Author's Note: I've had this sitting in my file for ages and I've been working on it off and on so I thought, might as well post it! I'll update it whenever I finish the next chapter, so there's no regular schedule.

Chapter One

"Nice shot, asshole."

The sarcastic comment reached Cain's ears not two seconds after the basketball slipped from his fingertips. The redhead grimaced as he watched the ball sail through the air. He glanced to his right; sitting on a low wall was Marth, the source of the comment. Next to him sat Caeda, leaning back on her hands with her legs crossed. A pink bubble of gum formed from her lips, popping loudly when it got to be about the size of a baseball.

The court wasn't more than a small open area with a single goal on one end. To Cain's right was the edge of the park, marked by the short concrete wall that his two companions were sitting on. To his left was a wide path, but rarely did he ever see anyone traveling on it. Today, however, a single person was walking leisurely, his gaze wandering towards the large fountain in the center of the park that was visible even from the very edge.

As Cain watched, the basketball soared towards the basket. The shot had been too low and off-center; instead of swishing through the net, it bounced off the side of the rim. Following it with his eyes, he realized that the ball was on a collision course with the man who had stopped on the path with his back to the court. "Hey, watch out!" He yelled, but it was in vain.

The green-haired man on the path turned, just in time to be nailed in the head by the flying basketball. He stumbled backwards and fell, landing hard on his elbows.

Raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, Cain jogged over to where the passer-byer was. "Jeeze, sorry, are you okay?" He offered his hand.

The fallen man looked at it for a moment, confused, before he finally raised his own hand. Cain took it in a strong grip and pulled him upwards to his feet. A large red mark on the right of his forehead stood out against his dark complexion. He stared at Cain with bright green eyes and a dazed expression. "Am I dead?"

Cain laughed. "Nah, you can't get out of this town that easily. Seriously though, you might want to put some ice on that." He motioned towards the mark. "There's some guys up the path selling drinks if you want to try asking them. Hope you've got a couple bucks though. Those assholes would charge you for breathing their air, if they could."

The stranger smiled at his joke, and Cain took that to mean he'd be fine. However, as the man took a step forward he stumbled. Cain instinctively reached out and caught him by the shoulders, stopping him from face-planting into the ground.

"Hey, be careful," he warned. "Ice can't fix a broken nose." Although his voice was a bit stern, the redhead grinned. "Shall I carry you?"

Blushing furiously, his face red with embarrassment, the stranger shook his head and laughed awkwardly. "That's alright. But, uh, could you point me in the direction of the… what's it called…" He hesitated. "You know, what you just said, the water squares."

"… Ice?" Cain raised one eyebrow.

"That's the word," he nodded.

Another laugh escaped Cain's lips, and he decided he liked this guy. "Come on, I'll walk with you to get those water squares."

They sat at a picnic table near the edge of the area, away from the families that were scattered about. The green-haired man held a small bag of ice to his forehead; the cold felt nice against the hot summer day.

"You feeling alright?" Cain asked. The stranger nodded, but Cain wasn't convinced. "A small test, then. What's your name? What country are we in? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Abel, Altea, and three, respectively." He fired back answers as quickly as Cain shot the questions.

The redhead grinned. "Not bad, but you're not off the hook yet. What color is my hair? What day is it? How many stars are in the sky?"

"Red, Friday, and… at least four." Abel answered with a straight face.

Cain paused for a moment, and then found himself cracking up at the last answer paired with the serious look. "Well," he said finally. "You're not wrong."

Deep dimples formed in his cheeks as Abel flashed a charming grin at him, showing off incredibly white teeth that contrasted his dark complexion. "You haven't yet told me who you are," he mentioned.

"Oh, right." Cain quickly introduced himself. He offered his hand and Abel chuckled as he shook it in a firm grip, finding the needless formality amusing.

"So, it looks like you won't be joining the NBA anytime soon," the green-haired man joked, referencing the failed basketball shot.

"Haha, yeah," Cain laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry again about that. Listen, is there anything I can do to make it up to you? 'Sorry' doesn't really seem to cut it."

"Let me take you to dinner." Abel leaned his elbows on the small picnic table, his bright green eyes looking at Cain curiously to gauge his reaction.

"Huh?" The redhead blinked in confusion. "Like, a date?"

Abel laughed. "If you want it to be."

Cain felt himself blushing. Sure, he'd thought this guy was cute—those dimples!—but he never expected him to actually make a move. "I should be the one taking you, then," he pointed out. "Is your head feeling better?"

"It's fine." Abel lowered the ice pack from his head and offered it to Cain. "Your cheeks are looking a bit red," he teased. Cain swatted it away as if he was annoyed, but a wide grin was on his face.

They talked only for a little while longer, exchanging numbers and parting with promises of seeing each other again soon.