Back at Belle's...

(KOGURE: *ahem*)

... that is, Kogure's house:

Outside, Kuno was preparing for an engagement party for himself and young man he thought was the most beautiful girl because of the name.

"Now, when Belle and I come out of that door you strike up the band," instructed Kuno to Sasuke.

"Ok, like this?" asked Sasuke, waving his hand.
Kuno keeled to the ground in surprise when a sharp sound of an electric guitar squealed starting up a heavy-metal rendition of 'Here Comes the Bride'.

Kuno quickly regained his composure and grabbed the lead guitar, slamming it on the poor musician's head. He yelled, "No! I don't want that kind of music! Play something more elegant to fit my noble status!" The young man then cleared his throat, "Please."

Sasuke stuttered an apology and waved his hand again and the band began to play the classical version of the song.
"Much better," Kuno praised, patting Sasuke's head before he marched towards the cottage.

"Coming, coming!" answered Kogure to a persistent knock on the door.

When he opened the door, there stood Kuno Tatewaki in an elegant black japanese-wedding garment, which showed off his physique that he has acquired practicing his tendo sport.

"Oh, Kuno," stated Kogure in a bored tone, "What brings you out here?"

"Why Belle, I thank thou for inviting me in!" Kuno said stepping inside without answering Kogure's question.

"I didn't..."

"Now picture this!" cut in Kuno, "a warm house with me on the chair. Dogs playing around and my latest kill being cleaned with the children at my feet and the meat roasting roasting by the fire..."

"The children's meat?!" gasped Kogure.

"No, the kill," answered Kuno.

"Oh," sighed Kogure.

"And a dear wife massaging my feet," continued the young man propping his foot on the table. Although he had taken off his wooden slippers, his foot was not safe from the muddy soil outside. Kogure quickly picked up his new book away from the muddy feet.

"And doest thou know who the wife will be?" asked Kuno standing up and walking towards Kogure with a smile.

"Gee, I wonder who?" laughed Kogure weakly, pressed against the door that Kuno was crowding him upon.

"Of course thou!" laughed Kuno.

"ME?!"

"Of course, thou art the most beautiful girl in the world!" the dark haired boy declared.

"What makes you think that?!" said Kogure feeling more than exasperated that this young man with an IQ of an ape still mistakes him for a girl since they were kids.

"Thy name implies it," said Kuno wisely.

Kogure sweatdropped.

Then to his horror, Kuno was leaning closer for a kiss.

Kogure gasped, ducking away as his fingers scrambled to twist the doorknob. The door flung open and, not quick enough to catch himself from falling, Kuno Tatewaki of the Kuno house tumbled out of the house and fell flat face first into the mud.

As Kogure slammed the door shut, the spectacled boy thought he heard some cheesy, classical music coming from outside.
After a while the crowd outside departed and with them a muddy and pride-broken Kuno.

Poking his head out of the door, Kogure breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone was gone. Suddenly there came a thundering sound of hooves and the young man could see a familiar black horse pulling an empty cart towards the cottage.

"Whoa, boy!" Kogure yelled as he ran out and quickly tried to sooth the horse which has come to a stop in front of him. Seeing that the still intact cart of his father's was empty he panicked, Where's otousan?!
Afraid that something bad has befallen on his father along the way, he reached up and quickly pulled off the fastenings that holds the cart to the horse and pulled the black steed aside.

"C'mon! You're going to take me where otousan might have gone to," Kogure commanded before he jumped onto the horse and galloped away.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was not long after that Kogure reached the castle lead by the black steed. The boy slowly stepped through the open gate and knocked on the castle door. Hearing no answer he opened the wooden door and cautiously walked in.

Suddenly his feet hit an object and he tripped, falling onto the hard ground.

"Itee!"

"Ouch!"

He was rubbing his head wincing at the slight pain when his eyes alighted on a candelabra muttering curses as it also rubbed at it's waxy head...

A candelabra was doing WHAT??!!

Kogure looked at the object in shock until it looked up at the boy with a scowl on it's face.

"Watch where yer....," then it blinked, "Huh?"
Jumping up the candelabra demanded, "Hey! Watcha doin' here!"

Kogure took off his glasses, gave them a wipe and put them back again to continue staring at the moving candelabra.

"Watcha staring at spectacle boy?!" demanded Hanamichi.

"Y-You're a candelabra," stated Kogure.

"Last time I checked," huffed Hanamichi.

"And you're moving and talking to me..."

"Yeah, so?!"

"Well, you may find this hard to believe but I find it amazing!" said the spectacled boy.

"Hey! Whatever Rukawa said I'm not stupid! " cried the candelabra angrily.

"Rukawa?"

"Yeah," said Hanamichi, "the kitsune clock that calls me do'aho all the time. I think he's just jealous coz I'm the tensai in this castle. He's been bad-mouthing me to you, hasn't he?!"

"A clock ... bad-mouthing you...?"

"I don't need to bad-mouth you, do'aho. You do that fine on your own," said a new voice.

Kogure turned towards the voice to see a clock looking condescendingly at the candelabra with his blue-fox eyes.
Now I know why he calls him a kitsune, thought Kogure as he looked at the glaring contest between the two rival objects.

"Uh.." began Kogure, "Can I ask if any of you guys have seen an old man, kinda fat with white hair and a white moustache, with glasses and he laughs like Santa Clause?"

"I don't know how Santa whatzisname sounds like when laughing but yeah, there's this fat old guy staying here as prince Mitsui's guest," said Hanamichi reluctantly breaking the glare between him and Rukawa.

"Oh, thank Kami!" sighed Kogure, "Is he alright? Can I go see him?"

"Yeah, sure," said the candelabra showing the boy the way with the clock walking behind them.

The spectacled boy was led along the long and wide corridors lit by torches and halls lined with antique armours and beautiful wall scrolls. Kogure wondered who takes care of the castle for he sees no servants about, and save for the two objects, he could say that the castle was pretty much empty.

However, when the three finally reached a big wooden door to another part of the castle, he could hear the dribbling of a ball and the cheers of two or three spectactors. The candelabra grunted as he pushed the heavy door open, assisted by the clock, and it opened before Kogure could offer his help.

Kogure's eyes grew huge when he saw that the door lead to the biggest hall he has ever seen. There at the side of the hall was nailed a metal hoop where a big -something- was efficiently throwing the basketballs through with three-point shots. The floor was painted with white lines making the hall look like a basketball court. Actually, it is a basketball court.

Looking around, he could see his father smoothing his moustache as he watched the player continue to play. The ones making the cheering noises were more objects beside his father, dancing around with poms poms, blowing party trumpets and throwing away confetti.

"Otousan!" Kogure called out, turning everyone's attention towards him.

Coach Anzai smiled, "Ho ho ho! Kogure, my boy! Nice to see you!"

"O-outousan. Are you alright?" asked the spectacled boy.

"I've never felt better," answered the coach cheerfully, "Prince Mitsui was gracious enough to give me shelter from the storm when I got lost."

"Prince Mitsui?"

"That's me," said a gruff voice.

Looking up he was suddenly eye to eye with the most beastly looking face he has ever seen.

"P-P-Prince M-M-Mitsui?"

The beast took Kogure's hand and gave it a firm shake while grinning and showing his sharp canines, "Yup."

"I-I-I..." stammered Kogure. Prince Mitsui leaned towards Coach Anzai and whispered, "Forgive me for asking but is he like vocally impaired or something?"

The teapot huffed, "Your majesty, for someone who just met you he is taking this rather well."

Prince Mitsui scratched his furry chin, "Hmph! I guess you're right."

At that moment, Kogure remembered something important.
"Otousan! How about the convention? You're going to miss it!"

Coach Anzai blinked behind his thick glasses, "You're right! Oh dear! The convention is tomorrow morning!"

"Then don't go," said the beast.

"What do you mean?" gasped Kogure , "He has to go! He goes there every year!"

"Uh... I..." started Coach Anzai.

"So what's missing it once?" said the beast carelessly.

Kogure looked at the beast incredulously, "You can't mean that."

"Yes, I mean it," answered Prince Mitsui cooly, "He can stay here for a while and help me practice with my game."

The spectacled boy, annoyed by the selfishness of the beast, took a deep breath and said calmly, "He's going."
Saying so he pushed his father out of the hall and into the corridor that would lead them to the door out the castle.

"Oh, come on!" protested the beast but Kogure was adamant.

"Kogure, I..." Coach Anzai began to speak.

"You have to go, otousan," said Kogure pushing his father to ride the black horse who was waiting obediently near the gates. Kogure looked up at the darkening clouds from the storm a few hours ago and said, "If you go now, you can reach the convention before night falls."

"Go boy!" Kogure cried out to the horse, slapping at the animal's flank.

After watching the horse and his father gone from his view, he turned back towards the beast who was scowling at him.

"I'm sorry but..." started Kogure but the beast turned around and stomped back inside.

Kogure looked at the beast's back in puzzlement when he felt something pat his leg. Looking down he sees the candelabra looking up at him pitily with his small brown eyes.

"Don't worry. You did the right thing. Noone's been up here for almost two years now. So he's gotten used to being alone," said the candelabra smiling serenely, thinking that he has managed to make Kogure feel at ease but instead it made the boy feel awful.

"That was why! Oh poor soul!" said Kogure in distress.

The teapot came towards Hanamichi and hit the candelabra with a mini-but-still-lethal paper fan, "Baka! Can't you be a bit more subtle?!"

"Itee! What did I do?! I was trying to make him feel better!" protested Hanamichi rubbing his waxy head.

"Do'aho," said the clock.

"Why you!! Rukawa!" cried the candelabra charging at the clock.

Kogure was busy feeling guilty to care about the two objects fighting at his feet when suddenly he hit upon an idea.
"I know!" the boy exclaimed, "I'll stay here and keep him company until otousan comes back! I know a bit about basketball so I have something in common with him so that he won't feel bored."

"EH?!!"

Hanamichi and Rukawa stopped their scuffling and the other objects stared at the spectacled boy in surprise.

"I hope it won't be any trouble," asked Kogure looking at the teapot expectantly.

"O-of course not," said Ayako.

"Arigato," said Kogure pleased before he began to follow where the beast has gone.

The enchanted objects watched with wonder as the young boy entered the castle.

"This is the first time someone stays here voluntarily," said the feather-duster in awe.

"Wish he was a girl though," said the teacup.

"Yeah," the other object answered in agreement.

~to be continued~