The Hizuri couple had invited both Kyouko and Ren to spend the Fourth of July with them at their home in California.

Kyouko immediately accepted their invitation. Though, her Otou-san had to explain exactly what the Fourth of July was and what they did to celebrate, this led to a few choice items being packed into her suitcase.

Ren was torn. He wanted to go back and spend one of his favorite holidays as a child with his parents, but with Kyouko there, he wouldn't be able to really relax. He worry was unfounded.

Kyouko looked at the boxes upon boxes the Hizuri had stored in their garage in amazement. Her adoptive parents had told her buying fireworks was unnecessary because they had some to spare, but for Kyouko's point of view they had enough to for the whole state, if not the west coast. Of course, she asked them about it and the couple's response was immediate.

"Kuon was quite the pyro. We had to be careful when he was real young so he didn't burn everything in sight," Julie Hizuri said, laughing.

Ren wanted to protest that, but couldn't without exposing himself. He cursed his mother's love of embarrassing him in front of other people. In his childhood, it had just been her or his friends and he'd kick up a fuss, making his irritation known. But doing in front of Kyouko when he couldn't protest was completely unforgivable in Ren's mind.

Kyouko on the other hand found the trait endearing. The image of a perfect older brother was intimidating, and even something little like a tiny obsession with fire made him that much closer.

Before long it was dark and time to start setting off fireworks, but first, Kyouko had to retrieve her few choice items.

Ren was puzzled by Kyouko's sudden glee, as she came down the stair, holding a small shopping bag. He shivered as Kyouko smiled at him. It wasn't happiness that comes from being with family and friend that Kyouko was feeling; it was the evil glee you felt after killing the person that you hated.

Fuwa had a concert that day in Tokyo didn't he? That meant he wasn't in the US and out of Kyouko's reach. So he wasn't dead, then why was Kyouko so eerily happy?

His answer came when Kyouko took a whole box of firecrackers and duct-taped them to a crying Fuwa doll. When Kyouko went to light all the fuses—there were somewhere around 20-30 fuses—Ren offered to help with the spare lighter. He and Kyouko took great pleasure in lighting the firecrackers, and standing back to watch the doll be burned, scorched and blown to bits.

Though, when he spotted Kyouko duct taping two whole packages of Zingers to a horrified Fuwa doll, Ren stopped her. They had been a favorite as a kid and he had tried taping four together with the help of his mother. It had ended with both of them dodging out of the way of two Zingers each.

"Let me," he said softly but firmly, taking the duct tape and fireworks from her gently. Ren was careful to tape them all fuse side down and centered on the doll's back, not all around like how Kyouko had been doing it.

With a quick stand back, he light the fuses and moved himself and Kyouko back to where his parents were sitting, a good thirty feet from the doomed doll.

True to their name, the Zingers shot off the damp grass, taking the doll with them. Said doll was a spinning multicolored inferno going up about forty feet and dropping, brunt to a crisp, about 80 from where it was shot off.

"Can we do that again?"Kyouko asked eagerly.

Ren chuckled and twirled the lighter like cowboys twirled their pistols in old westerns. "Anytime for you, Miss." And he truly enjoyed himself doing that again with almost the rest of the remaining Fuwa dolls.

By about two am, there was one doll left and the Hizuri couple brought out a finale. Ren held the doll to the capsule while Kyouko duct taped them together, and he carefully placed it in the firing tube. Together Kyouko and Ren light the fuse, neither realizing just how much they looked like a couple nor that Julie took a picture.

They made their way back to the two empty chairs beside the Hollywood couple and watched as yet another Fuwa Shou doll was blown to bits.

All four of them stayed out to watch all the other firework displays. Around four am, they made the unanimous decision to go back inside and get some sleep. Ren glanced at Kyouko and smiled softly seeing she was out cold, a peaceful expression on her face.

Instead of waking her, Ren gently picked her up and carried her inside. His father opened the front door and Kyouko's door for him, a wide grin stretched across his face and a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Ren groaned quietly after, shutting Kyouko's door. His father was never, ever going to let him live this down.

A/n

The idea of blowing up Shou dolls came from a few years back when my brother and I tried to decimate a barbie doll. Unfortunately it survived with minimal damage.

Have a happy Fourth of July!