A cellular ring tone broke the sacred silence. The mess of blankets on a king-sized bed didn't stir. Why bother? Let it go to voice mail.
Again the little dub step ditty sounded. Silence. Then for a third time. A deep guttural growl rumbled from beneath the sheets. A slender hand slipped out and felt the floor in an effort to locate the bothersome mobile without having to get out of bed. No such luck. At great length a spiky amystht halo emerged and a pair of chestnut eyes blinked wearily. Her mouth twisted into an angry scowl as she stumbled out of bed. The song was muffled, making it difficult to locate it.
Her temper grew as she searched through the mess of clothes scattered on the floor. Eventually she found it stashed in her leather pants pocket. "WHAT DO YOU #% #! WANT!" She bellowed.
"Oh good, you're finally up," a smooth female voice said calmly on the either end.
Ritsuko hesitated for a moment as she realized it wasn't her husband. That should have been obvious from the start; Kisame was smart enough to avoid waking her under any circumstances. "Uh…who is this?" She mumbled sleepily. Once relieved of her initial rage, she was back to being exhausted again.
"Oh come now Ritsuko, don't tease me," the voice said in a miffed manner.
Ritsuko could practically hear the pout that accompanied and it clicked. "Yuki? Is that you?"
"Yes, yes, now how fast can you get here?" She demanded. She had not counted on it taking her a full twenty minutes to wake her friend.
Ritsuko frowned as she rubbed her eyes. "What do you need at this god-forsaken hour?" She grumbled.
"It is just past ten o'clock. Hardly sunrise," she said dryly. Ritsuko grumbled some choice curses under her breath. "Look, I really need your help Suko."
She was stunned and suddenly tongue-tied.
"Please don't make me beg." Yuki pleaded softly.
She paused at that, surprised in spite of herself. Yuki didn't ask for help every often…or ever to Ritsuko's recollection. "I'll be there as soon as I can," she reassured her.
She quickly threw on a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a striped shirt. She fumbled clumsily with her converse boots on her way out the door before breaking out into a run to the elevator. Once outside the complex she flagged down a taxi. In the short drive she received three urgent texts from her friend. "Chillax Im omw," she texted in turn. Now she was getting worried. Yuki was often in a mood, but never of an urgent kind.
As she raced up the pathway to the lush Uchiha Mansion, she was alarmed to see smoke billowing out from under the front door. She threw open the door and coughed violently as she forced her way in through the dense cloud. "Y-Yuki? You ok?" She wheezed.
In response she heard the fire extinguisher roar in the direction of the kitchen. As she made her way there, the smoke began to dissipate. Yuki was disheveled with her designer apron blackened and covered in bits of food. She looked up with a shy, sheepish smile. Her long ebony hair was tied back but beginning to come lose so she tucked a loose strand behind her ear. Her porcelain cheeks simmered a beautiful shade of crimson. How is it that she still managed to look elegant in such a mess?
Ritsuko quickly threw open a few windows and gasped for air. "What the crap! What'd you do?"
Yuki made a bit of a face as she put the empty fire extinguisher away. "I'm trying to make lunch for Itachi."
"More like a nuclear bomb," She teased with a smirk. Yuki's beautiful features darkened and she wisely backed off. "Alright, alright, so why are you doing this anyway? After cooking isn't really…your thing."
Yuki sighed as she wiped off her apron as best she could. "I wanted to do something special for him."
"But why the lunch?" She asked as she approached her, taking care to side-step bits and pieces of food and extinguisher foam.
"I wanted to do something I had never done before."
"And for good reason," Ritsuko muttered under her breath as she set about clearing up the blackened pots and pans. Yuki luckily didn't seem to hear. "So why'd you call me?"
"Like I said, I need your help."
Ritsuko's face fell. "Not with cooking right?"
"Of course I do." She turned to see her friend look more than a little worried. Her red lips turned down to a soft frown. "Why are you looking at me like that? You know how to cook."
"Not very well," Ritsuko confessed.
Yuki's gray eyes widened. "But Itachi had said you did! All those treats The Beast brings into the office-" She never called her friend's husband by his name.
"He's the real culinary master," she confessed. "He only credits me to keep his co-workers from picking on him."
Yuki stared at her and Ritsuko shifted nervously under her horrified gaze. At last she heaved a sigh. "Well you shall have to do."
Her stomach turned nervously but she had no choice. After all, she wasn't as bad at it as Yuki apparently was.
Together the two started to clean up…or rather Ritsuko took the lead. Yuki wasn't really into…dirty work. In fact Ritsuko realized that she'd never seen her friend actually set foot in the kitchen before. That was generally the staff's place. Where were they anyway? Was it their day off?
"What was it you were trying to make?"
"A Bento Box lunch." She paused for a moment and a faint blush simmered on her cheeks. "It is a gift for our anniversary."
Ritsuko couldn't help but look dubious. "Just a lunch?"
"Oh I also purchased a rolex and a custom-made Lamborghini…"
At this her eyes went super wide. She couldn't even imagine such an expense…but then again Itachi was the company's CEO.
"You know, the usual kind of gift," Yuki continued off-handedly, unaware of her friend's shock. "But I wanted to do something with a more personal touch."
Ritsuko considered her for a moment, suddenly impressed. Initially the two girls didn't get along. Yuki was a glamorous, ritzy girl and Ritsuko was a foster kid reject who was thrown into the social scene because of her wealthy husband. Yuki had taken it upon her to reform the rebel and along the way Ritsuko had brought out her gentler side.
"Alright, so let's get started then," Ritsuko said as she quickly washed her hands. "What ingredients are we working with?"
"He loves onigiri so I think one of the compartments ought to have different shaped ones."
She nodded and together the girls shaped the rice and wrapped it in seaweed. "What about steak as a side?" Ritsuko offered.
Yuki quickly shook her head. "No, absolutely not."
"What then?" She prompted.
Yuki pulled out other side dishes and soon they cooked the salmon (Ritsuko handled this part) and arranged the rest of the vegetables decoratively into the ebony and crimson bento box. Then Ritsuko suggested cutting the carrot into a rose with slender petals. She showed Yuki how to and it took some practice (and one cut on her finger) before she found it satisfactory. At the end Yuki beamed with pride as she clicked the box shut. "There," she said as she tied an embroidered red scarf around it. "I think he will love it."
"He better," Ritsuko winked. "So how are you going to deliver it?" Yuki stared in open disbelief. "Isn't that part of your plan?"
Yuki's beautiful gray eyes blinked slowly as she processed this. Then her face lifted into a satisfied smile as she picked up the bento box. "Yes…naturally." Then predictably she cast a critical eye over her friend's choice of clothes and looked slightly exasperated. "Surely you weren't planning to accompany me dressed like-"
Ritsuko's face pinched into a bit of a stubborn pout but she quickly steered her out the door. "There's no time for a wardrobe change," she said tersely. She didn't usually mind Yuki's fashion advice, especially when it came to large social events, but she was reluctant to change her everyday style.
Yuki let it slide, especially when she double-checked the time. Ritsuko flagged a taxi and Yuki gave the direction. Once the two were settled in the worn leather seats, both were silent. Yuki smiled fondly down at the bento box as if it was a treasure…and in a sense it was, Ritsuko mused with a secret side smile. It was a romantic gesture that was fairly ordinary but rather extraordinary when it came to Yuki Uchiha. As her gaze drifted out the window she wondered if the solemn Uchiha CEO would appreciate the gesture. He better.
Once they entered the office foyer Yuki hesitated, suddenly unsure of herself. Her shyness seemed to enhance her innate beauty. A few male interns were ogling from the sidelines while trying to appear suave about it.
Once they noticed Ritsuko's punk clothes they predictably turned their noses up. She was used to that kind of reaction. "What's wrong?" She whispered.
"What if…" she whispered back softly.
"You'll never know if you stop now, c'mon we're nearly there," She encouraged as she pulled her by the elbow towards the elevator. Yuki seemed a bit pale and she bit her bottom lip nervously. Once up to the top floor, they saw Itachi discussing some things with his receptionist. His face was composed, impassive, while his charcoal eyes revealed keen intelligence. Despite his slight demeanor, he had very much a commanding presence. But once they noticed their approach, his expression went from stern to pleasure. The corners of his mouth curved slightly while his gaze was warm. "Yuki."
Her porcelain face reddened slightly as his gaze rested on the box in her hands. She held it out timidly. "I made you…lunch."
One brow arched skeptically but then he seemed a bit amused. He handed one last file to his secretary and then approached his wife. "Care to join me?"
Her shy smile deepened into a pleased one. She took his offered arm and followed him to his office without so much as a backward glance at her friend.
It was just as well, Ritsuko felt a little self-conscious in her clothes as the petite secretary managed to look down her nose at her. Maybe she should have accepted Yuki's help before leaving. Oh well, there was no reason to stick around here any longer. She jumped back into the (mercifully empty) elevator. She smiled to herself as she leaned back against the red velvet-lined walls, imagining how the private lunch was going for the Uchiha. They were not an amorous couple…not publicly anyway. But she'd seen the way Itachi looked at his wife, intimacy of the tenderest nature. It was sweet in its own way.
Unfortunately the elevator eased to a stop on the 11th floor and slid open to reveal a broad blue-skinned businessman. Ritsuko's eyes widened as a set of black beady eyes narrowed. Kisame reached out to pull her towards him. "Suko, what are you doing here?"
The door slid closed behind her and she swallowed nervously. "I…uh…was just helping Yuki…you know…" she mumbled.
"What, not here to see me?" He cocked a devious smile.
She chuckled in spite of herself, why didn't she go for the obvious excuse? Her eyes ran over his broad figure. He was a well built muscular man and while she preferred his rocker style, she had to admit that he didn't look half bad in his business suit. Sadly it muted his biceps but thankfully she could still see his chiseled abs faintly through the stiff white shirt. Oh was he ever so sexy. Her hand slid up the back of his tie before closing around it. "You look a bit stiff in this get-up," she smirked as she tugged on his tie a little bit. "Loosen up a little."
His grip on her relaxed as his hand slipped down lower on her back. "You should know better than to distract me at work," he purred.
"True," she mused as she released his tie. Her hand slid down his chest before resting at her side. "I tend to forget myself, rules and all, y'know."
She tried to pull away but he wouldn't have it. He pulled her in for a fierce kiss which she returned eagerly. His eyes then drifted to the left and she followed his gaze to a custodial closet. Each exchanged a scheming smile and within seconds the door was latched behind them. Items shifted and squeaked amongst giggles. Classic Hoshigaki style.
But the scene in Uchiha's private office was quite different. No mad rush of passion, but far sweeter in its subtlety. The door also locked, Yuki sat on her husband's lap. Her cheeks were pink as she fed her husband with ebony chopsticks. He took turns doing the same until it came down to the carrot rose. She hesitated to crush the delicate petals with the wooden sticks so she gently picked it up with her delicate fingers. Bringing it to his lips, he savored it. When she withdrew her hand, he grasped her wrist. She blinked in surprise as his mouth drew near. He gently sucked on her fingertips, causing her to gasp slightly. Her blush simmered to a burn as his tongue massaged her slender fingers. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she allowed the sensation to overwhelm her. His tenderness made her spine tingle. Then she felt his lips press against her own. It was a slow, affectionate kiss, curious yet intriguing. Her mouth moved in time to his like an exotic dance that he was more than happy to lead.