This is absolute boring crack. Please review, though, please! (Meant as Kyoka's break before she goes to angst again.)

Disclaimer: The characters all go to their respective owners.

Predictable

Tezuka had never liked video games. He could remember a brief period in his childhood where his mother had bought him one of those cheap old gaming systems, with the basics along the lines of Tetris and pong. Even then, he'd only played briefly. He still had it, but it was stowed away in a box at the top shelf of his closet, and he hadn't taken it out in years.

So naturally, when Eiji declared with excitement Inui, Kawamura, Oishi, Fuji, Kaidoh, Echizen, Momoshiro, and he were invited over to his house, Tezuka found that it wouldn't hurt very much to decline. After all, he didn't even know how to play games that well. He would only be a hindrance to them.

Eiji gave the kitten eyes that would've knocked anyone over, except for Tezuka, of course.

Well, and partially, to tell the truth, Inui said that he had a new blend of juice that he wanted to try out on the losers. He said it was a new, revolutionary, and extra-healthy formula. To the day, Tezuka had been the only one not to experience the horrors (or in Fuji's case, the pleasures) of having to drink the neon-colored vegetable juice. It wasn't to say that he was a coward or anything, because Tezuka was far from it. However, with his so-called "skills" at gaming, he wouldn't last long before he was subjected to the Inui juice. Tezuka had collected the idea that although Fuji enjoyed it, it wouldn't be so enjoyable to he. Fuji's taste buds were immune to everything and anything. Tezuka's were not. Considering Eiji had turned green and it even made Kaidoh go wash his mouth out, Tezuka didn't want to take the risk.

He never was much of a risk-taker, was he? No, he'd rather stick with tennis. Tennis, he could play. Heck, he could even climb a mountain; somehow, though, he refused to play video games. Besides, his mother was cleaning the house, and it would only be all too courteous to help her out a little. He'd been polite to Eiji in declining, nothing out of the ordinary. Fuji must have eavesdropped, though.

And goodness, knowing Fuji it was only so like him to pester Tezuka into coming anyways. He'd even talked to his mother, and he was excused from cleaning the house because she thought that it would be good to go do something with his friends.

It seemed Fuji would only enjoy the experience if he were able to drag Tezuka there. Well, not so literally, Tezuka wouldn't have let him, but it might as well have been that Fuji was pulling Tezuka by the arm, because Tezuka didn't want to go. Fuji must have sensed that Tezuka wasn't very good at gaming or something, because he had that certain smile about him. Fuji must have liked the idea of Tezuka having to drink the Inui juice.

The Inui juice this time, which Inui proudly displayed, was an odd shade of almost neon pink. Tezuka came a little too near to it and caught the undesirable scent of a mixture of steamed cabbage, old curry, and something that reminded him of cold medicine. The scents mixed together, making the liquid look rather undesirable. Inui was looking proud of himself, and trying to guess who he was able to test it on first.

"Tezuka and Fuji are at it!"

Fuji acted as if he was in a tennis match, with his eyes wide open, staring at the screen. "You know, Tezuka, for never playing video games, you're quite good." Tezuka had never outwardly said that he had never really played video games seriously.

"Game over."

"Tezuka beat Fuji!"

"He did?"

"He did!"

"Captain, why didn't you tell us you liked video games? You're so good."

"I'm not. I haven't played them in years." Tezuka wasn't even being modest when he said that. He was telling the truth. Part of him wondered why it had been him and Fuji competing to win. However, Inui still looked like he wanted to try his Inui juice on Tezuka.

"Let's play again."

"I'm sorry, Kikumaru," he muttered, standing. "I have to go home. Thank you for you hospitality."

Tezuka was gone before anyone could say anything.

Tezuka had never liked video games, and he never really would. Yet somehow, it could have all been easily predicable.