~Chapter Thirty-Two~

Beauty and the Beast

When you look at me, I start to blush,
And all that I can see, is you and us.

I wanna be in love with only you.
I wanna watch the sky turn grey, then blue.
I wanna know the kiss that's always new.
I wanna be in love with only you.
Just you…

I wanna be in love with you.

~Blush, by Plumb

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

With a wide smile, I bolted forward and wrapped my arms around his waist again, cuddling closer to his chest. "I'd love to go on a date with you, Takashi-kun!" I happily whispered.

His broad chest rumbled beneath my ear, signaling that my boyfriend was now chuckling at my enthusiasm. I blushed in embarrassment but looked up into his silver eyes, smiling sheepishly at him. Takashi leaned down, hesitated above my puckered lips, and then decided to kiss the soft corner of my mouth. I accepted the affection and returned it with a kiss to his cheek, but there was still this bitter disappointment boiling in my stomach. I had wanted him to kiss me on the lips. Like a real kiss, and not a chaste one.

Oh, well. I could still look forward to our date, right? Maybe I would be lucky enough to get a goodnight kiss! Because I loved him with all of my heart. Hopefully, Takashi loved me, too.

Sammy's P.O.V.

Holy Jalapeños! I would like to take this moment to apologize to everyone in the audience for the pointless rambling, gibberish, and odd references that would ensue in the next few moments. You see, I didn't get much sleep last night, because the mere thought of this date was making me extremely nervous and fidgety, almost like I had been on a sugar high for the better part of three days. And I was worried about making a good first impression, too. This was my first date with a boy, after all! Not that I had been homosexual at any point in my short life…

Er. Not that there was anything wrong with homosexuals! Lesbians, bisexuals, and gay guys totally rocked my super sexy socks. My childhood friend, Caleb Lee Jenkins, had been out of the closet – both figuratively and literally, due to his obsession with hide-and-seek – for almost ten years, too. And I loved him. Like a big brother, I mean. 'Cause I would never cheat on my boyfriend, or my girlfriend. Not that I had a girlfriend! Ha, ha, ha…

Shut up, Sammy!

Nervously, I reached upwards to adjust the strap of the tight dress that clung to my chest, hips, and backside like a second skin. And I seriously wanted to shed that skin, too, because it was a little itchy. Then, I would transform into an amazingly powerful snake and rule the world. Fear the dangerous Slytherin basilisk lurking within the confines of my awesome mind! I shall turn the entire world to stone! Mwahahahaha!

Ahem. Please forgive the stupid laughter that just escaped my mouth and the nervous tick still pulsing in my right eyelid. This disease wasn't contagious, though the Twins would certainly have people believe otherwise. These weird references were merely the result of a sudden lack of oxygen, caused by the dress that I had been wearing for almost two hours. I tugged on the evil dress once more. The light green material of this dress shimmered slightly due to the movement, before settling back against my sweaty skin with a vice grip. A white belt had had been wrapped around my waist and just above my wide hips, thusly aiding the dress in its endeavors to squeeze me half to death. All I needed to complete this strange ensemble was a white fan, a parasol, a veil, and over a dozen ladies in waiting. And then, I would be a pretty noble woman. Yay~!

My name, however, was not Miss Elizabeth Swann. Thank God for that miracle, too! Because I hated that girl with a passion. I mean, seriously! (Captain) Jack Sparrow, William Turner, and James Norrington had fallen victim to her charms and suffered the consequences for doing so, too. The blonde bimbo had pecked each of them on the lips and, as a result, all three of those handsome pirates had died from the aforementioned kiss of death. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am!

Damn Dementor sucked all of the fun, happiness, and life right outta ya! Kinda like a corset!

In that respect, I had to sympathize with Elizabeth. That contraption was absolute torture, and it was enough to drive even the most reasonable person insane. Bloody corsets were like the Devil incarnate. And now, I could personally attest to that fact, as well. My breasts had been pushed upwards and thrust forward, but only after being shoved into the lovely bra that my (downright evil) childhood friend had recently sent from the good ol' USA. Boobies were so awesome!

Yeah. Please note my sarcasm, folks. Because I had this feeling that those damn crumbs were still stuck in there, even though Takashi and I had finished eating lunch together at the restaurant about two hours ago. The Zoo had this amazing selection of burgers and, being American, I had not been able to resist ordering one of the messiest ones on the menu. Kinda like a tasty Big Mac, except smaller and almost ten dollars more expensive. And I was still hungry, too!

My grumpy stomach growled in agreement, obviously protesting the fact that I had yet to feed it again. It growled once more and loudly exclaimed: Feed me…!

A soft snort of amusement whistled through the air, then. "Do you want something else to eat, sweetheart?" Takashi asked, seemingly amused by the loud sound of my stomach tearing itself to itty bitty shreds. Eek! My boyfriend was a sadist!

"Yeah, I'm still kinda hungry," I sheepishly admitted, before ducking my chin to hide the bright red blush that had crawled over my pale cheeks at the admission. "That burger was really tasty, but…"

"It was not enough," Takashi easily finished the sentence, which I had allowed to trail off into nothingness as a small group of beautiful girls wearing swimsuits passed by, heading towards the aquarium that housed the aquatic animals.

I shrugged lightly in response, choosing not to answer that statement because it was the truth. It would be much more embarrassing to be caught verbally agreeing with him, anyway. In the last three hours, I had already eaten a small bag of barbecue potato chips, four fun size candy bars, and that burger meal from the restaurant. Not to mention the three bottles of Pepsi that I had bought from the vending machines spread throughout the zoo.

Oh! Don't forget the giant chocolate chip cookie, either! It had been shaped like an owl. Thus, I had named it Pigwidgeon. And I happily decided to nibble at its wings, which tasted of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Everything that Draco Malfoy was not. Which made quite a bit of sense, seeing as the Malfoy heir was actually a weasel in disguise! CoNsTaNt ViGiLaNcE!

Humming in thought, Takashi tapped his fingers against the map, which was plastered on the side of a nearby building. His gray eyes traveled over the list of street vendors, before the older male kindly asked, "Would you eat one of those pretzels that we passed earlier this afternoon?"

I visibly perked up at the question, before nodding in agreement and happily exclaiming, "Oh, I love pretzels!" After all, Germans loved pretzels! Beer, too, but I was underage. Please insert sad face here.

We lazily wandered back in the direction of the street vendors, most of which were located along the trail of large paw prints that had been carefully painted throughout the zoo. Happily, I placed the bottoms of the white designer boots in the center of two elephant paw prints and balanced for a moment. I then skipped forward once, twice, and three times, in order to follow the set of large tracks, almost as though I had been playing hopscotch. My boyfriend laughed quietly, shook his head at my childish antics, and followed in my wake.

A few moments later, Takashi and I were standing in line at the pretzel vendor, waiting for the man to hand us our order, which consisted of two large pretzels covered in salt and hot cheese sauce. It was an odd combination; however, I enjoyed the texture and taste. Two thumbs up from the food critic! Even Rachel Ray would approve.

"Okay," Takashi thoughtfully murmured, "I think that we should take a moment to eat these pretzels and then decide which exhibit to visit next." The older male placed his hand on my elbow, guiding me towards a group of picnic tables at the corner of the park. "Have a seat, sweetheart."

I immediately complied with his wishes, taking a seat beside him and edging closer, so as to lean against my sexy boyfriend. The wind had only been whistling through the small picnic area for a minute or so; however, I was only wearing this damn sundress, so the cold air effectively caused several chills to crawl their way down the length of my spine. My boyfriend kindly removed his brown leather jacket – the same one that he had worn at the park, several weeks ago now – and placed the thick material around my shoulders. He wrapped a warm arm around my waist but hesitated for a moment, obviously debating whether or not the gesture was too improper. I personally did not believe it to be forward in the least, and made that opinion known by snuggling into his tender embrace.

"This is nice," I whispered, resting my chin against the base of his throat and glancing up at him through black eyelashes, the likes of which were nice and thick, thanks to the mascara the Twins had forced upon them. Very Dolly Parton.

Gently, Takashi pulled his fingers through several strands of blonde hair and quipped, "That might only be due to the fact that Tamaki and the other Hosts have not made an appearance, though…"

I snorted loudly, amused, and lifted two fingers to mime moving my glasses up along the bridge of my nose. "Tamaki has other business to attend to today, because I need him to calculate the expenses generated by his little club," I primly declared, mimicking the one and only Schatten König. Totally BEAST!

A single black eyebrow was raised in response to this imitation, which was incredibly accurate, in my opinion. Takashi kissed the side of my cheek, grinned widely, and stated, "You're in a very good mood today, sweetheart."

My mind immediately supplied the reason for this suspicious change in personality. I could feel my mouth opening to speak the words that were whispering within my head. I'm in a very good mood, Morinozuka Takashi, because I get to spend the entire day with you…

Oh, shit! I slammed my lips together, ultimately deciding to shut my mouth before it went into overdrive and accidentally revealed any of the embarrassing secrets dancing around in my heart, including the fact that I was in love with this handsome man. Much too embarrassing for me to admit at this point in our relationship! With a nervous laugh, I tried to wiggle away from his strong grasp, a simple feat that was actually proving to be rather difficult, due to his strong, determined personality. Kinda like Ann trying to escape the furry clutches of King Kong.

In other words, I was not going to escape without his permission. And I was, sadly enough, ridiculously pleased that Takashi had such a tight hold on me – both literally and figuratively, physically and emotionally. Girls were supposed to be independent, strong, and pretty capable of defending themselves nowadays, right? Ha! Pish, posh, applesauce. Blah, blah, blah…

Yeah. That was so not true! After all, I'd been basking in his possessive grip for almost fifteen minutes. My boyfriend had complete control over any and all of the chess pieces at this point in the game. And Takashi just spotted an opening in my defense, too. He moved his black King forward to shove the white Queen from the board. Bingo! Uno? I mean, uh, check mate!

"Why are you trying to leave, little sweetheart?" Takashi huskily inquired, tightening his grip on the thicker meat at my hips and pulling us closer together on the park bench. His lips pressed themselves, repeatedly, against my cheeks, forehead, and nose. Sweet kisses. "Hmm…?"

"Uh…" I stuttered the response through chattering teeth, in part because of the chilly weather that typically claimed Japan this time of year – and also due to the fact that my sexy boyfriend had tightened his arms just under my chest. His hips were pressed into mine. "I'm not…um…"

Another gentle nip to the sensitive shell of my ear, and then, Takashi darkly purred, "I would really appreciate an answer, Sammy-chan…"

Holy Swiss Cheese! I began to panic, bracing myself for the inevitable as the handsome male continued leaning forward, staring into the blue depths of my eyes, and licking his lips with the tip of his pink tongue. Gray eyes darted towards my mouth. Takashi is going to kiss me!

Scheiẞe! I was in deep shit. This situation was wholly unfamiliar to me, thanks to my complete and total lack of experience in the dating department. I mean, really! My first kiss was with my childhood friend, Caleb, the latter of whom was gay! He fantasized about kissing Clay Aiken! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I kissed a man that wanted to make out and sleep with Clay Aiken! And Takashi was not gay, folks! How the freakin' fishsticks could I relate that kiss to this one?

My inner voices simultaneously began thrashing about in my head and wailing for the gods to save us from the hands of the Beast. Belle had willingly given herself to the monster living in the castle in order to save her father. However, little Belle was not prepared to deal with these sensual kisses, all of which were getting closer, closer, and closer to my lips!

I jerked backwards and hastily blurted, "Are you tired, sweetie?" Pressing both hands against his warm cheeks, thusly capturing his attention and directing it back to my eyes.

"No, I'm feeling perfectly fine, you silly girl," Takashi mumbled in response, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against my own. An Eskimo kiss. Or Inuit kiss, if one wanted to be politically correct.

"Well, I think that you are in serious need of a nap – or some really tasty food!" A high pitched giggle escaped from between my parted lips, bringing the focus of his attention back to my open mouth. I stupidly croaked, "Eating those pretzels might help!"

Traditional Japanese dishes had always been his favorite. His cousin, Mitsukuni, had also told me that my boyfriend greatly enjoyed eating salty treats. Sushi, miso, and umeboshi were three of his favorite meals, too. With that thought in mind, I shoved a pretzel into his hands, both of which had been reaching forward to hug, hold, and/or touch me once again. Oi! Hands off the merchandise, home skillet, wok, frying pan! I gestured for the (incredibly sleepy) male to start eating. He obediently did so, munching on the bit of soft bread and nodding that it was very tasty, indeed.

"Very good," Takashi mumbled around a mouthful of pretzel, swallowed, and pointed to the one resting on the picnic table behind us. "You should really try it, as well."

Eagerly, I peeled back the small sheet of black paper wrapped around the treat, placed my pink lips around the corner, and began nibbling on the salty edge. I swallowed the mouthful of warm bread and thoughtfully cocked my blonde head to the side in silent consideration. My tiny nose wrinkled slightly in distaste. The pretzel had been left to bathe within the ladleful of hot cheese sauce, and for almost twenty minutes, too. And I had been caught unawares, so a big bite from that very soggy pretzel was now resting in my stomach. Like a rock. Yum.

Oh, well~! I cheerfully thought, pushing the criticism to the back of my mind and focusing on the warm feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach after eating several bites of the delicious pretzel. Beggars can't be choosers, right?

I continued brutally demolishing – er, that was to say, delicately nibbling – on the salty treat that rested between the sheets of black paper. Not a moment later, though, I was silently cursing and wishing that pretzels had never been invented. Damn those French monks for being such clever chefs! Another large crumb of salt drifted from the bottom of the pretzel and down the front of my very white sundress. My blue eyes wandered from my squished boobs, to the evil brown pretzel still resting in the palm of my hand, and back to my cleavage. Brown grease dripped steadily downwards, into the dark depths of my push bra. Oops…

Thankfully, Takashi was too busy licking the salt from his fingers to notice my dilemma. And I would like to take this moment to pause time, record this brilliant scene, before watching it over, and over, and over again – with the aid of the 80" inch LED television set in my bedroom. Blue eyes slowly focused on the open mouth of the handsome Morinozuka Takashi, the latter of whom was reaching forward with his pink tongue to lick at another crumb of salt.

Oh, my God. I lowered the evil pretzel from my mouth, placed it on the bench beside me, and harshly swallowed the lump that had settled in my throat. Total Kodak moment!

A large peacock suddenly strutted across the picnic area, wandering over with grace and poise. The bird darted forward, then, to take advantage of the situation. Five very sharp claws reached up, latched onto the remaining piece of pretzel, and shoved the tasty morsel into an open beak. I slowly turned to glare at the thieving bird, twitching faintly in response to the mocking grin that the stupid bird offered to me in return. My left middle finger automatically lifted itself to send the creature a bird of my very own. Wings flapped repeatedly, sending a small puddle of dirty water over my very white boots, and the bird cackled wildly at the stunned expression on my face.

Damn creature reminds me of Renge! I scowled darkly at the peacock, rubbed two fingers against the bridge of my powdered nose, and began muttering to myself about the trials of being a female. Dressing up in nice clothing was so, so, so…troublesome! Yeah! Channeling my inner Shikamaru, here!

Yes, I know that many people in the audience were staring blankly at me, probably curious about that last statement, and for obvious reasons, too. Rich girls typically liked expensive clothing. I, on the other hand, absolutely hated spending more than ten dollars on a graphic tee or a pair of flip flops. Ripped jeans, shirts with funny or witty phrases plastered on the front, old baseball hats, and beat up sneakers had always been my preferred form of attire, anyway.

And I'd also have to add two bandages across my cheeks, knees, or elbows almost every day, simply due to my adventures, fights, and general clumsiness. Classic tomboy, you know?

Yet, here I was, wearing an expensive sundress and a pair of white designer boots, both of which were now covered in crumbs of salt, brown grease, dirty water, and peacock saliva. Go figure! I just had to wear something this clean and expensive on a first date. That was not the extent of it, though, mates. Because I had almost five hundred dollars worth of nasty makeup caked atop my skin, including my cheeks, forehead, lips, nose, chin, and my neck. All of which only served to make me seriously angry. And I had every right to be pissed off, too. Because I looked like a clown on crack!

Hikaru and Kaoru are going to be in so much trouble for this…

And I was serious about that, too. Those two redheaded fashionistas were the only reason that I had been dressed to look like the famous Marilyn Monroe – and with my permission! You see, I was normally placed in expensive clothing against my will. Kicking, screaming, and threatening everyone within an inch of their lives. This time, however, I'd practically begged the talented boys to make me pretty. My blonde hair, blue eyes, and small stature were relatively easy to work with, though, and the stylists in the Hitachiin Company always raved that pastel colors suited me. And Lord, I looked so cute, ya'll! Like an innocent angel.

Yeah, right! More like Angel from the Maximum Ride books. I'd developed this nasty habit of manipulating people against their will, after all, and with only a sweet smile. Which was not innocent. Not in the least. Inwardly, I cackled at that last thought, because it really was an amusing one, to be sure. The Flock will be mine, Max! Mwahahahaha!

Pregnant Purple Penguin Pause.

You can still keep Fang, I thoughtfully added, since the emo kid kinda freaks me out, anyway…

Besides, I had Takashi to fall in love with, instead! And Takashi was much smarter, stronger, and sweeter than that killjoy, Fang the Foolhardy Freak. That train of thought, however strange it might have been, effectively answered that first question, though. Why are you wearing rich, fancy, and/or expensive clothing, Sammy?

Elementary, my dear Watson! I had willingly dressed in rich girl clothing – perhaps for the first time in my entire life – because I was seriously trying to appear (sorta, kinda, hopefully, at least the tiniest bit) presentable for my boyfriend, Takashi. That was probably an impossible feat to accomplish, though, because my amazing boyfriend had that whole tall, dark, and handsome persona down to an art. It had even earned him the title of Mister Strong and Silent Type!

Takashi was also incredibly smart, and sexy, and sweet, and sexy, and kind, and sexy, and funny, and…

Did I mention that Takashi was sexy?

Said Sexy Beast had apparently regained his senses, too. He nudged my shoulder with his own, placed his hand on my left knee, and curiously asked, "What are you thinking about, Sammy-chan?"

And I honestly answered, "You…" My blue eyes warily glanced down and at the large hand that rested – gently, always gently – on my pale leg, before softening at the thought of having such a sweet boyfriend. "I'm almost always thinking about you, Takashi-kun."

"Good," Takashi said, quietly, and with a possessive glint burning in his stormy gray eyes. Tan fingers tapped themselves against the tip of my nose, traced the small groove beneath the flaring nostrils, and brushed over soft, parted lips.

Kiss me, don't kiss me, kiss me, don't kiss me…!

Softly, I lifted his hand from its resting place, slipped my own beneath it, and entwined our warm fingers together, an interlocking system of silk thread. "You know, I like spending time alone with you," I shyly admitted, blushing brightly at the hesitant – but truthful – admission.

"Ah…" Takashi surprised me, then, by smirking and quietly muttering, "I like spending time with you, too." He teasingly nipped at the warm flesh right above my pink cheeks. "And I like making you blush, too…"

I halfheartedly glared up at my handsome boyfriend and mumbled, "Jerk…"

My boyfriend chuckled lightly. He smiled down at the hand that I had firmly placed within the warm confines of his own, before the taller teenager aligned our palms together, pressing our thin fingertips into one another. My boyfriend quietly marveled at the obvious differences in size, texture, and color. As a strong and healthy male, Takashi had the advantage in that first category. His hand was almost twice the size of my own, with almost four extra inches separating the tips of my thin fingers from his.

A soft hum escaped his thin lips, both of which had curled upwards and into a small, thoughtful smile. He lifted the small limb upwards and kissed the back with gentle lips. "You are such a tiny little lady," Takashi teased. His expression grew serious, as though that scared him. "So small…"

Takashi rubbed the tip of his finger against the lines on the palm of my right hand, a sensation that tickled. My ghostly white skin was very bright, almost shockingly so, in comparison to his olive colored flesh. Like white and black, day and night, salt and pepper. Complete opposites. Just like the feeling of his skin against my own. The skin on my pale hands was incredibly soft, because most of the time, I could be found indoors, drawing, writing, reading, or playing video games. His hands, though, were rough with scars and calluses, thanks to all of those years of hard training to become the national kendo champion – and the heir to his family.

Nevertheless, I sighed and began gently running soft fingertips against that one scar on his left hand, the one shaped like a crescent moon. It was still thick to the touch, and the flesh was pink, shiny, and always caught my attention. Takashi had yet to explain the details behind that one marking. That didn't bother me, though, because there was still plenty of time for us to get to know one another better.

And I looked forward to it.

***Author's Note***

My sincere apologies to all the loyal readers of this story! Life had me in a vice grip, and it refused to let go! School, family, and work all begged for my attention. There was no time to write this story. After I finally managed to put some time aside for this chapter in particular, my mind drew a complete and utter blank. Writer's block smacked me in the face!

But, I have persevered! And I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, which involved the first half of their date - and a lot of fluff! The next chapter will involve some references, but not many to the animals. There will be a surprise at the end, too!

Please read and review, as always! And I'd like to have about 358 reviews, give or take one or two. Anyway, I love you all to bits! Don't kill me...!