Nari sneered at Yuki. "Pick up my dry cleaning," Yuki said in passing. He smirked when he heard her make a disgruntled sound. "And my dinner by six PM, so don't be late."

Nari stomped past him, turning around and heading down town. Zuri followed after her friend, calling out to her. "Nari! Nari!" she huffed, finally catching her friend as they arrived at the dry cleaners. "Nari, why are you being his lap dog?"

"I lost a bet..." Nari said through gritted teeth.

"You bet your freedom on that guy? He's a total perv! Not to mention a jerk, a know-it-all and a thief!" Zuri ranted as she watched her friend grab Yuki's dry cleaning.

After a few moments of them walking in silence, Nari finally spoke. "It's only for a week and it's just been errands and making him dinner..."

"Okay, what was the bet, now?" Zuri asked.

"Test scores...he beat me fair and square..." she muttered, hanging her head.

"And what are the conditions of the bet?" Zuri wondered.

Nari thought for a moment, "I have the contract," she said, pulling a folded piece of paper from her wallet. She handed it to Zuri, glancing over every few seconds at her friend who had mastered the ability to read and walk at the same time. "What?"

"You signed a frickin contract?" Zuri asked blandly.

"Yeah, sticking to my word," Nari admitted.

"It started on Saturday?" Zuri asked.

"Yeah, doing his laundry, getting his suit dry cleaned, grocery shopping for him, tutoring him," Nari counted off another finger, "Nothing too outrageous." She rolled her eyes, sighing and shaking her head. "It was stupid."

"Okay, so what's with the not correcting him?" Zuri scratched her head.

"The known perverse comments and actions," Nari explained.

"I for some reason feel the need to inquire," Zuri made a face.

"My ass is a pin cushion and my legs have been caressed so much the friction could have shaved them," Nari admitted.

Zuri stared blankly at Nari, "And why do you put up with that? Slavery is illegal and so is sexual harassment."

"It's never been about what's illegal and legal. It's about keeping my word and saving up all of the anger til the contract is null and just throwing the hardest punch I can muster at the perv," Nari grinned maniacally as she spoke.

"So a guy you can only tolerate for the sake of not killing him because he argues with you, picks fights with you, insults you and teases you has had you cleaning his house, running his errands and been letting his hands wander?"

"Yeah, and then every sexual remark and inappropriate gesture will get him yet another ass kicking," Nari agreed.

"Isn't it weird that a guy who employed you as a slave is treating you as a wife?"

"A wife?" Nari inquired.

"Give it a second to sink in," Zuri said nonchalantly. "And always remember that in every bet there is a fool and a thief."

Nari halted her walking as as Zuri predicted, the thought sank in. "He has been treating me like a wife!" she realized. She stuck her tongue out and made a disgruntled facial expression. "Ew! I've been wifely to Yuki..."

"Just thought you should know..." Zuri patted Nari's back lightly. "Now, how does your pride line up with the contract now?" she asked, handing her friend the contract.

"I...I...I'm going to kill that..." Nari stormed forward, rushing off to Yuki's house. She stormed up the stairs and into Yuki's room. "Okay, you have some serious explaining to do!"

"Oh, good," Yuki took his dry cleaning, hanging it promptly in his closet. "So geeky girl, what are you making tonight?" he asked turning toward her.

Nari pulled out the contract, shredding it instantly. "I am done acting like your wife! Go get some other girl to boss around who can and will take your alpha male, top dog attitude!"

"Fine, bye..." Yuki shrugged.

"What? That's it?" Nari demanded. "Where are the insults? Where's the rage? Where's the pride? The snide remarks?"

"I have none," Yuki replied.

"What?" Nari blinked. "Yuki..."

"Hmm?"

"Why out of everything you could have had did you want me as a slave...borderline wife?" Nari questioned him.

"I have my reasons," Yuki responded tersely.

"Well, what are they?" she demanded.

Yuki's cheeks reddened as his eyes shifted to the ground. "What do you think?" he mumbled.

"You're blushing..."

"I'm aware," he replied as he flopped onto his bed laying back and staring up at the ceiling. "Don't feel so bad about quitting the contract. I cheated to beat your test scores."

"What? Why?" Nari asked quickly, "I can't believe I actually put thoughts of pride behind what I did to hold up my word!"

"Hmm, why do you think?" he glanced over at her, glancing back up to the ceiling.

"I don't have a damn clue! One second you're insulting me and everything I like and the next you're cheating on a bet so I'll be yourself? What am I supposed to think?"

"Hmm, I don't know. What do you think?"

"Why are you replying with questions?" she demanded.

"Why are you?" he rebuttaled.

"Because you're annoying and frustrating, entirely infuriating and...and..." she stopped to catch her breath, "And you feel the same about me so you won't answer me, right? That's it isn't it?" she finished speaking in one breath.

"If I felt the same way, why would I waste my time on you?" he asked, his cheeks still painted crimson. He rolled onto his side, "More importantly, why are you still here?"

"You and I haven't exchanged a pleasantry in the entire time we've known one another. Why the sudden detached attitude now?" Nari questioned.

Yuki sighed, "I haven't changed a bit. It's just the sun rising."

"Yuki, it's like five PM. The sun's setting," Nari said blankly.

He laughed, "You're really dense and set in your ways, aren't you?"

"You tend to become that way when you're constantly tortured by somebody," she replied.

"Do you always have a hard time seeing something as it really is? Or is this a special case?"

"Huh? What's with the weird questions?" she inquired.

"They have a point. I promise," he rolled over to face her again, tracing an X on his chest with his index finger.

"Care to make it?"

"Have you ever personally wronged me?" Yuki asked.

She rolled her eyes, "I must have with the way you've treated me."

"Answer the question. Have you ever wronged me?"

"In my opinion? No. You were a jerk from out of nowhere, and I've never done anything to you," Nari answered sincerely.

"Man, don't you smart girls ever remember anything you're taught?" he asked as his cheeks reddened again.

"Huh?"

"In all honesty, was it that bad?" Yuki asked, easing his eyes shut and tucking his arms behind his head.

"Well, yeah. I hate you," Nari said slowly.

"No you don't."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do," Nari said quickly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you don't. If you hated me you wouldn't still be here," he reasoned.

She sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. "You are so unbelievably annoying!"

"Yeah, and so are you. You drive me up a damn wall."

"Then why enslave me?!" she demanded yet again.

"Because despite all of that, I'm completely infatuated with you! Is it that hard to get?" Yuki asked.

"You're...serious?" she didn't get anything more than blushing out of him. "We're not twelve! Say something! Don't just make me hate you! Is is that hard to reason for you?"

"I like your attention and we have nothing in common. How else was I supposed to get it?"

She shrugged, "You've actually got a valid point."

"So, what do you say? Test the waters of dating?" Yuki asked.

"Am I always relentlessly annoying?" she wondered.

"Oh, GAWD, yes," he rolled his eyes.

"Good. Anything to irritate you," Nari declared.

"Cool, free perv ups," Yuki smirked.

"Oh, hell no! You're marrying me before we get that far! And even then getting that far won't happen unless you're lucky!"

"We can't stand each other, we love fighting and we agree to disagree...."

Nari nodded, "That sounds like our relationship."

"We've been married since we met!" he said as he slid his hand up her leg.

Nari slapped him as hard as she could. "What is with you?"

"We've been playing cat and mouse for years. Forgive me if I go the extra mile...." he muttered as he rubbed his cheek where Nari had slapped him.