A/N: So I finally found my muse for this story again. Hooray~

However - don't expect updates as quick as they used to come, unfortunately. I'd like to have a little bank to fall back on in case I can't write for a while.

But I hope you're happy to see the return of Heiress and to see the end of the date~ :)

They rode the more sedate rides after lunch. Kyoya didn't think Kagome had a picky stomach, but it was better to be safe than sorry – her throwing up from motion sickness would put a fast end to the date. Instead, he guided her to the other rides at the park – the umbrellas, the carousel, the paddle boats, the bumper cars, and the haunted house. Kagome was laughing and having fun, and even Kyoya felt relaxed and happy enough to laugh and smile more freely. The park was nearly empty, which was a relief – he'd wanted to reserve the park for the day, but knew Kagome would have been suspicious if there was nobody else – and the few other people milling about weren't the type to know anything about the upper crust of society, much less report his illicit date to his father.

Even if he was caught, Kyoya felt amazingly carefree about the entire idea. His father may scold him, but Kyoya could easily spin it as helping his new classmate to relax and think more fondly of him for future business endeavors. His father was used to Kyoya's 'hosting,' at this point – Kyoya would just neglect to mention that he was 'hosting a hostess' this time.

And for once…

Kyoya was having fun.

The entire day was filled with flirtatious banter and the little teasing that Kyoya loved. Kagome would banter with him about what to do if the paddle boat sank, and who would save who and swim to safety, and then tease Kyoya that he better not sink the boat on purpose just to see her in wet clothes. She'd teased him about how he would be awful at bumper cars because he was driven everywhere, but then she couldn't get her own bumper car to go forwards, only backwards, and she'd laughed the entire time as she tried to reverse into him as fast as she could.

Now, she was teasing him about his glasses, which he'd tucked into his pocket before going on the swings. She took them out from his pocket and played with them impishly.

"Can you see without them?" she asked.

"Moderately," Kyoya told her.

"Why don't you wear contacts?" she asked him, looking up. "Like Haruhi and Mori do."

Kyoya shrugged. "It's a needless hassle," he said. "I don't mind people knowing I need glasses, and it helps me appear more intelligent. I play up my intelligence as much as possible, so it helps, whereas Haruhi and Mori play up other traits."

Kagome looked thoughtful.

"So you'd never want to get LASIK or have your eyesight fixed, would you?" she questioned. "Your glasses are part of who you are."

Kyoya had never considered the matter.

"I suppose not," he said slowly. "It's a pain to not be able to see in the mornings, but I like how I look with glasses. Without them, I look like a different person."

Kagome gave him a slow once-over, and Kyoya tried to moderate his breathing.

"You do," she declared. She gave him a smirk. "You look like a rake like this, with your intense eyes and dark hair."

"A rake?" Kyoya repeated, incredulous.

"A rake," Kagome said decidedly. "An immoral man who goes around seducing pretty girls and sweeping them off their feet for fun."

Kyoya was astounded.

"I have never been told I look like a rake," Kyoya told her. "Or anything to do with rakes at all."

"Then it's lucky for me that you're not a rake, isn't it?" Kagome smiled at him, a small, mysterious smile that made her eyes sparkle, and she leaned up to slide his glasses back onto his nose. "I'd be swept off my feet in a second."

Her fingers brushed his face, and Kyoya felt his throat close. "Would you, now?"

His voice was lower than it had been, huskier, but Kagome didn't seem to mind at all.

"Then again," she murmured, her blue eyes layered with emotion and mystery, "you're doing a fair job of it now anyways."

Kyoya's heart stopped.

He took her hand, still gloved in a scrap of nearly invisible silk, and held it closely in his. Kagome was watching him, and Kyoya slowly turned it over and pressed a kiss to her wrist, hoping she could feel the heat of his lips through the barrier of the lace.

Kagome shivered, her eyes going darker, and she licked her lips. Kyoya felt a heady rush.

"Kagome…"

"Your turn!"

The man at the swings grinned at them, breaking the mood entirely, and Kyoya nearly swore.

Kagome gave him a wry smile.

"Race you to the green swings!" she said, and dashed off to claim a swing.

Kyoya looked after her, a wry smile on his own face, and followed after.

After they'd been secured into the swings and the ride had started up, Kyoya could see why Kagome liked the swings. The swings provided just enough air and movement to feel fun, like a ride, but not enough to cause an adrenaline rush or make it feel scary. He was sure some people thought it was boring.

But the view…

The view was incredible.

It was dusk, and the sunset looked amazing, lit up with oranges and yellows and pinks and purples and blues. The park was starting to light up as well, the roller coasters and Ferris wheel lighting up with bright bulbs that flashed in patterns. The wind on his face and the rush made Kyoya feel alive, and the lights and sunset seemed more vivid than it had ever been before.

And Kagome was holding his hand.

She'd taken his hand as they waited for the swings to start spinning, and Kyoya had been pleased and had held her hand back. But even once they were in the air, she hadn't let go, and each moment more she held his hand, Kyoya felt… he felt trusted, almost honored, that she would give him this, that she would let him touch her, even if it was through a whisper-thin glove. Kagome had told him clothing didn't always matter, but with him, she would risk it, and it made Kyoya's throat clench when he thought about it too much.

He felt like she trusted him to protect her.

Quietly, to himself, he promised he would live up to that trust.

Kyoya turned back out to look at the park all lit up, and Kagome squeezed Kyoya's hand. He turned to her, and she smiled.

Her eyes were dancing.

"See why this is my favorite ride?" she murmured.

He gave her a smile – a small smile, but it was one from the heart.

"Mine too."

Read it? Please, review! It only takes you a moment, but it means the world to me :)