Every second that passed in silence made her start to panic. She cried even harder as she started to wring her hands. She looked pathetic as the rain now poured, mixing with her own tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" He suddenly grabbed hold of her face and kissed her hard. She squeaked in protest and struggled to break free. "Stop! What're you-?"

Then he deepened the kiss, which made her groan in spite of herself. She melted in his arms as she allowed his passion to over-whelm her. She held onto his neck and kissed him back, drinking in his taste. His hand wandered down her back and he pulled her in close. It was a bit of a weird sight for passerby to see them making out in the middle of the street, but they were lost in their own little world. When Kisame finally broke the kiss, it left her completely breathless and disorientated. He had that effect on her sometimes; he loved every bit as rough as she did. She giggled softly as her head fell back and she licked her lips. "So tasty," she murmured.

"You have no idea…" He chuckled as his lips then ran along her soft neck. It was like a trance, a spell that he weaved over her. Her pulse raced against his lips and he pressed his advantage. "I love you Suko," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. "This doesn't change anything. If anything it binds us closer together…don't you think?"

She started to regain her senses and promptly resisted. "Kisa, don't…" she said as she tried to pull away. His grip on her was firm but not painful. Her blood-shot eyes were full of fear which broke his heart.

"Why are you afraid?" He asked sadly.

"I…don't want to lose you," she confessed in a faint whisper.

It made his heart race to hear her admit that. She had never said anything so committed before. It gave him courage and resolve. "And you won't. I'm not going anywhere. You being pregnant doesn't change anything."

She looked exasperated. "It changes EVERYTHING! Kisame we can't have this baby, we're not ready, I'M not ready-"

His expression suddenly darkened. "You're not thinking of aborting it…" he challenged with a deep guttural growl.

"No of course not!" She snapped. "It's just that…oh I don't know," she succeeded in pulling away. "It's too soon."

He drew closer with a gentle smile. "It is," he admitted. "But I had hoped that it would happen one day..."

"What?" She asked in a quiet tone as his gentle words combined with his tender expression began to soften her.

He partially unzipped his jacket and took hold of her hand. He guided it inside and pressed it against the inner pocket over his heart. He smiled at her curious frown.

"What's that?"

"Find out for yourself," he answered as he let go.

She carefully unzipped the pocket and slipped her hand inside. She felt something hard, covered in velvet. She pulled it out and gasped to discover it was a ring box. Startled, she dropped it. He deftly caught it and cracked it open to reveal a princess-cut diamond ring. He grinned to see her hand fly to her mouth as she squeaked in surprise. Her cheeks burned red. "Oh Kisa…" she whispered in awe.

He smiled. "I was just waiting for the right opportunity. And while this probably isn't, I know that to keep this baby requires commitment. What better way can I prove that then to make the ultimate commitment?"

"Oh Kisa," she repeated, with a hint of embarrassment this time as she buried her face in her hands. "You don't have to propose to me just because I'm pregnant."

He chuckled as he lowered her hands and gently kissed her mouth. "I bought this a few weeks ago. Long before I even knew you were pregnant."

Well that was true. He had the ring on him and only now just found out about the baby. "Why would you want to propose…to me?" She asked shyly.

"I have known almost from the beginning that you were meant for me. Ever since that first night, I felt a special connection to you…something that resonated within my soul. If ever true love existed, you are my mine." He murmured as he slipped the ring onto her tiny finger.

She was clearly overcome and her eyes filled with tears but they were happy ones this time. She grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He chuckled as he let her dominant this time. She was such a spitfire beauty. "Yes," she groaned against his lips. "Yes, a million times yes!"

He barked out a triumphant laugh as he lifted her off her feet and kissed her back. "That's my girl," he praised. Just then thunder rumbled loudly, startling them both. Then it clicked. "Oh! It's not a good idea for you to be out in the rain! Not in your condition. C'mon lets go home." He adjusted his grip on her and carried her in his arms.

She blushed. "Put me down!" She protested. "I can walk. I'm not helpless, you know."

"You're carrying my child, the least I can do is carry you," he said with a smile and a wink. She blushed even deeper and lowered her gaze. He was pleased to see her play with her engagement ring. It was obvious how pleased she was with it.

Once inside he let her to take a hot bath first and saw to it that she was tucked into bed afterward. "I hope you don't intend to baby me over this," she groaned softly as fatigue began to overwhelm her.

"I hope you don't intend to be stubborn about this," he gently teased with a soft kiss. "Learn to take it easy now before things get harder." Then he left to take a hot shower. By then he felt so cold that he was nearly frozen to the core. Hopefully Ritsuko had been spared that sort of chill. Apparently not because the next day she suffered a terrible cold while he only had the sniffles. For the next few days he nursed her back to full health; staying by her side and feeding her hot, soothing soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. She weakly protested his care, but was too sick to really resist. "This makes for a refreshing change. You're not so stubborn when you're sick," he teased once and kissed her cheek. She stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

It wasn't so bad though, being sick made her more cuddly. Kisame loved that and held her in his arms for hours on end. She spent most of that time asleep, burning with fever. That was uncomfortable for him, but he soon got used to it. He just loved holding her close and fondly stroked her flat stomach. It filled him with immense pleasure to think that she carried his child. Still, he understand her fear and concern, most guys aren't willing to accept the consequences of a sexual relationship. So while it wasn't intentionally planned, he had no desire to ditch her. Far from it, it made him feel even closer to her. So he remained by her side, holding her close.

When she finally felt better, she gently broke free of his arms. While she loved him, she also loved her space too. He was asleep, snoring softly into his pillow, giving her the perfect opportunity to escape. She really wanted a hot bath, to soothe her achy body. As the hot water ran into the porcelain tub she poured in a few cinnamon bath beads. They burst under the water and soon filled the air with its invigorating aroma. She settled into the tub with a satisfied smile. Steam curled around, warming her face. The heat started to lull her to sleep and her eyelids grew heavy. Just as she began to drift to sleep, she was startled awake to Kisame yelling her name.

"Knock it off! I'm in here!" She screamed back. "Geez! What's your problem?"

He burst into the room and rested a hand over his heart. "You disappeared…I was worried…" Then he took in the sight of her in the bathtub and his worried expression slipped into a smug one.

She scowled as she yanked the curtain closed. "You don't have to freak out when I leave the room. I'm not under house arrest."

She watched his shadow as he sat down on the toilet seat. "You sound back to your old self. How are you feeling?"

She stuck her head out of the curtain and wore a soft smile. "I'm fine. It was just a bad cold, that's all." He nodded silently as he wrung his hands anxiously. She frowned a little at that. "What's wrong?" She asked.

At this he wore a big smile. "We're going to have a baby!"

She flinched at that. "Oh yeah…I nearly forgot."

"What? How could you forget something that incredible?" He burst out. "Please tell me that you haven't forgotten my proposal too."

She giggled softly at that. "No…I didn't." Then she looked up at him with concern. "But are you really sure?"

He moved to kneel down beside her. "C'mon Suko, do you really think I'd propose so lightly?" He reached out and stroked her soft cheek. "I meant what I said before. We were meant for each other and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Then he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her in for a soft, teasing kiss that lingered with desire. A soft groan escaped from her lips as she kissed him back.

When the kiss finally ended, she looked into his eyes with a smile. "How soon can we get married?"

He chuckled at that as he pulled away. "Why rush it? Let's plan it out."

She shook her head. "No. Screw wedding planning, it's too much stress for such a short ceremony. Besides planning things out isn't our style."

"OUR style?" He chuckled at that. "Since when do we have a style?" She let the water out of the tub and quickly wrapped a towel around herself before climbing out. He pulled her onto his lap. "You only get married once…let's do it right."

She pouted a little at that. "But I don't want to wait. What is there to wait for?"

He smirked at that as his hands squeezed her hips. That was true…he had stolen her virtue some time ago. Even now, the thought of her in just a towel excited him but he forced himself to maintain focus. "It's a symbol to both remind and strengthen us; it's a way for us to show our commitment to one another and to the world. That is why it's important to get it right."

She considered him for a moment. "Hmm…you're more of a romantic than I thought."

He grinned at that as he kissed her gently. "I love you Ritsuko…and I want this to be special for you."

She considered that for a moment. "Alright…I'll give you a week to cook up something special. I refuse to wait any longer."

He smirked. "You're looking forward to the honeymoon, aren't you?"

She laughed at that. "Heck yeah! Why don't we practice a little bit?" She purred amorously as her slender fingertips slipped up the front of his shirt as she leaned in to kiss him. He chuckled in turn as his mouth seized hers.

A week later they were standing on a beach in Florida, holding hands as they recited their marriage vows. She wore a white sundress with her hair curled and held up with pearl pins, with a delicate strand of pearls around her neck to match. In her hands she held a little bouquet of tropical flowers. Simple details really but it really added to the moment.

He wore a slightly unbuttoned white shirt with khaki pants. Each one was barefoot in the sand. Off to the side Itachi and Shizako stood as witnesses. His expression was soft as he took in Kisame's radiant face. He looked like his old self again. Shizako noticed that Ritsuko's face glowed with love. That was a rare sight from a girl who went out of her way to hide her feelings from others. The couple was dimly aware of their surroundings as they gazed into each others eyes. Each one felt both felt like the luckiest person in the world and that the other deserved someone better.

At the end of the ceremony Kisame pulled her into a passionate kiss right then and there.

She laughed at the end of the kiss and hugged him around the neck. "I hope you know what you're getting into because you're stuck with me now." She smirked.

"Right back at'cha," he smirked as he kissed her again.