Shizako's eyes were on the drive-thru movie screen, but Itachi could tell that her mind was elsewhere. He took her hand in his which startled her, causing her to drop some of her popcorn.

"What's the matter?"

She heaved a sigh as she pressed a hand against her racing heart. "I'm sorry Itachi, I just zoned out for a second there."

"More like ten minutes," he corrected and gently stroked her cheek. "Now what's troubling you Shiza?"

She reddened slightly as she bit her bottom lip nervously. "It's just that…well…I'm worried about Ritsuko."

He frowned curiously. He had been worried about her and especially about Kisame but did a much better job of keeping it inside than Shizako did.

"I'm afraid that she might be pregnant," she confessed. He raised an enquiring eyebrow and she immediately shook her head. "No, it's still too early to find out for sure." She couldn't believe that it had happened only three weeks ago. It had felt like the longest three weeks ever. Though ironically she was more worried about this potential pregnancy that Ritsuko herself was.

"Does Ritsuko suspect that she is?" He asked softly.

She groaned as she rested back against the seat. "Nope, not at all. I don't understand it. It's like she's not worried at all. You know what she said to me about it? No, of course you don't, I didn't tell you before. Well she said, 'Either I am or I'm not. I'm not going to worry about it until I have a reason to.' Can you believe that?"

Itachi smiled gently. "Actually it's a very reasonable point of view. I agree that it's better to not worry unnecessarily."

"But I can't help it!" Shizako whined slightly. "I just don't know what to do."

He cracked a gentle smirk. Shizako had a good heart and it was usually in the right place. Her caring for others sometimes distracted her more than it should and this was one of those times. He reached his hand into her bag of popcorn and placed one against her lips. "Eat your popcorn," he instructed and she obeyed. He pointed at the screen up ahead. "Watch the movie." Then he slid his hand along the inside of her thigh. "And enjoy being felt up by your boyfriend."

She burst out laughing. "Oh Itachi, you can be such a tease sometimes!"

He laughed as well and took her popcorn away. "Would you rather I come more to the point, then?" He teased as he climbed into her lap.

She laughed again as he struggled to fit comfortably in the small space. The car wasn't that big. He straddled her waist and she gasped to feel him harden against her. "Ah, you mean THAT kind of point," she giggled as she blushed modestly. His ebony eyes shone with love and admiration as he leaned in to tenderly kiss her. She loved how gentle he was with her and her heart pounded against his chest. His hand ran down her side and continued down the seat where he pushed the level to recline the seat all the way back.

She giggled again as he now lay on top of her and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You'd better make this quick because my favorite part is coming up and I don't want to miss it."

"What? Oh come on!" He pouted, which made him look super adorable.

"I was only joking," She reassured him with a laugh. Then she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

Shizako wasn't kidding about Ritsuko though. She really wasn't worried about the idea of being pregnant. Ok so maybe sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat over it, but during the day she was too focused on making moving plans. She was excited at the prospect of moving out. Niigata was surprised the next morning to see Ritsuko looking through the Help Wanted section of the newspaper. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a job," she said without looking up.

She blinked in surprise. "A…job? But you already have one."

"That's only part-time," she said. "I'm gonna need something more full-time for when school ends."

Niigata didn't know what to say at first. "Is this about the move out?" Ritsuko nodded which made her groan. "I was just kidding about that! Why do you take me so seriously all the time?"

Ritsuko smirked but didn't say anything. That was one reason why she had a hard time respecting Niigata. She would vent and run her mouth off about things, only to retract them later when she'd calmed down. People sometimes do that, she does it all the time. She was a nice enough woman when she was in the right mood; she just had the tendency to be a psychotic witch most of the time. "On the contrary," Ritsuko said as she circled a few promising leads. "It's one of your best ideas yet."

Niigata sat down and reached out to touch her hand. Ritsuko flinched away which made her face fall. "I haven't been…very good to you, I know," she confessed.

Ritsuko remained silent with downcast eyes as she kept reading. She'd heard all this before and it never meant anything in the heat of the next argument.

"I don't blame you for wanting to leave," she continued on. Ritsuko still didn't respond which made her sigh. "If you're looking for full time work I know of a few openings on that college campus. You should try looking there."

Ritsuko looked up at that and frowned slightly to see her smile. "Thanks…I'll look into that."

That made Niigata smile broadly. "Great! I've got a good friend that works in a little coffee shop there called the Espresso Express. I'll give her a call."

"No really, you don't have to do that," Ritsuko protested.

"Connections go a long way in the job market," she said as she picked up the phone and dialed it. Ritsuko watched in surprise as she spoke to the manager, who turned out to be an old college roommate. It sounded like it was going well and soon Niigata handed Ritsuko the phone.

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly. The woman on the phone introduced herself as Emi Aomori. She proceeded to give a brief interview over the phone which seemed to go pretty well. In the end she scheduled an appointment for after school to come in for a live interview. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate it," Ritsuko gushed gratefully.

"Not at all, my dear," the woman chortled in an endearing way. "I look forward to meeting you in person."

Ritsuko hung up the phone and looked up at Niigata in wonder. "I have an interview today, after school."

Niigata clapped her hands with delight. "That's wonderful news!" Just then there was a crash upstairs, followed by a fit of childish giggles. Sounds like the twins were up their old tricks. Niigata's excitement melted away as she grew furious. "Madoka! Sayuri! Get down here at once!" She screamed.

Ritsuko shook her head in wry amusement. Abrupt attitude change #4 for the day and it was only 7:45am; it was dizzying to keep up with Niigata's mood swings sometimes. "I'm going to school," she said though she doubted that Niigata even heard her.

School was relatively long and uneventful. The only fun parts were during the classes she had with Shizako. Shizako wanted to talk about her date at the drive-thru with Itachi. Ritsuko just rolled her eyes. "Those kinds of dates are so boring. Might as well have stayed home and watched in the privacy of your own living room."

Shizako looked around to make sure that no one else was listening. "We didn't just watch the movie…"

She lowered her neckline to reveal a hickey on her collarbone which made Ritsuko laugh. "Really Shiza, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for making out in public," she snickered.

"Shut up!" Shizako hissed when a few heads turned their way. She playfully smacked her with her textbook but it did little to stop her friend from laughing. In a way Shizako was glad to see her friend back to normal. It had been a rough couple of days initially but now she seemed her old self again.

After school Itachi drove by to pick Shizako up. Sometimes he could fit it into his schedule. He was surprised when Ritsuko approached him and asked for a ride to campus. "I've got a job interview. Don't worry about a return ride; I'll just get a taxi then."

Itachi nodded. "Sure thing, hop in."

Ritsuko sat in the back and watched as Itachi and Shizako tenderly held hands in the middle. It was sweet in its own way and again she felt a little jealous. It made her wonder about second chances and that led her to remember her strange question: Can you really tell from one kiss? How bizarre, even now she didn't even know why she said it. Still, she had to admit that she'd never experienced a kiss as incredible as that before. It had set a unique standard since any kiss before and after that felt obsolete and devoid of passion. Shizako was dropped off first since Itachi intended to stay on campus to do some research at the library.

"So how have you been Ritsuko?" He asked casually enough.

"I'm not pregnant if that's what you mean," she smirked.

She relished the sight of him in the rear-view mirror as he turned beet red. "I…that is…er…isn't what I meant."

"Really? Huh. I would have thought that Shizako has been whining to you about it."

"She was been…concerned."

Ritsuko laughed. "Freaked out is a better word."

He frowned in puzzlement. "Don't you understand how she feels? You of all people should be worried the most."

Yeah he's probably right, she thought to herself as she looked out the window. "What about Kisame? Is he worried?"

Itachi sighed. "More guilt-ridden than anything else. He worries that he's hurt you beyond repair."

She blinked in surprise. "Well he's worried about nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we both agreed that it was nothing more than an accident. He shouldn't be dwelling on it. I'm not." Ok so that was a HUGE lie. Since then she'd often dream of that night; his touch, his taste, his…she turned red just thinking about it again. "Tell him to stop being such a baby. We were drunk, things like that happen. Given the state he found me in, I wouldn't be surprise if some pervert hadn't done the same thing."

Itachi shuddered at her bone-chilling logic but even he had to admit that it was plausible. "You seem…strangely at ease about it."

She lowered her gaze. At ease? Hardly. More like…she'd been through scenarios like that before. Her parents often threw wild parties after her and her siblings went to bed…but didn't keep a super watchful eye on their guests. Those who wandered around upstairs weren't always looking for the bathroom. Goosebumps rose on her skin as her stomach turned over at the memories. At least at Itachi's party she would have been too drunk to be aware of it happening. Then again…she was vaguely aware of Kisame at the time. But instead of rebuffing him, she pulled him in, wanting more. Why? It was a mystery she hadn't solved yet.

Itachi noticed that she seemed deep in thought so he was content to remain silent for the rest of the trip. He dropped her off near the Student Union building and pointed out the little coffee shop. She thanked him for the ride and then went inside. It was too big to be a café, but it definitely had a cozy kind of atmosphere. It had several little tables set for 2-3 people, an old style juke-box in the corner, and a bar against the far wall with stools. Ritsuko looked around and admired the vintage décor that brought a sort of sophistication you rarely see on a college campus.

"Can I get you anything miss?" A serving girl asked. She wore a cute little uniform: a white buttoned-up shirt with a small black tie, a short blk/wht striped skirt, and black thigh-high tights.

"No thanks, I'm here for an interview with Mrs. Aomori."

"And your name?" The girl pressed.

"Ritsuko Ryoku."

"Oh yes, she's been expecting you. Follow me," the girl said as she beckoned.

They went around behind the bar, through a back door, down a narrow hallway, where her office was at the very end of it. Mrs. Aomori greeted her with a wide smile. She was a plump, petite woman with square glasses that sat on the end of her nose. "Come in, my dear, and have a seat."

Ritsuko did so as the other girl left. Mrs. Aomori finished the rest of the interview by asking a few more personal questions, asked for references, inquired about job experience, and what kind of schedule that she preferred. Ritsuko was then given her new uniform. "I'll have my Assistant Manager train you personally since our usual employee trainer is away on vacation," Mrs. Aomori said as she walked Ritsuko to the door. "We'll see you tomorrow at six o' clock sharp."

"Yes, thank you," Ritsuko smiled as she walked away.

Niigata was in one of her moods but brightened up when Ritsuko gave her the good news. The next day, Ritsuko went to work a little early, wanting to make a good impression. "The uniform suits you," Mrs. Aomori complimented her. "Its sweet yet sassy," she said with a light-hearted laugh. Ritsuko smiled in turn. She did like the look of the outfit. "I have some business to attend to but the Assistant Manager's office is to the left of mine. He's expecting you so just go right on in."

Ritsuko thanked her and walked down the narrow hallway. She knocked gently on the door. She heard a call to enter and quickly stepped inside.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of Kisame sitting behind a desk. He was equally shocked to see her standing there in uniform.

"You're the Assistant Manager?" She asked in surprise.

"You're the new employee?" He answered with a question of his own.