The Bet

The bet was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't help it. Kaidoh had been at war with Momo since they both arrived at Siegaku a year ago. He had to compete with the idiot out of pure instinct. The bet was on something unpredictably and it could have gone many ways. Kaidoh Kaoru should have known better.

All of the regulars had gone out to the sushi shop that Takashi's family owned. Kaidoh had been there quietly eating his sushi rolls when Momoshiro decided to bother him again.

"Hey Viper, what do you say we have a wager?" Momo sat down beside him, eyes lit with excitement.

"What? What is there to bet on baka? Leave me alone or you will regret it," Kaidoh said as he looked at his rival suspiciously.

"Oh, but it would be fun and it would help out Ryoma with his little problem," Momo pleaded. He had nothing to do and Ryoma was down in the dumps again.

Kaidoh hissed in response. He had gotten his attention now. Look over a couple of table he could see the younger student poking at his seaweed roll unenthusiastically. The Viper had never hated the brat; he just hated Momo and Echizen by extension. He looked back toward the purple-eyed menace and nodded.

It would be his ultimate undoing.

The next day, Momo and Kaidoh were stand outside of the Echizen house. They had wagered on who could find Karupin first since he had escaped again and hadn't been seen in five days.

One of us has to find it and bring it back here. The first one here wins; got it Viper?" Momoshiro was hyped about it the bet. He knew he would win because Karupin loved him and despised the bandana wear player; just like him.

Kaidoh knew this as well but he would not back down from a fight. He hissed in agreement and began walked down the road in search of the white cat. He searched for two hours and nowhere could he find that stupid cat. Finally giving up he went back the temple. Frustrated from his failure, Kaidoh stuck his hands in his pocket as he walked to the front door. After he rung the doorbell, Echizen senior answered the door.

"Well, that took you long enough, kid," Nanjiro ushered him into the house, "they have been sitting in the back waiting for you."

Kaidoh was confused to say the least. How fast had that idiot found Karupin? When they reached the back porch he saw Ryoma and Momo sitting playing with the cat.

Momo's smiled turned into an evil grin when he spotted Kaidoh in the doorway. "Well, Viper, looks like I won. I thought you weren't going to come back after you lost. Now about the bet," he stood up and stretched his legs.

"How have you been here?" Kaidoh was really suspicious now.

"Well about two hours I think. I found Karupin right under the porch here. Lucky for me right?" the smile on spike hair teen's face was knocked off when his fellow second year tackled him to the ground. They were fighting all over the ground as they both screamed at each day.

"Stop fighting senpais! Momo! Kaidoh-san!" Ryoma yelled as he tried to break up the fight without being sucked into the angry vortex.

Once detached, Kaidoh called out the boy next to him, "You knew where that was all along didn't you, you cheating bastard? You set me up so I would lose no matter what. Why should I keep my word if you're going to cheat, huh?"

"Because you have to as a man and I didn't say that Karupin was in the yard all along," Momo replied. He played at Kaidoh's polite and respectful personality that would not allow him to look like a wuss or untrustworthy.

Rage shook the viper's body but he could argue with it. So Kaoru Kaidoh reluctantly admitted defeat and decided to do what Momoshiro dared him to do. He did not know that his rival would be so precise and so humiliating.

So a few days later Kaidoh had gone into the shopping district to like for the proper attire of his punishment. Kaidoh had been confused as a girl before, but he has never had to wear a dress!

A dress! How ridiculous! That was what the dumb dare was about; him wearing a dress. Of course he fought against hard but he still ended up here in front of a clothing store for girls. The tennis regular stood outside the door for minutes on end until he built up enough will power to go into this, willingly unknown territory, perfectly called Co-Co's; it was a very manly place.

Inside there was a little music playing over head with teenage girls and young women mingling in the store. Females shopping with friends and going racks to shelves paid the newcomer no mind. Kaidoh prayed that no one would know him in here. His face was flushed with embarrassment and shame that he was there.

"Fssh," he hissed as he wandered into the store in his causal clothes. Not his running clothes out of fear that some one may recognize him, sense he ran practically everywhere. His bandana laid his hair down in his face as he tried to get out of there as fast as possible.

Walking down the aisle with his eyes downcast, the embarrassed teen went looking for something that was not too feminine. As he looked at the dress, he could not bring himself to actually take them from the rack. It seemed dirty to him like he was put his hand in the cookie jar, except these cookies where dresses and he really didn't want them.

"Do you need some help?" a high voice came from behind him. Kaidoh spun around to face a kind woman smiling at him. The junior high student needed help, but how was going to explain that 'I need a dress that will fit me and not too girlie.' So he stood there frozen in place.

"Is there something special your looking for? We have many styles of outfits to try on." The woman kindly suggested, confusing Kaidoh. Why she think that he, a guy, would like to try on blouses and dresses?

He stuttered and bumbled as he tried to tell her about his predicament but it just came out a jumble of dresses, girls, and baka Momoshiro.

The woman just kept on smiling politely. She tilted her head to the side as the boy became more embarrassed and lost. Her polite disposition was unnerving in this awkward situation. "This must be your first time here. Why don't I help you get out your tomboy look, huh? And it won't be too girly," the woman ushered a very confused Kaidoh.

The woman actually had thought he was a girl! He was beyond mortified. They walked to the far right to a group of sporty dresses.

Well lets get started shall we? What is your name and favorite color, sweetheart?" the woman asked him.

"I am Kaoru Kaidoh and I like green I guess," Kaidoh went along with it for now. Was he supposed to say: no, he is a 13 year-old boy looking for a dress? His name was not that really a boy's name so it would be easy to go though this right.

So now after turning down many dresses and skirts, the shop worked named Natsumi, had gotten more of a feel of what shy Kaoru-chan would wear. Nothing short, nothing flowing, nothing too tight or form fitting, and absolutely nothing that covered in bows, flowers or bow/flowers. Natsumi had picked out few to try on that didn't make Kaidoh want to scream in frustration or cry with shame. So he went back to the dressing rooms looking for somewhere he could not be seen or see any 'other' the girls in there. Separated by a stall door, Kaidoh took off his jacket and jeans to put on the three that he had agreed on.

They all were really plain, but still appealing dress for him. Nothing that would cut down to cleavage that he did not have! One was really similar the girls' uniform at his school, but was mostly purple, double yuck. The next dress was particularly a whole outfit. It was split in to long white hippie's top with a white and green tie-dye shirt. That was the one he liked a bit more so he tried it on. Looking in the mirror, Kaidoh looked like a damn fool.

"Why am I doing this to myself?" Kaidoh whispered to his reflection. Despair flushed his body as he thought about where womanly dress in front of his rival and probably Echizen, too. Then the bandana-naked teen quickly striped off his clothes. He leaned against the door of the stall sporting only his boxers. Trying to calm his mind, Kaidoh was startled when he heard Natsumi's voice through the door.

"Are you okay in there? Have you picked one you like yet or do I have to find another one?" the shop clerk asked.

"No!" Kaidoh shouted, "I mean, I still have one more to try on then I will come out and tell you which one."

When Kaidoh heard Natsumi walk away, he turned to the final dress. It was green to match his tennis bandana and black like his hair. "This one will just have to do," Kaidoh sighed as he gathered all his things to leave this appalling store with an extra bag in hand.

The Momoshiro household was full of laughter and good times. Momo's parents had allowed him to invite his tennis friends over for dinner including Kaidoh. All the regulars were there laugh and having a great time. The eight tennis players sat together in the living eating snacks and talking about to tennis until it got late. Now Kaidoh had brought his dare with him and the clothes were upside and out of mind until Eiji asked, "Why did you invite us all here Momo; just to have a party?"

Up until then Momoshiro had just been playing around not even thinking about Kaidoh and all the fun he was about to have at his team mate's expense.

"Oh, yeah! It's time for you to pay up now, Viper. Now that everyone is here, let's see," Momo said with a devilish grin on his face. This dare had all began at the nationals were they played against that weird doubles pair. Momoshiro would have never picked out any of those facts about Kaidoh until they pointed them out. Momo and the rest of the team knew that Kaidoh had a soft spot for small animals but they didn't really pay the idea any mind, since Kaidoh was such a tough guy. The idea of Kaidoh being girly was kind of weird for Momo but his interest grew as time went on until this very day. So tonight he would finally be able to say it out loud and confirm that his tennis rival does not look like a girl.

Kaidoh glared at Momoshiro as people stared at him in confusion while he could feel the blood rush to his head and his cheeks redden. "I don't want to…" Kaidoh mumble as he stared at his knees on the floor. He knew that it was not going to help, but he couldn't just go and put it on.

"So are you chickening out, Viper? After all that work to get everyone over here, you are not going to finish your end of the deal!?" Momo mocked surprised and fell back with a crazy look on his face.

"What is it anyway that is so important?" Oishi asked as they sat there in Momoshiro's living room.

"Oh, I can't tell you because it would ruin the surprise! Kaidoh will show all of you, won't ya?" Momo exclaimed as he sat up. The mental trickster would have his way, just by luring him in. Kaidoh stared down the pompous 2nd year out of pride, but he was losing. "How about dinner; would that be a good time for you. That would be great." Momo said in a mockingly polite gesture.

Kaidoh hissed in assent. So as time rolled on he started to feel sick to his stomach. He could smell the food cooking and he knew his time of shame was near. When Momoshiro's mother called them in to eat, it took all he had not to yell at her for cooking too fast. Standing shakily, Kaidoh walked with the team to the door of the eating room before turning out to go upstairs alone.

He stepped into Momo's bedroom to get his disgraceful dress. Still in its bag, he picked it up and held it to his chest. Kaidoh had gone home that day and tried to see how it looked on him but he couldn't do it. Never had he been so embarrassed. What if his little brother walked in while he was still in the damn thing? To avoid such a traumatic moment for both of them, he keep the bag hid in the corner of the room.

Now he had to put it on and show his senpais and Momo, who was putting him through this dumb stunt. Stripping down to his boxer-brief and socks, he sat down on western style bed next to the black dress with a deep green accent. It was sleeveless with a round neck and a green flower design similar to his bandana placed in the middle of the chest.(1)

His head in his hands, he groaned at the thought of how he would look in girl clothes. The nice cotton felt good to skin but it was so flimsy that it would hold to his skin. That would be nice on a woman, but he'd like to avoid looking curvy. He could hear the stupid comments that his friends would make about his hips.

Kaidoh slipped the dress over his head after he stood up. Kaidoh zipped up the back the best he could. It came down passed his knees, but his muscled calves displayed.

'What should I do now?' Kaidoh thought. His nerves were fired and his face was red. It was not as bad as he thought it was. His black hair came down to his neck when he smoothed it down in the back. The teen took some deep breaths as he tried to calm down. Inhale and exhale steadily just like running, until someone came banging on the door.

"Hey, are you ready yet; people are waiting?" Echizen asked; his voice cool like always.

"I'll be down in a sec, Echizen. Tell them to start eating without me. Okay?" Kaidoh's last word came out a little shaky. He cursed himself under his breathe for showing his vulnerability.

"Oh, okay. I just want to let you know Momo is getting impatient and he could storm up here any minute now. It has been fifteen minutes," the reformer first year replied.

Kaidoh waited until heard Ryoma's steps on the stairs, before he opened the door and went to the bathroom next door. There he grasped the counter as he peered into the mirror above the sink. Looking at his reflection, Kaidoh could hardly believe his eyes about how much his face looked like a girl's. But he was still happy that he looked boyish with his muscles. The snake mimicking teen hissed as he placed his face in his hands to hide his blush.

'Dumb bet! Idiot Momoshiro! Foolish Kaoru!' Kaidoh's thoughts ran in this chant as he open the door and walked toward the stairs.

At the top of the steps, he could hear the commotion downstairs as the large group ate. Now the only thing that could save him from embarrassment was to fall down the stairs and wake up not remembering a thing about dresses or dares. He crept quietly to the first floor and through the living room until he was at the door of the dining room. He could feel his heart in his throat as he thought about what he was about to do. After a great mental battle, Kaidoh step into the doorway and waited for the roar of laughter.

When he didn't hear anything, he looked up from the wood floors to the table. Many looked confused, few were in shock, but Momo looked like he was bewildered and on the edge of crazy.

"K…Kaidoh, why… um are you were a dress?" Oishi was the first to recover from the shock.

His cheeks on fire, Kaidoh nodded toward his rival at the far end of the table. "A bet." That is all he said before he clamped his mouth close. Then all eyes were on the host of the party.

Momoshiro was confused by this just as much as everyone else. He had totally expected his rival to pick something ugly or pick something that a grandmother would wear, but Kaidoh looked nice. The black dress looked fitting for the tennis player and the lack of sleeves made it a cute dress in his opinion if it were on a girl. It was something very different when on his teammate, his male teammate.

"I…this is… what the surprise was; to see Viper in a dress and see how much of a fool he looks like," Momo said when everyone looked at him, even his mother and siblings. This looked kind of bad on his part too. Soon someone would ask why…

"You made him dress like a girl? Why? How would that do anything for you, man? It's kind of …weird," Eiji had been the one to ask the thousand dollar questions. All leaned in to hear his response, even their stoic captain.

"I thought that it would be funny, really. I was thinking about how he would look anyway," Momo said with a blush as he scratched his head. Eyebrows rose around the table, "I mean that since that match, you know; the one with the comics and masks and stuff. I did not think of it on my own! It came from the one with the glasses he said that people confused Kaidoh with a girl often, so I started to think about how that could be if he didn't look like a girl. Then it was 'what if he dressed like a girl' and that is how all this happened, from that whole damn data fact!" Momoshiro yelled as he tried to clear his name of any kinky assumptions. He looked around for some understanding but he could find none, not even his best friend seemed to accept it.

Looks were exchanged around the table as they attempted to figure out what the hell was going on. Kaidoh was still standing, watching it take place. He was pretty pissed that he had been humiliated just so Momo could see what he looked like as a woman. The currently crossing-dressing tennis player was ready to tear off that spiky-haired head off his neck, but he couldn't do it now. He could not stop himself from shaking as his chest got tighter. The boy grabbed his chest as he took a long breathe and hissed. A long, venomous hiss full of the frustration and disbelief at the craziness of that whole situation pushed out of his chest. All eyes turned to Kaidoh as he regained his composure.

"Why don't we get back to dinner before we have a full battle between these boys?" Momoshiro-mommy said fearing for her table and son, her dumb son. Fanning her arm toward the table settings, the boys returned to their spots and put more food on their plates. Kaidoh looked for a place among them and he spotted an opening diagonally from Momoshiro though it was beside his regular doubles partner, Inui.

Before he moved to sit, Kaidoh had awful thought; how was supposed to sit in this dress now? Should he sit crossed legged or should he sit formally on his calves? Half crouched he contemplated about the situation. He glanced around the room to see what everyone else was doing, all this team mates were sitting cross-legged but his captain and Miss Momoshiro were sitting upward on their calves. Confliction must have been on his face because his senpai reached out to him and slightly knocked him behind his right knee.

The quiet hiss of gratitude was all that was necessary for the glasses wearing player. He has had time to analyze what each hiss means from his nonverbally partner. Kaidoh was so very self-conscious and shy. It had been a long time since he resorted to his hissing as communication.

Inui watched out the corner of his eye as Kaidoh slowed dropped to his knees at the table. The dress was not too long to get caught underneath his knees but not so short that his thighs were exposed. It was a good choice. Inui turned his attention back to his food.

"Could you pass the tuna fillets, Inui?" Kaidoh asked politely without really making eye contact. It was embarrassing beyond what he could have imagined to sit here like this, the object of entertainment.

"Of course, Kaidoh," Inui said as he passed the plate over to his bashful partner. "If you don't mind me asking, who picked out the dress, Kaidoh?" Inui asked in a quiet nonchalant way as to not draw to much attention. It didn't work when Kaidoh's cheeks flushed in response. Kaidoh turned to his plate as he put tuna on it and scooped rice next to it with a huff. Inui could not stiffen a tiny chuckle.

The data player regretted immediately when he saw Kaidoh slouch and bit his bottom lip. There was 70% chance that his teammate had wrongly equated his laughter to his attire, not his facial expression. Inui turned to face the self conscious teen and said, "I think that it was a great choice to wear for you. It actually looks suitable on you, Kaidoh. I do not mean to laugh at you."

"I agree with Inui, Kaidoh," Fuji added in as he lend over from the right of the pair. His cheerful smile was not the most comforting, but Kaidoh understood that he was sincere.

Instead of giving a response, the dressed up viper took a bit of his food. Leering at his plate was a safe place, where he would not have to see anyone's expressions. Ryoma had a smug look on his face as he viewed his teammate pout in front of everyone. Things started to calm down to normal levels, but Momoshiro didn't pick a fight with Kaidoh, thankfully. All went well until Momoshiro's sister split her drink all over the table and on to her neighbor's lap.

Kaidoh jumped up from the table with a fright when the water soaked the front of his clothes. He jumped to get the water off of him but it soaked though making his black dress stick to his legs. It was an icky feeling.

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear," Momoshiro-chan apologized as she tried to help Kaidoh. She stood up, "please let me help you. I didn't mean to ruin your dress. It still looks nice on you, though." she used her small hand to help straighten the side she sat on. She fussed over Kaidoh as steadily staved off his hisses toward the girl.

"I got it. Don't touch me, geez. Just tell me where the bathroom is," Kaidoh said as he swatted her hands away from him. Things had been going so well until now after the initial shock.

"Its down the hall, under the stairs, you cannot miss it," the apologetic girl said.

Kaidoh walked down the hall to the bathroom, silently steaming with embarrassment. In the mirror it didn't look that bad, but it was wet all down his left thigh and groin. It looked like he'd peed himself, plus now the material was sticking to legs and the outline of his underwear. The only thing to do was to let it dry. Kaidoh stepped out of the bathroom and down the hall he could see a screen door leading outside. Perfect, he could wait outside, away from everyone, until his clothes dried.

Kaidoh quietly snuck down the hallway to the door, slipping through it, hopeful that no one would mind his absence for a while

But someone did. Sadaharu Inui noticed that his doubles partner had been away for much longer than expected. Though the dinner was going smoothly, Kaidoh had not come back after twenty minutes and it was worrying him.

He tried to use his data on the Viper to figure out where he was. Inui figured he was hiding in the bathroom, use the bathroom, change back into his ordinary clothes, or just waiting somewhere hoping the team would forget he was there.

"I will excuse myself for a little while," the data player stood up from the table, with a bow. He walked to the bathroom first but didn't find Kaidoh and crept upstairs hunting for the slippery viper. All the rooms upstairs were vacant of any young men in drag. Inui stood in the upper hallway, pondering the whereabouts of the teen. He definitely was downstairs, because Kaidoh wouldn't be rude and just leave someone's house without saying goodbye.

Inui walked downstairs slightly deterred by his fruitless search. The tall visitor looked in the kitchen just to be thorough in his search. He knew that his partner wasn't back in the sitting room because his friends would have made it known, loudly. So, to the back of the house it was.

On the way back, he spotted a silhouette through the screen. A smirk worked itself on his face as he reached for the door and slowly opened it. Kaidoh Kaoru was sitting crossed-legged on the back porch lit by the nearly full moon. Kaidoh didn't stir as the screen slid back and allowed Inui to quietly sneak in behind him after closing the screen.

Kaidoh was looking at the blue tinted yard as the moon rose higher in the sky. The wind was slight enough to entice him to stay out here longer than necessary. Sitting out on the porch gave him time to think and daydream. As his mind wandered he saw a cloud slowly pass into view. He watched it drift across the sky and it steadily took the shape a cat to him, much like the cat that had gotten him into this whole situation, Karupin. Thinking about it brought him back to earth, where Kaidoh had to go back inside, wearing a dress in front of the whole tennis team. A loud hiss sounded from Kaidoh as he though about the picky cat and his feminine attire.

"Is the cloud really bothering you, Kaidoh?" Inui voice came from behind Kaidoh, startling him off-balance where he sat. Kaidoh's head whipped around to see his team mate leaning against the screen. Inui's face bore no real expression unless you were look for it and Kaidoh could see the amusement from his response.

Standing up in the grass of the yard, Kaidoh asked, "How long have you been standing behind like that, Inui-senpai?"

"A minute or two, but not very long, truly. I was curious where you had gone so I came in search of you," Inui answered. He stepped down onto the grass to face the other young man. "Are you planning to come back inside soon, Kaidoh? We are waiting for you," Inui asked quietly. He watched the shorter one fidget with the end of his dress garment. Looking at the dress, Inui noticed how it covered more leg than his tennis shorts. The dress was very modest in style but sleek in the design.

Kaidoh's revealed arms showed all the hard muscle he had developed from months of training. Intense training regiments of his own design had helped sculpt them along with his legs. Inui knew the shorter boy had more abs than he did, but in the dress, no one could tell. The more he thought about it the more he could see Kaidoh as a girl and the more he thought that anxiety began to set into his mind and gut.

"I don't want to go in there with that idiot Momo. He just going to say something stupid and make me punch him in his face," Kaidoh answered after he had mulled it over in his head.

"Well, I guess I will stay then until you want to finish dinner. You will go inside eventually." Inui sat down on the porch edge and crossed his arms defiantly.

Kaidoh was taken back by this. "You don't have to, you know….you can go in eat or record data about something," he suggested, "don't be stupid about it though." Kaidoh looked away from his teammate quickly. He preferred be alone to think and daydream, but he did want to tell Inui to leave him alone now.

Inui just stared at him in response, so Kaidoh plopped down next to his friend with a huff. He folded arms then crossed right leg over the left. The two sat there in silence for minutes; neither speaking nor looking at each other. The only sound came from inside the house where everyone was having a good time. Outside there were rarely any noise except the passing cars on the nearby street.

"I would like to see you like this more often, especially dressed so appealing. It is attractive," Inui said without hesitation or concern about what he had said. He did not need to look as Kaidoh's face turned bright red, eyes gawking at him.

"Whaa… I don't…that's …senpai," Kaidoh attempted to get a response out but what was he supposed to say to that! He had never heard anything like that from Inui, plus how did he need to take it when someone he knew complemented him in girl's clothes. His mind was running a mile a minute about what he should say; thinking about what he should do now. Kaidoh turned the opposite direction and shut his mouth tightly. Who would have guessed something like that would come out of the data player. His heart could have burst out of his chest as he tried to catch his breathe, his elbows resting on his knees.

Inui glanced over to his right at the flustered tennis player. His honest admission had unsettled his team mate out quite a bit, but it was something he wanted to say and there was never going to be another time like the present. The bespectacled player sat back and Kaidoh rested his head in his hands. It would only be a second more before…

Kaoru stumbled away to the middle of the yard. He glared back at Inui hard, but suddenly averted to the house right behind him. Kaidoh hissed to himself as his smoothed down his hair nervously.

Silently, the smooth operator kept up beside the nerve-wrecked teen, "I don't mean to insult you; I was just stating how much I admire your choices in clothes. I know that an opportunity like this would only happen once in a dozen years. I want to say something else if you would allow it."

"What do you want to say…uhm?" Kaidoh's brown eyes narrowed slightly. He mental prepared for something that would anger him or something just plain weird.

Inui stared directly at his friend's face, then said, "I appreciate being a close friend to you, 98% of the time, Kaoru-chan." His voice was quiet and sincerely. Sadaharu smiled just enough.

"I am not a girl!" Kaidoh yelled in frustration. His hands flew to his face to cover his red face and annoyance at his own outburst. They were still outside where people could hear them or worse see them. Inui had decided to close the distance between them to an intimate distance. Kaidoh tilted back so he could glare at the taller one through his fingers.

"You can't say use my name like that," Kaidoh whispered, "I am not a girl to …confess to, Inui. What do you want me to say to you?" Asking was the only way to figure out what was expected.

Inui sighed and reached to grasp the hands from Kaidoh face. Removing the hands revealed a pout on a pair of cute lips. The viper always seemed to frowning. but pouting is something that face was made to do. "I want you to say nothing really. It is your reaction that I am anticipating. You are upset, I know, but about what part?"

"What part? I don't know. This sorta of thing does happen all the time. I don't like the suffix and you didn't ask to use my first name at all before," Kaidoh's face was pink from embarrassment. He did not know how to say what upset him, because he didn't know why. The yard was quiet again. It all was sinking in to him now.

Kaidoh was drawn back to the present when he felt his hands being squeezed. His head dropped to see his hands still in his senpai's. What was Inui trying to do to? The data player always had a plan for how things to go. Only this time, Kaidoh was really left out of the game plan. Kaidoh stepped back to look at the other again.

"Can I call you, Kaoru? Not chan of course; that was simply me poking fun at your dress. You can call me Sadaharu if you want," Inui asked Kaidoh, inquisitively.

Kaidoh grabbed his hair in a firm grip, "I guess that's alright, but don't use it all the time or in front Momoshiro. Got it?" he sighed. Turning his head away, he smoothed out any wrinkles in his dress. All this closeness was causing major self-consciousness. Inui was being really overbearing tonight.

Gesturing to Kaidoh messy hair, "May I?" Inui reached his hand above the messy strands. A friendly hiss sounded Kaidoh's approval. Gently the data player stroked the short black hair, then he caressed Kaidoh cheek. Take the opportunity, Inui leaned in and kissed the side of pouting lips.

Blood rushed to his face, Kaidoh gasped at the unexpected kiss.

"Should go back inside now or stand here a little longer?" Inui motioned to the house. His hands held out in opposite directions.

"Inside before you start doing something perverted … Sadaharu." Kaidoh grabbed the hand nearest the door. He pulled his double partner along behind him.

"As you wish, Kaoru. Just as dinner with friends, partner," Inui said as he slide the screen door open. He didn't let go of Kaidoh's hand until it was pulled from his grasp. No one was going to guess what kind of partner that he wanted the younger to be. No one would every try to bet on it.

What did you think? really long for a oneshot isn't. Its my first POT fanfic, it came to me in a dream which was much shorter than this. I would like to hear you feel about the characters.

(1) the bandana is my avatar right now, and the color is about the same maybe darker. though tthat I would let you know :)

Review please.