Ritsuko narrowed her eyes at Kisame as a low growl echoed inside her throat. "Cool it Suko." Shizako hissed in her ear. "He's Itachi's best friend."

Ah so in other words pummeling him in front of Itachi wouldn't be wise. She swallowed her anger, only for Shizako's sake, and forced a friendly smile. "If you say so, sir."

So she was gonna play that game huh? Kisame chuckled as he let go of her hand. "Don't force yourself," he teased with a wink before turning to ask Itachi a question. Shizako briefly pulled her aside. "What's gotten into you?" She asked in exasperation. "You're more violent than usual."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Ritsuko said off-handedly. "You only wanted to come here so you could spend time with Itachi, so go already."

"That's not the only reason," Shizako protested. "Besides I probably won't have him all to myself anyway. Not with all the competition around here." She sighed as she noticed a preppy-looking girl in tight, revealing clothes approaching Itachi with a drink and a flirtatious smile.

"Assert yourself and claim your territory," Ritsuko said but Shizako still hesitated, even when the girl had the nerve to lean in and adjust his collar. "Fine, I'll do it," Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she approached the girl from behind and whispered in her ear. "He's already got a girlfriend so leave him alone."

The girl looked at Ritsuko over her shoulder. Her condescending glare was severe as she took in the sight of the purple-haired punk. "Don't talk to me like that, you brat." She sniffed indignantly. Ugh, her voice was too high-pitched.

Ritsuko grinned deviously. "Oh you don't like that huh? Perhaps you're right, that was far nicer than you deserved." She grabbed hold of one of her pony tails and dragged her away. The girl squealed in pain and beat her with her pink-sequined purse. Ritsuko snatched the purse away and tossed it into a large aquarium. Those who saw cheered and jeered as the preppy girl had a hissy fit about retrieving it.

Itachi blinked in surprise. He didn't understand what was going on but Kisame laughed and whistled along with the crowd. Shizako wrapped her arms around Itachi in a side hug. "Your friend's manners are…uh…unusual," Itachi confessed.

"Yes, but she's the best," Shizako reassured him with a kiss on his cheek. He looked down at her with a soft smile which made her heart race. Itachi is such a reserved man but it was moments like these that made her melt. He gently kissed her mouth and she savored the taste.

Ritsuko enjoyed her twenty seconds of fame and then successfully managed to blend into the crowd. The music continued on:

Take me by the tongue
And I'll know you
Kiss me 'til you're drunk
And I'll show you
All the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger

She opened up a cooler and rifled through the ice trying to find something that wasn't beer. She suspected that Shizako was going to try some so at least one of them ought to remain sober. Towards the bottom she found some Mountain Dew and cracked it open. She took a long drink and heard someone approach her from behind. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know," Kisame said in amusement.

She smirked at him. "Yeah I get that a lot."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," he chuckled. "I bet it gets you into a lot of trouble too."

She shrugged and took another sip. "She had it coming though."

"She also happens to be the District Attorneys' daughter," he clarified. "The Ziegler family is a very prominent in town."

"So she's a prominent little priss who STILL it had coming to her," Ritsuko giggled wickedly.

He shook his head wryly. "That's pretty brave talk but your family could suffer their wrath."

"I doubt that. I'm a foster kid," Ritsuko said indifferently. Kisame choked on his beer and coughed. She thumped him on the back. "Real smooth," she teased.

"I'm sorry, it's just that-"

She arched an eyebrow shrewdly. "That what?" She challenged. He didn't know what to say and she giggled softly at his discomfort. "Don't worry about it. It's not like it's a big deal. Besides does it make me any less of a person because I don't happen to live with my parents?"

"No," he admitted sheepishly. "It's just that it's different from the norm."

"It is what it is," she said off-handedly as she took another sip. She sensed his puzzlement but didn't feel like talking about it anymore. She finished off her soda and left to find a trash can. She walked past Itachi and Shizako who were sitting in a chair in the corner. They were slightly out of view and fairly ignored by the bustling crowd. She was straddling his waist and kissing him lightly. Well it was more of a gentle taste than a real kiss. His hands wandered down her sides and squeezed her hips possessively. She leaned into him with a faint blush on her cheeks as the kiss began to deepen. Ritsuko felt a little jealous as she saw the scene play out but she was happy for her friend. Shizako really deserved the best. Ritsuko eventually found a trash can and then wandered around trying to find something entertaining. The basement had some video-gaming going on, there was dancing on the first floor, karaoke on the second, and the third floor was all bedrooms and…well…those activities were obviously exclusive. So she wandered outside to find a small number of people in the pool area. That looked a little more fun.

Kisame soon grew bored with the scene. He didn't understand why Itachi bothered to throw such big parties when he didn't socialize that much. Maybe it was to maintain his popularity on campus. For whatever reason, the crowd just did their thing. Kisame didn't feel inclined to mix and mingle. He wasn't really in the mood for a party. He only came to spend more time with Itachi. After all Kisame was planning on transferring to another university at the end of the semester. But once he met Shizako he knew that ruined any chance he had of hanging out with him. Not that he resented her for it. She seemed nice enough and he was happy for his friend. Itachi tended to keep to himself so he was pleased that Itachi had managed to open himself up to love. He was a good guy, he deserved happiness. But that still left Kisame all by himself in a crowd of obnoxious partiers who were less cool than they thought they were. What a waste of time this had turned out to be. Then he perked up as he saw Ritsuko walk past the window. Yeah she was just a high schooler but she was the only one here that seemed any fun. He followed after her.

Ritsuko didn't notice him following close behind. She looked around to see kids in their underwear swimming in the pool. She would have preferred the hot tub but couples primarily occupied that. She took off her shirt and then squeaked in horror when she felt Kisame's hands run down her sides. She twisted around to see him laughing. "What the heck do you think you're doing!?" She cried out. She blushed to see his eyes lingering on her small breasts and she quickly crossed her hands over them.

"Oh so NOW you prefer to be modest?" He teased with a grin as he snapped her bra strap playfully. She swatted his hand away and he caught her by the wrist. "What is it with you and hitting?"

"I only hit the bad guys," she glared at him.

He leaned down to stick his face in her hers and grinned wickedly as he reached around to finger the clasp of her bra. "You haven't even begun to see my bad side." He murmured as he tugged hard on it. She gasped and went an absolutely adorable shade of red which made him laugh. "So despite all your bravado, you're really just a softie after all."

"I am not!" She snapped as she grabbed hold of him and flipped him up over her shoulder and into the pool. He fell in, clothes and all, with a spectacular splash. He came up coughing and sputtering as the others laughed and jeered. She crouched down on her heels and smirked. "That's a good look for you."

"It'll look even better on you," he smirked in turn as he reached out grab her. She twisted away but fell back on her butt. He snatched her ankle and pulled. She screamed and clawed at the ground to keep from falling in but his grip was firm. She fell on top of him and they went under together.

She pushed him away and resurfaced. "You jerk!" She fumed.

"Hey you started it," he laughed as he treaded water. "Besides you were already going to swim, I just sped up the process." She still looked upset and he ruffled her hair. "Lighten up kid, it's a party. You're supposed to have fun remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she grumbled.

"Why did you come if you clearly don't want to be here?" He asked curiously.

"I came because Shizako asked me to. But it looks like she's ditched me for her boyfriend."

"How ironic," he said wryly. "Because I only came because Itachi asked me to."

At this Ritsuko wore a small smile. It softened her features and he liked that. "So in fact neither one of us wanted to come here tonight."

"So how about we ditch this crappy party and have some real fun?" He asked as he came a little closer.

She rolled her eyes. "So you can show me a mediocre time and then wind up in your bed?"

"Don't flatter yourself," he smirked. "If I wanted you, you'd already be in it begging for more." His hand pressed into the small of her back, bringing her in close against him.

"I beg for no one," she said defiantly but her eyes gleamed mischievously. She liked his style. He was strong, self-assured, but with just the right level of deviousness. She traced along his jaw line with a slender finger. "You can't handle the likes of me," she challenged coyly. He was handsome after all, what harm would a little flirting do?

"You sure about that?" He grinned wickedly as his fingers dug in slightly. "Why don't we have a little wager then? First one to make the other groan wins?"

"You just want an excuse to kiss me, admit it," she teased.

"Never," he said as he leaned in to bite her lower lip.

She giggled. "What do I get when I win?"

She was a cocky one alright. He liked that. "A kiss from me is reward enough."

She burst out laughing as she pulled away. "Oh yeah right! That's worth nothing."

"You only say that because you haven't had one yet," he grinned as he swam closer.

"Kankuro!" A girlish squeal called out across the patio.

Ritsuko whipped her head around and stared open-mouthed. He came around the corner and her heart stopped at the sight of him. He slouched slightly, with his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his torn jeans. Oh he looked so sexy with his spiky brown hair and lean but firm muscles that showed through his tight black v-neck shirt. She swam towards him but stopped short when she saw that girl she humiliated earlier run into his arms. "There you are baby!" She cooed as she kissed him. "I was worried."

"Sorry about that," he murmured as he stroked her cheek. "My old man kept me behind. But I'm here now…and the night is ours."

Ritsuko felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. That's what he used to say to her too…