"So, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Mr Kaiba informs me. "What'll it be, Miss Whithead?"

Jeez, this guy is totally clueless. "First of all, Mr Kaiba, my name is APPLE. Secondly, the only place I'm riding with you in this limo is back to my apartment. Not "around the block" so you can interrogate me. Thirdly, I don't see why I should be doing ANYTHING for you, easy and hard ways be damned, when you have been so rude and abusive to me on the first day we've met."

My outburst is met with nothing more than a quirked eyebrow. "You certainly do have a temper, Miss Whithead."

Oh, that is IT. Temper? I'll effing SHOW him temper.

"You wanna know if I have AIDS and gave it to your little brother while I was giving him first aid?" I explode. "FINE. Apple Whithead, THIS IS YOUR LIFE."

I flip over my arms and shove them, palms up, into his face. "No tracks, no cuts." I pull down my eyelids. "They're not bloodshot or dilated." I bare my teeth in a grim parody of a smile. "My teeth are a HEALTHY shade of white, not smoke-stained OR bleached into submission. My hair is the exact color it was when I was born. I suffer no crippling addictions, I am not leprous or full of Ebola, hell, I'm not even suffering from a head cold! I go to classes at Domino Tech, I do art in my spare time. I haven't been off of Japan since my dad moved us here twelve years ago from the States."

Digging into a pocket, I take a deep breath and continue.

"Here's a picture of my family." I thrust it at him. "I have five, count 'em, FIVE younger siblings. I've been changing diapers since I could read "Green Eggs and Ham" by myself. I tried to smoke a white crayon like a cigarette when I was in second grade. I ate paste in sixth grade on a dare. I ate peanut shells in tenth grade just to see what they were like. Three days ago, I licked a drop of blue acrylic paint off my arm rather than wipe it on my jeans. I bathe regularly, I throw away gum rather than swallow it, I wash my clothes every two weeks. I live in an apartment, not in squalor, and I never, EVER, use public bathrooms. And, most importantly-" I grab his jacket collar and yank him close to my face.

"And most importantly, I NEVER HAVE UNPROTECTED SEX BECAUSE I'M A VIRGIN, YOU WORMY, EGOTISTICAL, COWARDLY, UNCOUTH SON OF A BITCH." This I hiss in his hear as clearly as I can, cupping my hand so that Mokuba can't see or hear what I'm calling his brother.

I mean, far be it from me to destroy this kid's image of his older brother. Mr Kaiba can do it himself.

"So, there." I release Mr Kaiba and let him sink back in his seat. "I didn't give your brother any pills, I used a sterile antibacterial wipe on his skin and my hands before I did ANYTHING, and I used a fresh, pre-wrapped band-aid I pulled from the box this morning, which I bought roughly two months ago using money I obtained through perfectly legal methods. Does all of that satisfy you?"

Mokuba, to his credit, has not said a word. His eyes look like they're about to pop out of his head, though.

Kaiba, too, is staring at me in a very strange way. "You're the most volatile and emotional girl I've ever met. Is there a history of mental problems in your family?"

I don't care what he thinks of me anymore. I've purged my anger at Mr Kaiba, and I feel much better.

Turning around in my seat, I inform the chauffeur, "I live on Surpassing Lane on the west side of Domino, thank you."

Without acknowledging me, the driver flicks his gaze to the rearview mirror. Mr Kaiba tilts his head in affirmation, and the driver hits the turn signal.

Normally, I would be irritated at this, but I'm feeling mellow now that I've shouted out my feelings. Maybe later I'll try to paint my anger. I envision a red splatter on my fridge, with canary yellow swabs and maybe bright purple on the edges.

Unconsciously, I reach up to fiddle with my blue butterfly necklace as I stare out the window and think. The scenery passing by…and me in a limo…it's almost surreal.

The air in the limo is totally still…and there's no sound. Like, not even engine noise. This is like a scene in a creepy movie. Like, the awkward quiet moment when the girl has been through the house and there's nothing wrong, and she stands very still, and lets out a sigh of relief.

And then THE KILLER JUMPS OUT OF THE CLOSET AND STABS HER WITH A STEAK FORK.

A hand on my leg makes me jump. "Anou, Apple-san…" Mokuba's voice shatters the quiet. "What happened to King Zack and Sir Jack?"

For a moment, I'm confused.

"The story," he prompts me.

"OH! Well, Mokuba, King Zack hopped up on Sir Jack's back so his feet wouldn't get dirty. Of course, poor Sir Jack had to carry the king everywhere. And the king needed to cut back on the snacks, if you know what I mean."

Relieved to finally be doing something, I keep Mokuba in throes of laughter while telling the rest of the story. Every once in a while, I steal a glance at Mr Kaiba. He isn't watching me anymore, he's staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts.

He's so…brooding. Wonder what he's thinking about.

"And the king's feet have been dirty ever since."

Mokuba grins expectantly. "But the king had just gotten new shoes, hadn't he? Why were his feet dirty?"

In my best royal voice, I proclaim, "Are you crazy?! My shoes are brand new! I don't want to RUIN them by wearing them all the time!"

Mokuba clutches his stomach and laughs even harder. "You should be on TV, Apple! You're so funny!"

"Actually, I'd really like to be a children's librarian," I tell him. "I'd love to sit and read books to little kids all day."

"What DO you do all day?" Mr Kaiba asks softly. He doesn't stop looking out the window.

Surprised at this, I have to think before I can answer. "I'm taking computer maintenance courses at Domino Tech, I do art, I…uh… I used to play Duelmonsters," I admit.

"Seto duels too," interjects Mokuba. "Maybe you two could duel together." He looks up at his brother for confirmation.

Mr Kaiba says nothing. This is becoming awkward again.

"No way, Mokuba. I stopped dueling because I'm so bad at it."

He grins. "Then maybe you and I should duel instead. How about it?"

I notice we're close to my apartment building. "Sure, maybe someday." I call forward to the chauffeur, "This is far enough, thank you."

As he pulls over to the curb, I unbuckle my seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride, Mr Kaiba."

"Just Kaiba." He STILL won't look at me. He's staring out the window at my neighborhood; I can't tell if he likes the look of things or not.

"Okay then, Kaiba. Sir. Thank you for getting me here." I turn to Mokuba. "See you, Mokuba. Try to be a little more careful about tying your shoes from now on."

"Hai, Apple-san!" He beams at me. "Thanks for patching me up. See you soon?"

The door of the car opens for me. I scoot across the seat to the exit. "Maybe," I fudge, not wanting to cause problems between Kaiba and Mokuba. "Sorry about shouting at you, Kaiba."

Without a word, he lifts his hand and waves me out of the limo like a fly. I catch a final glimpse of his dangerous, gorgeous eyes as they slide over to watch me get out of the car. Suddenly self-conscious, I fiddle with my butterfly as I thank the chauffeur.

"No trouble, Miss." He tilts his cap, shuts the door and begins to shuffle back to the driver's side.

"Hey, um…"

He turns around. "Yes, Miss?"

Suddenly at a loss for words, I stutter. "W-will he…um…"

With a look of understanding, he turns around again. "No worry, Miss," he calls over his shoulder. "Young Mokuba won't suffer any further punishment for soliciting help from a stranger. I daresay, your outburst gave Mr Kaiba something to think about. Have a nice day."

I lift a hand as he steps back into the car. "You too."

Well then.

The limo lingers at the sidewalk for another few seconds, then sleekly and smoothly pulls away. I watch it as it drives down the road.

A small hand pops out of the sunroof and waves at me.

Suddenly, I'm laughing. I wave back at Mokuba and turn to walk back to my apartment.

However, a sign appearing in the local hair salon intrigues me. "Help wanted?"

I look up to the sky. "Is this a sign?" I ask whoever might be up there.

The young guy hanging the sign in the window suddenly steps out the door. "Hey, you. Do you want a job?"

I guess that's a major yes. I take a step towards the entrance. "Sure."

"Great." He smacks his hands together. "You're hired. My name's Steve Holtz, and I own Snippershak." He sticks out a hand.

"I'm Apple." I shake the offered hand lightly.

"Okay, if you come in tomorrow morning at 9, I'll tell you what to do. The hours aren't very flexible, I need you all day for a few days a week, but you have nights and the weekend free, and the pay's okay. Still interested?"

"Sure." I leave him with a guarantee to come back and a smile on my face.

All told, today's not been half bad. I vented my anger on a total stranger, made a kid smile, got a job and, most importantly, I have my picture of eyes.

I pull the notebook from my tank top, where I've had it tucked up since the park. I take a good, hard look at them. "These are Kaiba's eyes. I have them forever now."

With another big smile to myself, I skip all the way back up to my apartment. It's time…to paint!

-=+=-

Author's Notes: Apple is such a fun girl to write! I really do enjoy this story, and I hope you guys like it too… New Hitachiin Exploits coming Saturday night at the latest, so stay tuned! Thanks to all y'all who have reviewed my stuff, I really really appreciate your words of encouragement. I love all of you. Kisses!