made him grin in agreement. "Well savor it because that's all you're gonna get." He teased as he straightened up. He slipped his Akatsuki cloak from his shoulders and set it on the back of the chair. He cursed under his breath as he realized her bite had broken the skin. He rifled through his knapsack for a med-kit. He sat cross-legged on the floor as he bandaged his arm. Once secured, he rested his head against the wall. He watched her silently for several minutes, lost in thought. He thought back to their last meeting when she said she'd been reassigned. Her goodbye had been final, and he had no doubt she meant it. He hadn't had the heart to contract another subordinate. The Raiden Rouge had already tried twice so clearly; they valued his patronage. He'd even offered to double his price to secure her service, but they had insisted on her being unavailable. He scowled bitterly. "She doesn't look all that busy to me if she's got the spare time to get drunk." He muttered to himself.

She flinched as the setting sun drifted across the bed. He stood up and closed the curtains. He looked down at her. It was hard to stay angry when she looked so soft and sweet. He knelt over her and gently brushed her bangs from her face. She instinctively turned into his large hand, with a gentle nuzzle. He grinned at her inclination towards him, especially because she'd never admit to it. He leaned in to gently kiss her forehead. "Its good to see you again Suko," he whispered.

He straightened up and decided to order out for dinner. He didn't want to leave her alone, even with a shadow clone. He wanted to enjoy what little time he had left, who knew when they'd run into together again. Not sure if she'd awaken, he ordered something for her as well. Sadly she never woke up, but she did toss and turn a lot. Was it the alcohol or had she been sleeping bad lately? He gently scooted her over to make room for him when he turned in for the night. He wasn't noble enough to sleep on the floor. The bed was small enough that he had to hold her in his arms so they could fit. That worked just fine for him as he craved closeness. He buried her face into her hair, breathing in her rich scent as he tried to commit it to memory. His hand ran over her slight curves as he smiled at the memory of making love to her. Did she enjoy it as much as he had? She started snoring, ruining the moment but he laughed all the same. He nestled close as he drifted off to sleep, thanking all the Gods he knew of for this rare reunion.

In the morning she stirred, which awakened him. "Morning kid," he smirked but she remained still in his arms. He gently kissed her forehead and rosy cheeks; she flinched a little but her eyes still didn't open. He carefully pulled away and sat up on the side of the bed. He stretched his sore arms and stiff back but he had no regrets whatsoever.

Ritsuko curled up on her side as she clutched at her stomach with a hiss of pain. Ah, now comes the worse part. He set a waste basket by the bedside and stepped into the bathroom to dress for the day. Her eyes flew open and clapped a hand to her mouth as her stomach threated to heave. She noticed the basket by the bed and threw up. She coughed as it burned her throat. "Damn him!" She sputtered. "I'll kill him! I'll-" She went on to vomit again.

She panicked as she felt strong pair of hands begin to gather her long hair back. Her neck tingled as she felt thick fingers brush against her neck. She didn't trust herself to turn around as she recognized the chuckle. "Save your rage for when you have the strength to act on it."

She gripped the basket tightly as she trembled. Kisame? Here? Since when? How did he find her? She grit her teeth as tears welled in her bloodshot eyes. He blinked in surprise as he heard her begin to sniffle. Was she crying? He'd never seen her that weak before. He set the basket down and turned her towards him. She clung to his arms to steady herself and stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. Her mouth moved voicelessly as she didn't trust herself to speak, afraid this was just another dream. How he haunted her dreams ever since she said goodbye! She reached up cautiously to touch his face. He rested his hand against hers, giving it a light squeeze. "Hey now…what's-" His voice died in his throat as tears began to fall from her eyes. She clung to him tightly as she sobbed into his shirt. He stiffened as the whole scene felt surreal. What should he do? Should he say something?

She was oblivious to his discomfort as she wept, her heart was breaking. The truth was burning on her lips but she knew that she would take the secret to her grave.

She was pregnant.

She didn't trust him to accept what she herself could barely comprehend and it ruined the joy she would have normally felt to be with him again. He settled for holding her close with a gentle back rub. His brow furrowed with deep concern but now didn't seem like the best time to question her.

She soon settled down and grew heavy in his arms as she fell back to sleep. He groaned as he gently pushed her back against the pillows. "Geez, what a pain," he grumbled. He emptied the basket and rinsed it out so it wouldn't stink up the small room. It was just like drinking with Deidara, that kid couldn't hold his liquor well either.