Hikari was glad that he seemed to enjoying himself, and even more glad that she played some part in that. She was happy to be the anomaly in his life, even though it made her sad to think that someone being nice to him and making him smile was actually that unusual. Then again, she supposed that nowadays, those things were pretty rare on her end, too. They hadn't always been. Once upon a time she'd lived up to her name. She'd been bright and happy, always smiling, always nice and kind to everyone. Not like the cold emptiness she'd felt inside up until recently. Her light had faded and her smile had become nothing more than a facade, a way to keep people at bay, to allow them to believe that she was okay and relieve them of whatever obligation they may otherwise have felt to talk to her and try to make her feel better. Since she'd met him, though, she'd felt like she was becoming more like her old self. She was happier, and it was all thanks to him.<br/><br/>She knew it was a risk, just like she knew that there was still darkness in him. There may always be darkness in him. But she refused to believe that the darkness was all there was to him, or that it had to be his defining trait. Just like she hadn't resigned to the fact that he brother was completely lost to his own darkness. The darkness was undeniably there, but as far as she was concerned, it was just one of many sides of him. But perhaps he'd spent so long defining himself by the darkness that he couldn't see himself the way she did. But that would come with time. Or at least she hoped it would.<br/><br/>His reaction to Hotaru and Rin's appearance was not lost to her. His eyes seemed glazed over and he'd stepped back, as if to distance himself from them. Still, there was at least a small difference between his response to their appearance and his response when Kakashi had shown up previously. Hotaru also seemed to notice the way he seemed to distance himself, but she didn't push. Hikari had done the same thing at first. Her mannerisms and such were different, but the results were the same. She'd come around, so maybe some day he would, too. Maybe not, but who knows?<br/><br/>When Kuro took Hikari's hand, she looked at him with a slightly surprised look on her face, but when he turned to the other two and told them that he was, in fact, her boyfriend, she looked somewhat dumbfounded. Her surprise, however, only continued to grow as his next actions, which were completely unexpected, just blew her away. Of course, the thoughts barely even registered because, like when he'd kissed her before, her thoughts seemed to vanish the moment his lips touched hers, causing her heart to run away from her, her breath to catch in her throat, and her eyes to instinctively slide shut, effectively blocking out the rest of the world. In that moment, she forgot about the other two standing there, and she certainly didn't notice Ryuu hiding and watching as she returned his kiss with a soft kiss of her own.<br/><br/>Hotaru stood there wide-eyed, her jaw practically dropping to the ground as she watched the scene that played out before her. Rin was also surprised, but unlike Hotaru, he only watched long enough to see the action before turning his gaze elsewhere. Where the other three seemed to be oblivious to the presence of the younger boy who looked on with wide eyes, hidden from their view, Rin had noticed. He glanced the boy's way, tilting his head slightly to the side curiously for a moment before looking away with a look that seemed either bored or indifferent, never saying a word. Hotaru blinked, not really knowing what to say until Rin poked her cheek lightly. "We should go." He informed her, figuring that they should give the other two some privacy. Or as much as was possible in a place like this.<br/><br/>Hotaru seemed to snap out of her daze when Rin poked her, "Huh? Ohh. Yeah!" She nodded vigorously. "Right! You two have fun! But not too much..." She winked playfully, laughing when Hikari's face turned red and she mumbled something that sounded like she was telling Hotaru to shut up. "Go on." Hikari shooed her away, her face still a light pink, turning her full attention back to Kuro once they were gone, apologizing for their appearance, although she supposed that he didn't seem too bothered by it if he could pull that off in front of them.<br/><br/>His cheeks were red, matching her own, but she was pleased to see that there was no regret in his eyes, even after his actions. She gave him a small, timid smile before she began to walk once again, leading him through the festival, his hand still wrapped around hers. Surprisingly, he was the one to break the silence, asking her a question she hadn't truly expect to hear, though, perhaps she should have expected it after what he'd said and done moments ago. He seemed to be somewhat nervous and it was obvious that he hadn't done this before, but that was okay. She hadn't ever done anything like this before either. After his last words she couldn't help but wonder... What answer did he expect her to give? He seemed unsure about what her answer would be and yet... from what she knew about him, he seemed the type who didn't act unless they were certain. She couldn't help but wonder, but the thoughts simply lingered somewhere in the back of her mind.<br/><br/>Surprisingly, she didn't have to think about her answer. She hadn't thought she'd even known how she felt just hours before, and yet, in that moment, the words came without thought, as if somewhere inside she'd known all along, even if her mind wouldn't allow it to register. She nodded gently, a soft smile on her face. "Yeah." She replied with a surprisingly soft and gentle voice. "I... Well... I'd like that." She added, giving his hand a small squeeze and smiling sweetly, despite the pink that lingered on her cheeks. She looked up at the sky for a moment before looking back at him and smiling gently, but this time she didn't speak up, she just led him onward through the festival.<br/><br/>After a few minute she stopped at a booth that served food, figuring he might be hungry, seeing as she didn't think he'd eaten since he'd come home. She ordered herself something small that she could eat while walking and then looked his way. "Want something? My treat." She smiled sweetly, waiting for him to answer and, if he wished, get himself some food, before she continued on. She ate her food as she walked, surveying all of the games around her before finally deciding on one. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along rather quickly and excitedly. "Hold this for me?" She asked, grinning as she held the owl he'd won for her before out for him to take.<br/><br/>Once he'd taken the food she walked over to the man who ran the game and held out the money she'd need to pay. "I'd like to play." The man looked rather surprised but shrugged, taking the money and handing her a large mallet. "Thanks!" she look the heavy mallet easily in one hand and swung it around for a moment to test it out, waiting for the man in front of her to finish before she stepped up. She looked up at the game, a test of strength, and then swung the mallet with surprising grace and ease. The gauge flew up, hitting the bell at the top with a loud<span style="font-style: italic">Ding!</span>before falling back down. Hikari spun around on her tiptoes, handing the man his mallet back and clasping her hands behind her back, smiling innocently at the man before looking towards Kuro and giving him a playful wink "Your turn! What would you like?" She asked with a bright smile. Once he'd made his choice she accepted the prize from the man. "Trade you." She held the prize out to him and took her own prize back from him, smiling sweetly as she did.<br/><br/>"So... umm... There's somewhere I'd like to take you, if that's okay." She smiled lightly and a tad bit timidly, but there was a hopefulness and a happiness in her eyes, perhaps even a hint of excitement as she waited for his answer.