They woke later than usual Saturday morning. Hikaru was reluctant to leave the bed. Kiri grinned at her and whispered, "Are we going to spend all day in bed?"

She reached out and caressed his face lightly, then leaned in to kiss him again. "It's tempting," she replied quietly.

"Mmm, kind of," he agreed and pulled her closer.

"What do you want to do?" she asked curiously.

He grinned and said, "Spending the whole day like this could be fun, but since it's our first whole day together, I thought we could go do something?"

"I don't care what we do, if there's anything you want to do, let's. I just want to spend the whole day together?" Hikaru confessed.

Kiri buried his face against her shoulder and said, "I don't want to leave tomorrow."

Hikaru didn't answer right away and he pulled back to look at her. She shrugged.

"You're fine with me going?" he asked quietly.

"I'll miss you, every minute I think," she said unhappily, "but I don't want to tell you I don't want you to go."

"Why?" he asked uncertainly.

"You said that traveling is part of what you've liked about your job. I want you to be happy with your job," she said anxiously. "But I also want you to miss me, and I don't want you to cheat on me when you're away," she added unhappily.

"I won't cheat, and I'll miss you like crazy," he said fervently.

Hikaru sighed and cuddled into him. "But have fun too?" she said hopefully. "When do you have to choose by?"

"When I get back from this trip," he answered. He clung to her for a few minutes, then kissed her again.

This time they didn't stop to talk any more.

But when they finished he asked, "Want to go to the amusement park?"

Hikaru looked at him uncertainly. "It's not too childish?"

Kiri grinned at her and kissed the tip of her nose. "Not for me?" he said.

She wriggled and told him, "It sounds fun to go with you."

"Hmm," he replied, and picked up her hand. He kissed her fingertips one at a time. "You've been with someone else," he said thoughtfully.

Hikaru blushed and nodded. "It was kind of awful," she said.

"It's OK, I've gone there with other people too," he offered.

Hikaru gave him a wry look.

"Shouldn't have said that?" he asked unhappily.

"It's OK, not even surprising," she hesitated before finishing with, "I'm just kind of jealous, sorry."

Kiri looked at her and said, "You're not the only one."

She stared at him in surprise.

"I am jealous too, I don't want you to ever cheat on me either, and I really want to keep you Hikaru," he said seriously, and reached up to touch her earring.

She clung to his hand and kissed him again.

"There's nothing worth being jealous for about the last time I went to the amusement park," she assured him a little bitterly.

He cuddled her and asked, "What happened?"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"We went to this group date, well actually, we'd been going to them for awhile, Risa and Shizuoka insisted. But the first one we met Makoto at, Risa was already sort of concentrating on someone else before he showed up." Hikaru said, "Um, this might be a long story?"

Kiri grinned at her and told her, "We've got all day."

She continued, "He was nice though, anyway, he asked if we went to another one, could we invite him. So next time, he was there early, and he coaxed Risa into agreeing to go on a date with him to the amusement park. But this other guy spoke up and said we should make it a double date. I didn't realize at first he meant with me," Hikaru paused and frowned.

Kiri squeezed her fingers.

"Anyway, I protested that Makoto and Risa should be allowed to go on their own, but Risa immediately encouraged me to go along with the idea. I thought maybe she was nervous about going alone, and I figured why not try a date, I didn't know anything about the guy." Hikaru shrugged.

"So all four of you went?" Kiri prompted.

"Yes, and it immediately became clear that he had only come to try to get Risa. He kept suggesting we swap seats around on the rides and stuff. Some of it was Risa's fault, she wouldn't say no." She shrugged. "And some of the things she suggested doing, Makoto didn't like or wasn't good at. The really crazy ride that twirls you the whole time while it rolls, Risa wanted to go on that, and that guy went with her. Then there was the shooting gallery, that guy won Risa several stuffed animals there. Makoto and I waited for them quite a while that time." Hikaru sighed.

Kiri said, "It sounds awkward."

"It was. I tried to reassure Makoto, I kinda told him things I shouldn't have maybe. If Risa hadn't turned out to like him so much, it would have been bad."

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

"Like, I told him not to worry about the stuffed animals, that Risa loves stuffed animals, but every year she donates all but two or three favorites. She says that way the kids get basically new toys, and she gets to enjoy having them on her shelf for awhile." Hikaru smiled fondly.

"That doesn't sound so bad?" Kiri protested.

Hikaru blushed and said, "But she never tells anyone."

"Ah," he replied with understanding.

"After we had lunch, I demanded that we split into couples," Hikaru said, and shrugged again. "I wanted them to have some part of the date alone together, and Risa seemed comfortable with Makoto."

"And how was your time alone with the other guy?" Kiri asked when she didn't continue.

Hikaru shuddered, "He decided that since I asked to be alone with him, I must be attracted to him. He nobly decided to sacrifice his prejudices against flat chested women and tried to kiss me." She stopped for a minute.

Kiri cuddled her. "Did he actually say that? Was the kiss that bad?" he asked with amusement.

"He did, pretty much, and the kiss was slimy," Hikaru replied with a horrified expression. "It wasn't anything like your kisses."

Kiri laughed, and said, "I'm glad?"

Hikaru frowned at him.

"Not that you had to suffer slimy kisses, but that you like mine," he said with a grin.

She laughed, and kissed him. "I do like yours," she agreed.

They kissed for awhile more.

Hikaru confessed, "I couldn't convince him that I wasn't interested after he'd decided I was. Finally I called and asked Rin to pick me up at the entrance." She was silent again for a minute. "Rin was angry at me for weeks after, but it was effective, I've never seen or heard from that guy again."

"Rin didn't want to come to your rescue?" Kiri asked.

Hikaru shrugged. "He didn't want to be used that way, if I'd been in real danger he said he wouldn't have minded. But he said it was just a cruel and lazy and woman-like thing to do."

She looked at Kiri and said anxiously, "But I'd told that guy over and over that I didn't like his kiss and I wasn't interested, and I didn't know what else to do. He kept insisting I was just being shy. And the only other thing I could think of would have been to hit him." She paused and admitted with embarrassment, "And I'd just been in trouble recently for getting in a fight."

Kiri hugged her again. "I'm sorry, it sounds like an awful date. Do you want to avoid the amusement park?"

Hikaru shook her head. "No, if you'd like to go, I think it would be fun."

Kiri grinned at her. They got up and got dressed. Hikaru looked at Kiri and said quietly, "You're so beautiful."

He hugged her and told her, "If you go on like that, we're not going anywhere." Then he bit her ear lightly.

Hikaru laughed. They kissed again and went out. In the living area Kiri's mother looked up and asked, "Finally going on your date?"

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

Hikaru blushed and explained, "I told her we both have the whole day off and that I'd like to go out with you." She looked at Tokiko and asked, "Should we have lunch with you before we go Oka-sama?"

Kiri answered before his mother could, "Actually, that's a good idea, it's not too late to get dinner reservations, but eating here would be nicer for lunch?"

"Isn't it breakfast for the two of you?" Tokiko asked laughing.

Kiri and Hikaru both blushed.

Kiri made lunch and Hikaru worked on her homework for a bit. "Do you need more time for that?" he asked when she put it away.

"No," she said and leaned over to kiss him. "I'll do the rest tomorrow when you're gone. It'll distract me."

Kiri offered her an uncertain smile. Hikaru cuddled against him while they ate, despite his mother's presence.