InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purity 4: Justification ❯ Funtown ( Chapter 41 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Kichiro tried not to glare at the Styrofoam cup in his hands.  The once proud coffee had been brought to its proverbial knees when Bellaniece, in one of her more inspired moments of the day, had dropped a huge hunk of fudge into the steaming cup.

"It'll be good," she'd said with a happy grin.  "It'll taste just like a latte."

And that would have been fine . . . if Kichiro liked latte.  He didn't.  He liked his coffee strong and black and without any kind of sugary additives.  Bellaniece gazed at him over the edge of her cup—she'd dropped an even bigger piece of fudge into hers—and he stifled a sigh as he lifted the concoction to his lips.

'Oh, ugh . . . nasty, nasty bad!' he sputtered as he choked the coffee down.  Squelching the desire to cough—or puke—he shot her a quick glance and wondered if she'd notice if he tried to dump the rest out.  "I thought you hated coffee," he remarked.

"This is more like a dessert-y hot chocolate with a hint of coffee for kick," she explained.

Tamping down the urge to snort, Kichiro glanced at the trash can nearby but didn't move toward it.  "I see . . ."

"Are you feeling all right?" Bellaniece asked, frowning slightly as she stared at him over the plastic lid on her coffee cup.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

She shrugged.  "You did have an awful lot to drink last night."

He rolled his eyes.  "Oh, that.  Yeah, well . . ."

'She thinks you were drunk, you know.'

'Of course she does,' he agreed.

'You going to tell her you weren't?'

'Of course I'm not.'

His youkai sighed.  'That was low; telling her how you feel when she thought you were drunk.'

'And you think she'd have believed me otherwise?'

'Not a chance.'

Kichiro sighed, too.  'Exactly.'

"Can we ride the log flume next?" Bellaniece asked as Kichiro's stomach lurched unpleasantly.  The Coffee Revolt had begun.

"Log flume?" he repeated since the roller coaster they'd ridden upon arrival had very nearly had him shredding something.  This 'flume' sounded dubious at best, in his opinion.

"Yeah!  There's like a huge drop down—almost straight down, anyway—right into the water . . . The first time I rode it, I swore I was going to throw up!  It was great!"

He snorted.  "I don't think that the words 'throw up' and 'great' should ever be used to describe something, Belle-chan."

She took his mercifully empty cup and tossed it in the trash can.  "Oh, you'll love it, I promise!  Come on!"

That said, she grabbed his hand and dragged him to his feet and out of the tiny fudge shop back into the main plaza in the middle of the amusement park.  Funtown, they called it.  Kichiro had to wonder just whose idea of fun it was, anyway.  He sighed as Bellaniece tugged on his hand to hurry him along.  "That's the log flume?" he growled as he gaped at the twisting and turning tract of glorified PVC piping that was the gist of the ride she expected him to climb into willingly.

"Yes, it's the newest one: Thunder Road.  They surpassed the older one with it, too, and Thunder Falls used to be the tallest log flume in New England."

Kichiro shook his head.  He could feel the bile rising in his throat, could feel his stomach turning uncomfortably.  Yeah, this wasn't one of Bellaniece's better ideas . . . He opened his mouth to tell her that there was no way in hell he was getting on that.  Her smile stopped him.  She looked carefree, happy, and that he'd had something to do with that smile being there . . .

Kichiro closed his mouth on his misgivings and stepped into the meandering line of people willing to subject themselves to death by log flume.

"Have I told you that I'm really having a great time?" Bellaniece asked quietly, her smile fading but the sparkle in her eyes growing brighter.

"Not sure . . . You might have since you haven't shut up since we left the house."

She wrinkled her nose but laughed.  "Well, I am, Dr. Grumpypants.  Thanks for bringing me."

"As if I had a choice," he retorted in a tone that lacked any real irritation.  "You dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn . . . and you could have made my . . . pants . . . really happy last night . . ."

Her eyebrows arched as a slight blush filtered into her cheeks.  "So you'd have been Dr. Happypants today?  I think not.  Anyway, it wasn't the crack of dawn . . . Dawn's crack had come and gone well before I woke you up."

"There's a law against waking people up before ten in the morning, isn't there?"

"Nope."

Kichiro sighed.  "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Bellaniece reached out to tug lightly on Kichiro's braid.  "You really are bad, aren't you?"

"Who?  Me?"  He shrugged and grinned.  "Maybe . . . Just a little . . ."

She shook her head but giggled.  "Just a little?" she repeated.  "Ri-i-ight."

"I could be good," he told her, "but good's overrated . . . I'd much rather be good at being . . . bad . . . Besides, my sister is better at being good than I'll ever be, and you know, if you can't be the best at one thing . . ."

"That's one of the most twisted things I've ever heard," she mused.

"The truth normally is."

She leaned back against the railing and giggled suddenly.  Kichiro cocked his head to the side. . "Something funny?"

She waved a hand dismissively.  "I really thought I'd have a horrible time today," she admitted.

"Why?"

Bellaniece smiled almost apologetically.  "Because . . . I thought that you'd end up being a jerk and ruin it.  Talk about misjudging people.  I'm really sorry for that."

Kichiro let out a deep breath and helped Bellaniece climb into the log-shaped ride car, carefully fastening her seatbelt and making sure she was safe in the kami-forsaken contraption.  "It's still early," he told her.  "I could still be an ass, if you want."

She laughed and quickly leaned over to kiss his cheek.  "That's okay.  I rather like you this way."

"Yeah?" he asked, trying not to blush from the unexpected contact.

She smiled.  "Yeah."


Bellaniece took the caramel apples from the vendor and smiled before turning around and offering one out to Kichiro.  He frowned at the caramel covered apple dipped in chocolate and chopped nuts and slowly shook his head.  "Belle . . ."

Biting into her apple, a string of caramel trailed between her mouth and the confection as a few bits of the chocolate shell and some of the nuts fell to the ground.  She giggled when the candy thread snapped and stuck to her chin.  He rolled his eyes but took the apple she was still holding out to him.  "Innit good?" she asked around the food in her mouth, wiping her chin with the back of her hand.

He took a bite of his apple and stopped for a moment before chewing.  Bellaniece swallowed and tipped her head to the side, staring at the doctor as her amusement died away.  "You don't like it, do you?"

He blinked and shrugged, chewing fast and swallowing before stuffing another bite of the apple in his mouth.  "It's different," he remarked.  "It's . . . fine."

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," she told him.  "Are you . . . Are you having fun?"

Kichiro swallowed again and flicked his ears.  The purple was finally off the appendages, probably from his transformation the night before.  His hair was silver again without a trace of the Kool Aid dye, and while he hadn't remarked on it, she had a feeling that he was quite relieved.  "Sure," he said.  "I am.  This is great.  Are you . . . having a good time?"

Bellaniece smiled.  "Yeah, I am."

He frowned at the apple and bit into it again.

"You want to ride the Ferris wheel?"

Kichiro grimaced as he choked down the bite of apple and tossed the rest of it into a nearby trash can before glaring at his sticky hands with unmasked disgust.  "Yeah, sure, whatever you want," he said, absently lifting his gaze before striding over to a water fountain to rinse his hands.  He shook his hands and looked around as though he were trying to find something to dry his hands on.

Bellaniece dropped her apple core into the receptacle and dug in her fanny pack for her handkerchief.  "Let me," she told him, taking his hands and dabbing them with the dry cloth.  "There," she said, letting go of his hands and gazing up at him.  He had a bit of caramel still stuck to his lip.  Bellaniece smiled and dampened the edge of the kerchief before grasping his chin in one hand and dabbing his lips with the cloth.

"What?  You think I'm a pup?" he grumbled but let her wipe his mouth.

She giggled.  "No, but you can't see your face, can you?  I was just trying to help."

"I can think of some things I'd rather you do to help," he commented, hands resting lightly on her hips.  Bellaniece felt a slight flush stain her skin as she lowered the cloth and twisted it around her fingers.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking about kissing you."

"W-Why would you do that?"

He shrugged.  "To see if you blush some more."

"This isn't really the place for that, is it?" she asked as a tiny smile turned up the corners of her lips.

"Haven't you ever been kissed in public, princess?"

"Yes, but—"

"But what?"

She struggled to keep her eyes open as he leaned in closer; his lips hovering much too close for her comfort.  "But you don't like me, and I . . . can't . . . stand . . . you . . ."

His lips covered hers as her protests died away, lost in the haze of his kiss.  Soft, gentle, he slipped his arms around her, and Bellaniece sighed.  His strength exuded in a quiet confidence, surrounded her like a protective barrier, sheltering her from anything that could possibly harm her.  Lips dancing, fluttering, brushing over hers with a warmth, a tenderness that melted her defenses, Kichiro didn't try to deepen the kiss.  She dropped the kerchief as she lifted her hands to stroke his cheeks, as her knees gave way.  He caught her, held her, steadied her.

The breeze off the ocean rippled over her, the salty brine mingling with the clean scent of him.  He could befuddle her senses; overwhelm her completely until all she could think about was the beat of his heart, the touch of his lips, the feel of his arms encircling her.  It felt right—almost too right—and yet it didn't frighten her at all . . .

"Damn," he muttered, breaking the kiss but not letting her go.  "This isn't really the place for that, I suppose."

Bellaniece laughed weakly, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment, long enough to summon up what was left of her will.  She straightened up and giggled as Kichiro retrieved her kerchief and handed it back.  "Thank you."

He shook his head as he shifted his gaze over the expanse of the amusement park.  "Okay, what's next?"

Bellaniece grabbed his hand and started away.  "The haunted house," she stated.  "I haven't been in one of those in forever!"

"Does it move fast?"

"No."

"Spin in contiguous circles?"

"Nope."

"Turn upside down?"

"Uh-uh."

"Floor drop out of it?"

"No."

He sighed.  "Good."

She laughed and tugged him forward to the waiting ride car.

"There aren't seat belts in this one," he remarked with a scowl as he settled in beside Bellaniece.

"I told you; this is a tame ride."

"Then what's the point?  You struck me as a thrill-seeking kind of girl.  Why are we on a boring ride like this?"

She wrinkled her nose and shrugged her shoulders when he draped an arm around her.  He chuckled and shifted his arm higher though he didn't move away.  "It's not boring!  It's supposed to scare you."

Kichiro rolled his eyes.  "Oh, please.  I've had scarier women walk into the office than what they've got in here."

"Oh, that was cold, Dr. Crankypants, really cold."

The car jerked forward, and Bellaniece laughed softly as they moved off into the darkened tunnel.  "Sewer pipe is always frightening," he told her.

Bellaniece slapped her hand against his chest and shushed him.  "You're ruining the mood."

"What mood?"

"The creepy mood.  Now be quiet."

"Cheesy music and a bumpy ride car?  That's not mood!  That's—"

Her little scream cut him off as a fake skeleton dropped down in the tunnel ahead of them, rubbery looking bones dancing a jig in the eerie greenish light.  It didn't scare her, but it did surprise her.  Kichiro chuckled.  "Freak out much, princess?"

"Quiet, I'm telling you!  This is fun!"

He shook his head.  "You need to have your idea of fun re-evaluated.  I can think of lots of stuff that's more fun than this . . ."

Bellaniece quickly turned, burying her face against his shoulder when a huge fake rat flew past their faces.  She giggled and sat up again.   Kichiro lifted his eyebrows as he pondered that.  'Okay, so maybe there is something to be said for this ride . . .'

Seconds later, Bellaniece jumped again, this time nearly landing in his lap.

'Yeah, this is kind of nice . . .'

"What's the matter, Belle-chan?" he asked, rubbing her shoulder as he leaned in closer.

She gasped then laughed when something else startled her.  He pushed her hair back away from her neck and nuzzled her.  Bellaniece shivered.  "What are you doing?"

"Trying to distract you so you don't get startled again.  Is it working?" he drawled, grazing his lips over her skin.

"Dr. Izayoi—"

"Want me to stop?"

She sucked in her breath.  "Y-Y-Yes . . ."

"Beg me."

"I don't think—"

He cut her off with a little nip on her collarbone.  "Beg me to stop, and I . . . might."

"I don't beg," she argued softly.

"Then I'm not stopping," he told her as he wrapped his arm around her, resting it on her hip and trailing his fingers down to the hem of her skirt before pushing the thin fabric up.

Her breath cut off sharply, the shallow puffs of air hitting his forehead, stirring his bangs.  She had her eyes closed, and her head dropped back against the vinyl seat as she caught his wrist to stay his hand.  "You've got to stop."

"You know how to stop me."  His ears flicked against her cheek.  She shuddered.

"You'd s-st-stop if you were nice . . ."

"Yeah, I would," he agreed, shifting his palm so he could caress her naked hip under the skirt, despite the token resistance of her hand on his wrist.  He moaned.  "Damn it, wench . . . why don't you have fat thighs or something?"

She shook her head, his words barely registering though the dizzying veil he'd created around her.  "Fat . . . what?"

He gently squeezed her hip.  She whimpered softly as her grip on his wrist slackened.  "You're perfect, did you know?"

"Is that . . . bad?"

"Bad?  Kami, no . . . Putting me through hell?  Fuck, yes."

She tried to laugh.  It was choked and strangled, and when she shifted in her seat to press closer to him, he nearly groaned again when her scent enveloped his senses.  "Y-You should st-stop."

"Yeah, I should."

"S-Someone might see . . . us . . ."

"I suppose they could," he remarked as he slipped his hand around her.  She uttered a harsh cry as her body arched toward him.  "Damned if I don't like your ass, too," he muttered, squeezing her as she let her head fall against his shoulder.

Bellaniece moaned again, swallowed hard as she forced her eyes to open, to gaze at him in the filmy darkness.  "Please . . ." she whispered though she was unsure what she was asking, exactly.  Part of her wanted him to go on—a frighteningly large part of her—while the more cautious side of her—the side that was still afraid that he would hurt her . . . the part that was scared of her own feelings—needed him to stop before he destroyed her will completely.

Kichiro sighed and slowly pulled his hand out from under her skirt, tugging the hem down with trembling fingers before he brushed her hair back out of her eyes.  "I can wait for you, Belle.  Just . . ." he trailed off, gaze roving around the cavern they were passing through.  "Just don't make me wait too long."

She giggled unevenly before quickly kissing his cheek and sitting up straight as the car emerged from the darkness back at the station where the ride had started out.  "You say that to all your women?"

He stopped abruptly as he started to climb out of the car and slowly turned to look at her, his gaze fierce, penetrating; eyes glowing in the half-light.  "Actually, I've never said anything like that in my fucking life."

Bellaniece bit her lip as she let him help her out of the ride car.  He was angry, and she knew it.  She hadn't meant to upset him, and she held onto his hand before he could stride away.  "Do you mean that?"

He sighed, scratching the top of his head as he tried to reign in his irritation.  "Yeah, I do."

She felt like the ground had just dropped out from under her, and she could feel the heat seeping into her cheeks as she followed him toward the exit.  Why did his claim thrill her?

'Don't answer that, Belle.'

She stared at his back as he kept walking.  Yeah . . . Maybe she was better off not analyzing that at all . . .


'Okay, we give . . . No more, Kich . . . We can't take any more of her 'treats'.'

Kichiro swallowed the bile that rose in his throat as he hurried to drain a bottle of water to chase the syrupy nastiness that was left behind after Bellaniece had shoved a huge hunk of what she called 'cotton candy' into his mouth.  She was standing at the railing, staring out over the ocean as her ponytail flipped casually in the breeze.

He hadn't been able to stay angry with her.  He hadn't wanted to, anyway.  She was entirely too engaging, too happy for him to remain irritated, and it seemed like she was bent on making him smile after they left the haunted house.  The afternoon sunshine played off her hair, highlighting the bronze locks in streaks of gold and burnished browns . . . The same color as wheat in the fall, just before the harvest.  

"You're not looking so good," Bellaniece remarked as she cocked her head to the side and frowned at him, blue eyes serious as light reflecting off the ocean played in their depths.  Cheeks pinked from her happiness, gaze bright and open as her dusty pink lips parted slightly as tendrils of her hair lifted and flowed with the gentle breeze, she was a vision he knew he'd never, ever forget.  "Are you all right?"

He really wanted to lie to her because she appeared to be having the time of her life.  She didn't seem to understand that he wasn't quite as enamored of her snacks and rides as she was, but damned if he wanted to tell her that.  For the first time, he felt as though he might really be making progress with her.  Thing was, if he kept eating everything she shoved at him, he really would be sick . . . "That stuff . . . isn't for me," he said casually, waving his hand at the huge bag of fluffy, deceptively-harmless looking candy.

Bellaniece winced.  "I'm sorry.  I just thought . . . I thought you'd like it since I do."

His ears flattened momentarily at the crestfallen expression on her face.  "No, Belle, it's fine.  I just . . . I'm not fond of all that sugar.  That's all."

"You should have told me," she said, shaking her head as she let her gaze fall away.

"It's fine.  I'm tough.  At least I tried it all, right?"

She grinned.  "You're right."

"Anything else you want to drag me on?" he asked lightly, tugging her ponytail.

She smiled and quickly jerked her head from side to side to dislodge his hand.  "Well, there is one ride," she said then shrugged.  "But I don't usually ride it without Daddy."

"Well, I'm not your daddy, but if it makes you happy . . ."

Bellaniece shook her head and turned toward him, leaning her forearm casually on the railing.  "It's not that . . . It's just something I always do with Daddy."

He sighed.  "I can understand that.  If you don't want to ride it, then I won't make you."

"Thing is," she went on, her eyebrows drawing together in a thoughtful scowl.  Kichiro reached out to gently ease away the creases that had formed with the expression on her face.  "Thing is, I normally don't even think twice about it, when he's not here.  It's just something I don't do without him, you know?"

He nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he leaned back against the rail.  "So what's the problem?"

"Not a problem," she explained.  "It's just . . . I think . . . I think I'd like to ride it with you . . ."

He stopped and shot her a questioning glance.  "Really?"

Bellaniece nodded.  "Unless you don't want to."

Kichiro smiled.  "I could do that.  What ride?"

Bellaniece pointed at the giant double-decker carousel in the middle of the plaza.

'That doesn't look too bad,' his youkai remarked.

'Not really . . .'

She took his hand and led him toward the carousel.  They didn't have to wait long, and Bellaniece started to climb up onto one of the horses.  Kichiro grasped her waist and lifted her up.  She smiled at him in thanks.  "Are you going to ride one?" she asked, nodding at the empty horse beside her.

"I'll stand," he told her.

She giggled.  "Daddy always does, too."

The ride jerked into motion.  The horses two rows of horses moved in a wave, sinking and rising in such a way that Kichiro had to look away, only to notice the bright poles they were fixed to were revolving, too, sending the spiral of color on each one into dizzying action, as well.  Brightly colored festive ribbons rippled in the fabricated wind as the floor rose and fell at regular intervals.  Everywhere he looked, the damn thing was moving, and that was enough to bring the bile rising in his throat again.

"Dr. Izayoi?" Bellaniece said sharply, her voice seeming distant and muffled even though she was right beside him.  "Are you okay?"

He managed a vague nod before clamping his mouth closed, grinding his teeth together so hard that his jaw ached.

'Damn it, no,' he growled at himself, 'you've been on that fucking roller coaster, the log flume from hell, something she called a tilt-a-whirl . . . and every other kami-forsaken ride in this park.  You're not getting sick on a damn carousel . . . You're not!'

Bellaniece hollered something, and moments later the ride stopped.  She slid off the horse and grabbed Kichiro's hand, hurrying toward the ride exit.  "You're not going to pass out, are you?"

He shot her a dark look and shook his head.

The anxious expression on her face didn't wane as he jerked his hand out of hers and strode purposefully toward the bathroom building.

Bellaniece sank down on a wooden slat bench and sighed.   'Okay, so coming here was a bad idea . . . He's not had a good time today, at all . . .'

'You should have realized sooner, that he wasn't having fun,' her youkai grumbled.

Bellaniece grimaced.  'I didn't know he was sick,' she countered.  'Why would he come here if he knew he wouldn't like it?'

'Why, indeed?  Because you asked him to, Belle.  Think about it.'

She shook her head and bit her lip as she waited for him to emerge from the bathroom.  She owed him, didn't she?  She owed him, big.


"Oh, look!  Deer!  And they have a baby!"  Bellaniece chattered as Kichiro gripped the door of the rental car and grimaced.

"Oi, wench!  Eyes on the road, please," he growled.

Bellaniece made a face and glanced back at the road, jerking on the steering wheel to get the vehicle back into the driving lane.  "Sorry!  I get distracted . . ."

He shook his head.  "I guess.  I thought you said you could drive."

She snorted.  "I can," she assured him.

"Yes, well, just do it on the road, okay?"

"I thought you said you were going to take a nap on the way home," she reminded him.

"Yeah, and I would have, if you'd learn to keep the car where it's supposed to be."

She sighed and reached over to change the radio station.  Flipping through the static-y channels, she was more absorbed with the mission of finding a decent station than she was in driving.

"Belle!" he barked, reaching over to grab the wheel just before an oncoming truck blasted it's horn as the car swerved out of the truck's lane.  "Pull over, princess," he snapped.  "I'd like to get home in one piece, and—oh, balls."

She winced as the flashing blue and red lights appeared in the rear view mirror.  "I'm supposed to pull over, right?"

He sighed, covering his eyes with a weary hand.  "That'd be best, yes."

Bellaniece pulled over and stopped the car, rolling down her window as she fidgeted nervously.  The police officer got out of the patrol car and slowly approached.  "All right, I hope you have a good explanation for that careless bit of driving back there," he said as he bent down, shining his flashlight into the car.  Kichiro winced and raised his hand to shield his eyes.  He couldn't see Bellaniece's face.

"We're going home," Bellaniece explained in a high-pitched, nervous tone.  "We went to Funtown, and he got sick, so I was driving."

The officer wasn't impressed with her story.  "You have anything to drink tonight, young lady?"

Bellaniece shook her head.  "No, sir.  I don't drink.  I saw a baby deer and its family.  It was really cute."

Kichiro stifled a groan.

The officer sighed.  "License, registration, and proof of insurance, please."

Bellaniece twined her fingers together and winced.  "Well, see . . . We have the registration and proof of insurance."

The officer paused for a moment, his expression shifting into one of shock.  "And the license?"

"Yeah, that . . . Um . . . I don't have one of those."

The groan Kichiro had stifled seeped out.

"Is that a problem?" she asked.

"Belle!  What do you mean, you don't have a license?" Kichiro demanded.

She finally looked at him.  "I tried to tell you—"
"When?"

"Just before you threw the keys at me."

He rolled his eyes.  "I asked if—"

"—If I could drive, and I can."

"Highly debatable."

She wrinkled her nose.  "And when I tried to tell you that I could drive but don't have a license, you threw the keys at me and said you needed a nap."

"Which I never got, thanks to your so-called driving."

"Don't blame me when you could have waited for me to explain!  I tried to tell you, and—"

The officer stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled to gain their attention.  When the two fell silent—Bellaniece was rubbing her ear—the policeman just shook his head and sighed.  "All right, sir . . . do you have a license?"

Kichiro snorted.  "Yes."

"All right, then.  You promise to drive the rest of the way home, and I'll let you go . . . this time."

Bellaniece blinked then smiled.  The officer seemed startled but he finally smiled, too.  "Thank you, sir!"

He chuckled.  "It's all right, Miss.  Next time, no driving till you've gotten your license."

"Okay," she agreed as the officer tapped the car door and straightened up.

"What the . . .?  Oh, for the love of kami," Kichiro grumbled.  "He let you off!"

Bellaniece shot him a defensive glance.  "I didn't do anything, so you can't say I did . . ."

Kichiro sighed and opened his door.  The officer pulled away and waved at Bellaniece as he passed.  Bellaniece waved back.  "Yeah, you don't have to do anything, wench.  Just bat those blue eyes at a man, and they're putty in your hands!  Remind me not to fall under your spell, will you?"

She shook her head at him but let him help her out of the car.  "I don't think you'd ever fall under my spell," she said.  "Even if you did, you'd never admit it."

He watched her hurry around the car and climb into the passenger seat before he got in, too.  The small plastic square jabbed him through his shirt pocket, and he fished out the case and tossed it into Bellaniece's lap before starting the car and pulling back onto the road again.

"What's this?" Bellaniece asked, turning the case over in her hands.

He shrugged, glower resurfacing as he kept himself from looking at her.  "It's your gift, such as it is.  Consolation prize.  Sorry I couldn't win you anything."

At least in the dim light of the dashboard lamps, she wouldn't be able to discern his blush.

After he'd puked his guts out in the bathroom, Bellaniece had cautiously asked if he wanted to go play around in the Midway where games and such were available to play for cheesy prizes.  She'd mentioned that other guys had won her silly stuff in the past, and Kichiro decided he'd win her something, too.  He hadn't realized that the silly games took a little more finesse than he had, and after much too long a time spent trying in vain to win something, Bellaniece had tugged his arm, smiled at him, and told him that she didn't really like the prizes, anyway.

So he'd done the only thing he could think of.  He'd left her sitting on a bench after giving her solemn vow that she would not move till he came back and that she wouldn't speak to a single soul, either.  The result of his effort was in her hands now.

"It's a mini-CD," she said with a confused shake of her head.  "What's on it?"

He shrugged again.  "I couldn't win you a prize," he told her.  "It's nothing . . . You can just . . . throw it away, if you want."

Bellaniece opened the case and carefully pulled the tiny disc from the sleeve.  "Don't be silly.  Of course I'll keep it."

"What are you doing?" he growled as she started to slip it into the CD player.  "You can't listen to it now."

"Why not?  It's mine, isn't it?"

"If you try again, I'll break the damn thing," he grumbled then shook his head.  "Just give it.  It was a stupid idea."

"No," she said, slipping the disc back into the sleeve and holding it out of his reach.  "It's mine.  You gave it to me.  You can't have it back."

He sighed.  "Just . . . Don't listen to it around me, okay?  I swear I'll break it if you do."

"Okay," she agreed.  "Dr. Izayoi?"

He shot her a dark look, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.  "You could call me by name, you know."

Bellaniece nodded.  "I know."

"You're still not going to do it, are you?"

She shrugged.  "Thanks."

"What for?"

"I . . . I had a really good time today, and I . . . I'm sorry you didn't."

Kichiro finally smiled.  "It wasn't so bad."

Bellaniece shook her head.  "You puked your guts out, and that was my fault . . ."

"It was mine," he told her sternly.  "I didn't tell you that all that food was making me sick."

"Still," she argued, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand, "I wish you would have told me.  I didn't want you to be so uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it, princess.  I'm tougher than you seem to think."

"Mmm."

She fell silent.  When he finally dared a glance at her, she was fast asleep.