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~Time skip 3~

Daichi sighed softly when Kaoru knocked and apologized… It hurt… hearing Kaoru sound so real and yet knowing everything he was saying was fake. As anger subsided, it was replaced with sadness… but Daichi didn’t want to bother Kaoru more than he already was. He couldn’t force the male to fall in love with him and it would only burden Kaoru more if he found out about Daichi’s feelings… Daichi leaned his forehead against the door and sighed softly again… Just suck it up… be nice, be happy… and maybe Kaoru would be happy.

Daichi stepped back and opened the door slowly. He looked at Kaoru for a moment with soft eyes… then he sighed. “Let’s just… not talk about it anymore… forget it even happened…” he suggested. He didn’t want to think anymore. He just wanted to spend a fun day with Kaoru… the man he thought was warming up to him. Daichi forced a small smile. “Are you feeling alright to walk Hana with me?” he asked, hoping to continue on with their plan, even though their morning had been ruined. Daichi stepped out of the bathroom and quickly dressed. “Ready?” he asked, grabbing Hana’s leash. “Oh, if we want to drop her off at the daycare, we should probably bring her shot record…” he said out loud, slipping the record sheet out of Hana’s stuff. He folded it neatly and placed it in his wallet. It was a bit of a task with one hand, but he managed. Hana seemed to know what was going on because she was bouncing around, making her way to the door. “Okay, little one, hold still.” Daichi said, smiling softly. Once leashed, he held the leash out to Kaoru, figuring Kaoru would want to be the one to hold onto his pup. He opened the door for them and followed Kaoru out, shutting the door firmly behind him.

They made their way out of the hotel and onto the street. “Which way would you like to go first?” he asked, figuring they’d loop around to the pet store eventually. Daichi followed Kaoru, staying next to him. The air between them still seemed to be tense… but the fresh air and cute puppy waddle was helping. After yesterday… it felt strange not to hold Kaoru’s hand while they walked… but if Kaoru was really as terrified as Daichi thought he was of him… then holding hands was probably tortuous…


((So many misunderstandings!!! sweatdrop crying ... xp )

Daichi was surprised when Kaoru was the one to reach over and take his hand. He looked down at their hands, like he needed to see it to believe it. Kaoru asked permission, and his words sounded so sincere… he was such a good actor… Daichi just smiled softly and intertwined their fingers. He wanted to hold Kaoru’s hand… and Kaoru initiated… sure it was probably just part of his act, but Daichi wasn’t exactly the strongest man right now… he couldn’t fight his desires when they were presented to him seemingly willingly… god he was weak.

After a couple of blocks, they ran into a dog park. It was perfect timing. Hana could socialize and Kaoru could rest. Daichi found a bench and gently pulled Kaoru over to it. He took a seat, glancing over at Hana as she explored. He propped his chin on his good hand and watched the pup with a small smile. “Hmm?” he tilted his head and looked over at Kaoru as he asked his question. “Sushi?” he asked, thinking about it. “Sure, let me look it up.” He pulled his phone out and searched for the nearest sushi restaurant with the highest ratings. It was a bit further than the pet store, but a nice walk after eating would prepare them for the fair. “There’s a pretty good place not too far from the pet store.” He informed Kaoru.

Daichi slipped his phone away and absent mindedly rubbed his bandage as he glanced over to check on Hana. He probably needed to get his hand checked out… but he wanted to have a good day with Kaoru… he could have it checked when they got home… “So I’m thinking, loop around to the pet store, drop Hana off, then sushi, then the fair?” he looked over at Kaoru to confirm their plan. He gave the male a small smile when he realized how close Kaoru had chosen to sit. It was moments like this when Daichi could fool himself into believing Kaoru liked him… it was so hard to keep his head straight.

Daichi was again surprised when Kaoru kissed his cheek. He looked at Kaoru with the softest of smiles, for only a moment, before he turned his attention back to his phone. He memorized the directions before slipping his phone away. The park wasn’t heavily populated, but there were a few other dogs and people. The people greeted them warmly, and the other dogs curiously sniffed Hana before trying to get her to play with them. Overall, it was very relaxing. And Daichi was trying to relax… it was easier to be happy when he was relaxed. But his mind wasn’t making it easy. He kept replaying last night and this morning… trying to remember any instances where Kaoru seemed to be terrified of him… of course he couldn’t remember any… he figured it was because last night he was seeing the world through rose colored glasses.

Stop! Just stop… just for today, no thinking… just enjoy Kaoru’s company… make it through the weekend… after that they could have a serious discussion about their… situation. Maybe Kaoru would prefer to live on his own? The apartment across from his was going to be vacant soon… maybe he could buy it, and give to Kaoru. Of course, Daichi would pay all the bills… but then Kaoru wouldn’t have to worry about Daichi all the time…The family wouldn’t need to know… and as far as they would know, the two of them would be living together… Kaoru could have his own life… he could even bring home people he was interested in… Daichi felt the pang of jealousy at just the thought. But he had no right to be jealous.

Daichi was pulled out of his thoughts when Kaoru laughed at a tired-out Hana. Daichi smiled and stood from his spot at the bench. He did chuckle though when Kaoru had to carry the pup. He reached over and gave her a good scratch behind her ear as they left the park. Back on the street, Kaoru started to talk about getting Hana licensed. He nodded at the thought, but paused when Kaoru asked if he would be informing his family about his pet. He made a face and shook his head. “They don’t need to know… I won’t lie about having her, but there’s no reason to tell them.” He said with a shrug. It was true… why would he tell the main house he got a dog? It didn’t affect them in the slightest.

They neared the pet store in good time. Daichi looked down at Kaoru confused for a moment. He glanced down the street at the pharmacy, then back to Kaoru. Pain medication? Was he in hat much pain from last night? Did Kaoru fear that telling Daichi he was in pain, Daichi would get mad or something? “Sure… you sure you don’t want me to come with?” he asked, reaching over to take Hana from Kaoru. Daichi waited a moment longer, watching Kaoru head to the pharmacy before sighing. He walked into the pet store with Hana and went to their daycare check in. It didn’t take long to fill out the forms and pay the fees for the day. “With the festival going on, we have extended our hours. Please pick Hana up before 9pm.” The attendant informed Daichi. “I will, thank you.” Daichi slipped the receipt into his wallet and waved goodbye to Hana. “Be good, Hana.”

Daichi stepped out of the pet store and was almost immediately greeted by Kaoru. He blinked at the male for a moment before taking the bag. So the pain medication was for him? “Thank you.” Daichi said, looking in the bag. Just generic pain medication… nothing out of the ordinary… then why was Daichi getting a weird feeling? He pushed that away and slipped his hand into the loops of the bag. He'd take the medication when he had something to drink it down with. “Hana is all taken care of. We have to be back before nine to pick her up.” He said with a soft smile, looking back at the store for a moment before looking back to Kaoru. “Lunch?” he asked, holding his hand out for Kaoru to take if he wanted. Honestly though, Daichi was the one who wanted to hold Kaoru’s hand… it was comforting.

Daichi directed them down the street, in the direction of the sushi restaurant. “We checked out the food section and had started on the fun and games of the fair last night. I’m thinking we can head in the other direction and work our way back to the petting zoo where we stopped?” he said, trying to make conversation… the air between them was just too quiet.

It took about fifteen minutes to reach the sushi bar. The outside was decorated with lights and lanterns for the fair. Luckily it wasn’t too crowded but crowded enough to verify its high star rating. Daichi let go of Kaoru’s hand to get the door. He stepped in between Kaoru. The interior was decorated tastefully. This restaurant had a rotating conveyor belt that rotated around the entire room. Every table and each seat at the bar had access to the belt. The chefs near the bar were preparing different rolls, cutting then up and arranging a few pieces on different colored plates. Each plate color represented a price. So you just grabbed what you wanted and paid for each small plate.

A host greeted them. “Konnichiwa, table or bar?” He asked. “Table please.” Daichi answered and the host gave them a nod. He led them to an empty booth table and laid down two menus. “Your server will be with you shortly.” Daichi nodded and took a seat as the male left. He set his bag of pain medication next to him in the booth. Daichi smiled as he looked around. “This looks like fun.” He said as he looked at the conveyor belt at the different options. “I’m sure you could order something specific from the chefs if you don’t see anything you want.” He said, shifting the menu to the edge of the table.

Daichi smiled at Kaoru as he enthusiastically looked around the restaurant. It was like watching a kid in a candy store… or at Disneyland. Kaoru was adorable… gods he loved Kaoru’s smile… Daichi felt his heart pang for a brief moment… who knew unrequited love was so painful? The waitress came by and smiled at them both. “Good afternoon, I’m Anne. Can I start you off with any thing to drink?” She asked them both. “I’ll have a hot green tea.” Daichi said. After Kaoru responded in turn, Daichi spoke up again. “Can we get two miso soups?” he held up his fingers to reinforce the amount of soups he wanted. One for him and one for Kaoru. The waitress smiled. “I’ll be right back.” She said before leaving.

Daichi watched Kaoru as he excited pulled plates off the belt and tried them. It was cute to watch his face scrunch up when he found one he didn’t like, or brighten into a smile when he did find one he liked. Did Kaoru realize how expressive his face was at times? Probably not… Kaoru would probably try to control his expressions more if Daichi said anything too… The waitress returned with their drinks and their soup. The bowl was served on one of the colored plates as well, so it would easily be tallied in the end. After she checked that they were alright, she left to tend to another table.

Daichi sampled things that Kaoru offered him. He also grabbed his own plates and eat happily. The food was good, the company was good. Daichi smiled at Kaoru’s company. “Yes, we should. I bet they have one somewhere in town.” He mentioned in between a bite. He was distracted with his food and missed the deflation Kaoru felt at the mention of his own words. Daichi smiled again as Kaoru continued. “Ya, it is… and it was your idea.” He said with a smirk. He reached for his tea with the wrong hand and paused when his hand pounded with pain. Stupid hand. He took that moment to fish out the medication Kaoru bought him and take a few, washing them down with his tea. “Thank you, for these.” He wiggled the bottle before putting it and the bag in his yukata sleeve. That’s when he noticed the teary eyes… Kaoru covered it up saying the food was too spicy… guess that was something that could happen. Daichi smiled, still a bit unsure, “Be careful… don’t want to make your stomach upset.” He said, using his chopsticks to spoon a piece of ginger into his mouth.

They ate until they couldn’t eat more, then Daichi paid. As they walked out of the restaurant, Daichi felt the familiar feel of Kaoru’s hand in his. He turned his head and smiled at the male, setting his other hand on his stomach, “So full… luckily we have a lot of walking ahead of use… some exercise to burn off the calories.” He said with a laugh and a nod to Kaoru’s question. They headed to the fair. It was about a 20 minute walk from the restaurant. Daichi present their other tickets to get into the fair. It was still early, so it wasn’t too crowded. It would get more crowded the later it got. “So we headed that way last time.” Daichi said as he pointed towards the food alley. “So… that way?” he asked, pointing in the other direction.

They started down a new alley. This alley had many booths, selling an array of goods. Art, pottery, makeup, clothing, jewelry, scarves, trinkets and odds and ends…. It was all rather exciting and fun! “See anything you want to check out?” Daichi asked, looking at the different booths, trying to see what they were selling from their current location. The carnival games and rides were up ahead.

Daichi looked up when Kaoru pointed to two different booths. He nodded, following the male over, still holding his hand. They got closer and Daichi admired the portrait artwork of the three different artists there. He was surprised to see such delicate art at the fair. He was used to seeing cartoonish work, but nothing this realistic. Daichi was leaned in looking at one of the painting when Kaoru spoke. He looked at the male confused for a moment, but nodded. “Sure, if you want.” He said, still sorting his thoughts. Kaoru wanted a painting for the two of them? While it was customary for the head household members got their portraits painted every few years, including big events such as marriage, he was still surprised Kaoru was the one asking. Maybe he figured it was a good time to get it out of the way? He’d probably stick it in some closet… so he wouldn’t have to be reminded all the time of their union. That though was a bit depressing…

Daichi sat, which again, didn’t feel right. Normally he stood for his portraits and usually stood slightly behind someone who was sitting… at least whenever he had to pose with others of portraits. But sitting next to Kaoru…. He couldn’t help but turn slightly to talk to Kaoru as the artist worked. “It’s get rather mundane after about the fourth sitting.” He said with a soft smile, trying to be playful. He really didn’t mind sitting here for Kaoru. He shook his head to Kaoru’s question at the same time the artist did. Daichi smiled though at Kaoru’s excitement. “I’m sure he’ll do a good job.” He said, fighting the urge to slip a strand of Kaoru’s hair from his face.

Luckily the artist worked quickly and soon they were done. Kaoru walked over to see the painting first. Daichi rose slowly and walked over. He noticed the slight hesitate in Kaoru’s body before he moved to show Daichi the painting. He understood the male’s hesitation as soon as he looked at the painting… it was gorgeous, but depicted wrong. They looked so happy together… close… in love… Kaoru was probably disappointed. Surely this was not what he had expected… or wanted… since this wasn’t how Kaoru actually felt… Maybe Kaoru would let Daichi have it… instead of throwing it away… was there a way to ask him for it without sounding weird?

Daichi looked at the artist, his face mostly blank, except for the dimmest of sadness in his eyes, which he hide from Kaoru the best he could. If only that was actually true… “Thank you.” Was all Daichi said, as he watched Kaoru take the bag. It didn’t look heavy… but maybe Daichi should ask to carry it… just in case. Daichi gave Kaoru a smile as they left the booth. “No problem. It was kind of fun… I’ve never had an informal sitting like that before…” they walked into the other booth Kaoru wanted to check out. Daichi browsed the rows of parchment as Kaoru explored the other side of the booth. He wasn’t one for fancy paper. But he didn’t mind looking around as Kaoru made and paid for his choice.

Soon they were leaving that booth and walking back down the aisle. Daichi took Kaoru’s hand again and shrugged a bit. “I always like looking at the wares, but I never seem to ever buy anything…” he said lightly. Now that he thought about it… that was probably his mother’s doing. His mother never let him buy the trinkets at the fair, saying they were low quality and not worth the price… he shrugged, “I’ll keep my eye out.” He said with a soft smile. They continued down the booths, but Daichi didn’t see anything he wanted to stop and look at. They were approaching the carnival games and rides. “I love carnival games… I’m pretty good at them.” He said, feeling a bit excited. He felt like a kid again. “Find a prize you want…” he gestured to the prizes that hung from the different carnival games.

Daichi looked up at the first prize Kaoru pointed to. It wasn’t one of the hardest games, so he was sure he could win it. And it wasn’t one of those games that were complete rip offs. There was a little metal track, with a hill in the middle. You had to push a bowling ball along the track, but when it returned, it had to stay in the valley that was after the hill near the end of the track. If it worked its way back over the hill, you lost. Daichi nodded, trying to confirm that the penguin was a reasonable choice, but Kaoru was already off, picking something else… something easier. Daichi knew why Kaoru was doing it… his mother really did a number on him… but he did find it a bit annoying at times. Daichi waited for Kaoru to make up his mind… and he was glad Kaoru returned to his first choice. Daichi laughed. “I wonder if she’ll be afraid of it at first, due to its size.” He laughed a bit at the image, little Hana barking at the plush as she dared to get closer.

They walked over to the game booth and Daichi paid for three tries. The first try failed, but he expected to. He needed to get a feel for the resistance of the track and the weight of the ball. On the second try, the ball just barely rolled over the top of the hill. He had put just a bit too much force into his push… it was a bit strange pushing with only one hand… he wasn’t used to it. He’d get it on the next try. He set himself up to try again but Daichi paused when Kaoru asked if he could try. He smiled and nodded. “Sure… come here.” He gently pulled Kaoru close, placing him where he once was. He explained the game to him, and gave him pointers on how to roll the ball, how much force to put into it. He was careful to whisper to Kaoru so that others wouldn’t learn his secrets… whispering kept him rather close to Kaoru.

It took a few more tries, but Daichi was patient. As long as they were both having fun, he didn’t care if they won or lost. And eventually Kaoru understood that, gaining confidence in his stance. And he ended up winning. Daichi smiled brightly and wrapped his good hand around Kaoru. “There you go! Great job Kaoru!” he said excitedly, wrapped up in the moment. In the back of his mind, he realized he was too close… he was going to make Kaoru uncomfortable… but in the heat of the moment… he couldn’t pull himself away. As the hug broke though, Kaoru pulled him down and kissed him. Surprised, Daichi’s body froze. He found himself kissing Kaoru back before he could help himself. Kaoru pulled back, then placed another small kiss on his lips. Confused, Daichi just smiled. He glanced over at the game attendant before looking back at Kaoru. Why had he kissed him? Maybe in the excitement of winning, he forgot his fear and dislike of Daichi? He wasn’t sure… and he hated himself for enjoying it so much… for all Daichi cared, Kaoru could kiss him whenever he wanted…

Kaoru was blushing, probably embarrassed to be caught in public. Daichi looked around at Kaoru’s question and found another game he liked to play, even though it was much harder. “Let’s play another game… come on, this one is my favorite.” He said with a smile, taking Kaoru’s hand with his good one. He lead Kaoru over to another game station. This one there was a stick with a rope tied to it, and at the end of the rope was a ring. It kind of looked like a fishing pole. You had to loop the ring around a bottle neck and lift the bottle up until it was upright. Again, Daichi paid for three rounds and started to explain to Kaoru what he was doing as he did it. “Okay, so first you have to loop the ring around the bottle….” He said softly so only Kaoru could hear him. “The trick is pulling the bottle up quick enough that it stands up, but the ring doesn’t fall off.” Daichi failed the first time. And he got really close on the second. “Okay, last try.” He said, flexing his hand before he tried again. Very carefully…. Steadily…. He got the bottle standing! “Winner!” the game attendant announced. Daichi smiled at Kaoru, “Told you I’m good at these.” He said happily. “What prize would you like?” The attendant asked. “Umm…” Daichi looked up at the prizes and smiled. “The panda, please.” He said. This panda was large, a little bigger than Kaoru’s prize, with soft plushy fabric. “I’m sure Hana will love this too.” Daichi said, slipping the prize under his arm, leaving his good hand free to hold Kaoru’s hand. “Want to go on some rides now?” he asked, practically still beaming.

In his excitement, Daichi didn’t notice Kaoru’s nervousness. They rented a locket for their prizes and grabbed tickets for the rides. Daichi slipped the locker key into his pocket as they walked through the different rides, trying to pick which one they should go one first. Kaoru told Daichi to pick, and he picked one of the roller coasters. It obviously wasn’t a large one like at and amusement park. But it went pretty fast for a carnival roller coaster. They got in line and Daichi felt Kaoru’s grip tighten. He looked down at the male, concerned for a moment. But he smiled. “The first time is always a little scary… but it’s fun. And if you really don’t like it after you try it, we won’t go on any more.” He said, hoping to relax Kaoru a bit.

Luckily the ride moved quickly. Soon they were seated side by side in the ride, and the lab bar was pulled down and settled into place. Daichi smiled brightly as the ride started to move, and laughed at the first drop. He couldn’t help but laugh more as Kaoru held on and screamed. He put his one free hand in the air as the roller coaster coasted along the tracks. Wisps of his hair flew around as the wind rushed past him.

Soon the ride stopped and Daichi realized Kaoru needed help walking. His smile faltered slightly as he walked with Kaoru off the ride. “Are you alright?” he asked, holding Kaoru’s arm in case the male fell. Daichi’s smiled returned when Kaoru answered. “I understand… come on, there’s another good one this way!” He said, directing Kaoru off towards another ride. This ride was a boat, and it swung from side to side, eventually leaving the perpendicular to the ground before swinging back. Daichi got in the line with Kaoru and looked down at the male. “Want to try this one?” he asked, excited. He was just a big kid at times.

((Sorry, short! Do you want to fast forward soon?))