Kisame and Ritsuko had hoped to keep their relationship secret at work, in an attempt to keep their interactions professional. But it was obvious to everyone else what was going on. Far from being critical, Mrs. Aomori was thrilled for them. "Congratulations, my dears. I wish you both the best."

Things soon fell into a happy routine for them. Most days they worked together at the Café and then one of them would cook dinner while the other would clean-up afterward. Ritsuko wasn't that great of a cook. She could if she really put her mind to it, but whenever she's hungry she gets impatient. So she'd rush through the recipe, which ruined it half the time.

"You need to be more patient," Kisame encouraged as he cuddled her from behind. "Cooking takes time and preparation." She growled in response, not really in the mood for a lecture…no matter how gentle he worded it. He chuckled at her temper and nibbled on her ear. "Think of it like sex."

"What?" She asked in confusion

One hand remained low on her waist while the other slipped up the front of her shirt. He loved how she naturally arched against him as her body craved more of his touch. His hand cupped her right breast and gently squeezed. "Making love takes time too as well as skill and preparation…" his voice deepened amorously.

She giggled softly which made her body vibrate against him. "Yes but the difference is that when the cooking climaxes I don't scream out your name." That made him burst out laughing and she continued to joke. "Oh Kisa!" She threw her head back and cried out as sexily as she could. "The chicken is done! Oh! Oooooh!"

"Stop it!" He snorted. "You're ruining the moment and a perfectly good analogy too."

"Nothing could save that mess," she pushed aside the burnt casserole. "Let's order out."

"I've got a better idea, why don't we go out somewhere nice?" He suggested.

She smiled and nodded. "I'll go change into something nicer."

"Lemme help you," he smirked as he pulled down the strap of her tank top. She loved the passion in his eyes. It made her feel gorgeous…even when she didn't think she was.

"Oh no you don't," she giggled as she gently pushed him back. "You'd do more than that and you know it. I'm too hungry for distractions." He pouted and she gave him a soft, lingering kiss. "That should tide you over until later." She teased as she turned to leave.

At the restaurant they whispered, giggled, and flirted like a pair of fools. Even though they'd been dating for two months now, it still felt like it was only the first week. They were happy and comfortable around each other. It was such a relief after repressing their feelings for so long. They'd been to this restaurant before and ordered their favorites. This time though, when Ritsuko bit into her Chicken Parmesan, she gagged and spat it out into her napkin.

"Is something wrong?" He asked in alarm.

She made a face. "It tastes funny; I don't think it's been cooked properly." She discreetly called the waiter over and explained the problem. He apologized for the mistake and promised to bring her another. But when the second arrived, her reaction was the same.

"This one had been properly cooked, Miss," the waiter sympathetically explained. "Would you prefer something else in exchange?"

She nodded and chose a Cesar Salad with some tomato basil soup instead.

Kisame frowned. "Are you feeling alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You're passing up your favorite meal for some soup and salad." He said dryly. "C'mon that's like you giving up chocolate to try some tofu."

"No its not," she laughed. "Besides they messed up the recipe somehow. It just didn't taste right."

Over the next week or two he noticed that seemed to often be the case…She kept rejecting foods she used to love, insisting that they tasted funny. Then she started to get tired at work, and he occasionally found her napping with her head resting on the counter. It was so weird. He gently shook her shoulder and her head whipped up with eyes open wide. "I'm awake!" She cried out.

"No, you weren't," he sighed. "You were sleeping again."

She rubbed her eyes to clear them. "I'm sorry Kisame."

"You seemed to sleep well last night," he reminded her.

She nodded and then yawned. "I did, I did, but it feels like it wasn't enough."

"Why don't you leave early to go see a doctor?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she gently shook him off. "It's a cold coming or the flu. It'll pass."

He caught hold of her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Please Suko. You've not been yourself lately." He looked down at her worriedly. She sighed and nodded in submission. "Thank you," he said as he kissed her forehead.

She clocked out for the day and went to one of those Urgent Care centers that provide same day care for patients. The nurse asked a few basic questions and ran some normal tests. Then she left to process the test samples and Ritsuko rested her head back against the wall with a sigh. "This is such a waste of time." She grumbled. "I'm just fine…"

Soon the nurse returned and Ritsuko sat up straight. "So what's the verdict?"

"There's nothing really wrong with you."

Ritsuko grinned as she immediately stood up. "There. I knew it."

"Your symptoms are very common side effects for pregnancy and will soon pass." The nurse continued on matter-of-factly.

Ritsuko's eyes went impossibly wide. She collapsed back into her chair and just stared as a sense of dread crawled up her spine. "I'm…pregnant..?" She whispered hoarsely.

The nurse then realized her mistake. "Oh! Forgive me, Miss! I didn't mean to be so blunt. I thought you knew."

Her throat felt dry and it was hard to swallow. "Are you…sure that I…"

She nodded with a sympathetic expression. "Are you alright?" She asked gently.

Ritsuko bristled at her compassion. The situation was awkward enough without a complete stranger being so nice about it. "I'll be fine," she said curtly and immediately left the room. She had to get out of there, she felt suffocated in that medical office. Once outside, she ran. She raced down the street with the wind whipping her hair about her face. She didn't care where she went as long as it was far away from there. Soon she ran out of energy and slipped into an alleyway. She wanted to be away from prying eyes.

She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. She stared down at the ground without blinking. It felt so unreal and she had difficulty processing it. Pregnant…she was pregnant. What was she going to do about this? Her stomach knotted with worry as she thought about Kisame. Their relationship was still new, things were so much fun…and now this happens. She wasn't ready for this…and she suspected that neither was Kisame. She felt a heavy sense of dread start to smother her. It was all over now…she just knew it. But she didn't want to lose him; she loved him so very much.

Suddenly her cell phone went off in her pocket, startling her. She pulled it out and her heart ached as she recognized his number. Her hand trembled as she let it continue to ring. She felt incredibly guilty for not answering it but she couldn't talk to him about this…not right now. Not when she felt herself on the edge of having a panic attack. But she had to talk to someone…and she knew just the person. As soon as it stopped ringing she immediately called Shizako.

"Hey! I was just about to call you!" Shizako said excitedly. "You'll never guess what just happened. Never in a million years! Go ahead and try."

Ritsuko swallowed hard. "Shiza I-" she started timidly.

"I'm ENGAGED!" She burst out in a giggly fit. "Itachi just proposed in the most romantic way ever!"

Ritsuko felt her heart break. Its not that she wasn't happy for her friend, it's just that the timing incredibly sucked. Tears filled her eyes as she realized that she couldn't tell Shizako right now. She just couldn't ruin this moment for her. She struggled to keep her emotions in check before speaking. "That's awesome!" She gushed. "And about stinkin' time too. Tell me all the details."

As Shizako told the story, silent tears streamed down Ritsuko's face. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing aloud. The truth rattled inside of her, desperate for release but she didn't want to rain on her parade. Shizako, in her euphoria, didn't realize that her friend was being so quiet. "Oh that reminds me, I've gotta tell my parents. I'll call you later ok?"

"Yeah sure," Ritsuko said flatly and then hung up. She let the phone slip through her fingers and she cried into her hands. Here in the safety of the shadows, she gave voice to her grief.

Kisame meanwhile was clueless to her turmoil. He didn't start to worry until it was getting past ten o'clock at night. He kept calling her number but she never answered. Something was wrong, he just knew it. He pulled on his coat and took off down the street. He didn't know where to go or where to look but he couldn't keep pacing inside. He had to look for her. It was raining and he pulled his collar up around his ears to keep warm. He called her name as he went up one street and down another.

Then he heard his name spoken softly behind him. He whirled around to see Ritsuko coming out of the alleyway. She was soaked through and her eyes were blood red. He cried out in relief as he hugged her tightly. "Oh Suko, you had me worried! What happened to you? Why didn't you come home? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

He stopped asking as he felt her tremble in his arms followed by a brief sob. Was she crying? "Suko?" He asked softly as he pulled away. His face fell as he saw tears stream down her face. He gently wiped them away with his sleeve. "Hey now, what's this? Why are you crying?"

She silently shook her head. "I…I can't…"

"Can't what?" He gently prodded.

She bit her trembling lip and shook her head again.

"You can tell me," he said as he leaned down to kiss her mouth. She turned away and his lips instead pressed against her cheek. He sighed. "Don't shut me out. I want to know." Ritsuko felt stiff in his loving embrace. She so desperately wanted to hug him back but was afraid to. What would he do if he knew? She was afraid he'd reject her outright. "You've had to suffer alone," he whispered against her cheek as his hand came up to rest against the side of her neck. "You don't have to anymore."

But for how long? She thought in anguish. "I don't want to lose you," she whimpered.

"What?" He asked in surprise and he turned her chin to look her in the eye. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you don't know," she mumbled.

"Only because you won't tell me!" He growled. Then he closed his eyes as he struggled to keep his temper in check. When he opened his eyes Ritsuko could see how concerned he was. "Please tell me."

She took a deep breath to steady herself but it didn't work. "I…I'm…p-pregnant." She croaked.

He stared at her. "You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she forced out again.

He didn't move, blink, or even breathe it seemed. He just stared.