Ch. 8: Not ANOTHER Bet . . .

DISCLAIMER: *sigh* Why do I even bother? I do not own G Gundam.

Domon heard from Allenby that Rain was near the lake and decided to go look for her. AJ, who was by the fire, went back to look for Allenby. The two guys met halfway and stared wide eyed at each other. There was silence for a moment; even the crickets stopped chirping. Then AJ started laughing. Domon looked at him with a bemused look on his face.

"What?" Domon asked. It was pretty hard not to get ticked by AJ's raucous guffaws.

"Dude, is that my clothes? My kicks too?" AJ pointed at Domon's Adidas. "I knew you were jealous of me, but DAYEM!"


Domon smirked. "Speak for yourself, Superman." He eyed the red cape AJ was wearing. "That wouldn't be MY cape, now would it?"

AJ look at himself. "AH! Well, that's . . . uhh . . ."

"Exactly," Domon finished with a satisfied look on his face. How DARE that playboy make fun of his new vogue when he himself was dressed up like Superman?

What started out as friendly taunts quickly turned to be an all out throw down. The two girls emerged from the woods in fits of giggles before noticing their significant other. Rain called out to stop them but Allenby stopped her. She wanted the guys to tire themselves out so they wouldn't try anymore of their antics at least for tonight. A couple thousand punches later, the two guys flopped down on the ground completely exhausted. Rain, who was an up and coming doctor, was surprised that they didn't pass out from exhaustion. Allenby, however, was somewhat disappointed they didn't kill each other.

"Dead yet?" Allenby asked as she walked over to the recumbent form of AJ. He looked up and nearly passed out. For some reason, Allenby was soaking wet and so was her tank top. She didn't notice, though.

"Hey, what's with this getup?" AJ heard Rain ask as she helped Domon to his feet. Allenby looked at the cape and laughed.

"What the hell?"

AJ turned away blushing. "It's nothing. I was just trying to go for another look, that's all . . ."

"Yeah, me too," replied Domon and followed suite.

"Yeah, whatever. How bout we go back to the campsite now? I'm freezing," Rain chimed.

AJ slapped himself mentally. How could he have been so dumb? It's cold and Allenby's dripping with water. He went over and draped her with Domon's red cape. She looked at him in surprise, wondering why he was so concerned about her. She had been less than friendly with him so far. "Don't want you to catch a cold," AJ answered, seeing the confused look on Allenby's face. He smiled at her, flashing his almost godly teeth. Domon observed his friend's actions.

'So THAT'S the secret to his success,' he thought, mentally describing AJ's smile, stance, and breathing pattern. Rain nudged him in the ribs.

"Hey, earth to Domon," she chimed happily.

"Yeah," Domon said, taken aback from her sudden cheerfulness.

"We should be getting back now," AJ finished and put an arm across Allenby's shoulder. She was still a little uncomfortable about how close he was, but his smile banished her thoughts. The four of them trooped back to camp, AJ and Allenby just enjoying the moment together, with Rain's taunts about Domon's new look in the background.

"AJ?" Allenby asked, breaking the long silence between them.

"Yeah?"

A loud growl erupted between them. AJ looked at Allenby in question, while she looked back at him just as confused. They looked back, seeing Domon's red face in the dark. AJ laughed loudly, "Guess that means we're all pretty hungry, huh?" He grabbed Domon by the shirt and hauled him away.

"Wait! AJ . . ."

AJ looked back. "We'll be right back with some food, okay?" His smile could be seen even in the darkness, his teeth were so white. Allenby was silent for the remainder of the night. Rain looked at her friend, knowing full well what she was so depressed about. Allenby sighed sadly.

"Listen," Rain said, her eyes closed, "I'll say this once. Confess your feelings before he gets taken."

"What's that?" asked Allenby, who knew full well what her friend was getting at. "I don't know what you're getting at, girl, but drop it. There's nothing between AJ and me. He's just another pretty boy that just wants to get some."

"Really now?" asked Rain, suddenly getting an idea. She smiled mischievously. "Then you don't mind if we trade off?"

"What the hell - -"

Rain continued, "You know. How about I get AJ, and you get Domon?" She knew EXACTLY how torn Allenby was, trying to put a strong front but inside was struggling.

"You're on," answered Allenby. 'God, what did I just agree to? This'll just make things worse. Damnit, Allenby, get a damn grip!'

Rain was taken by surprise but didn't show it. She didn't want to go back on a challenge and most certainly she didn't want to give up Domon, but all's fair in love and war.

"Okay, here's the deal: Whoever gets their target to confess his love for us wins. Deal?"

"Deal. You just met your match, girl," Allenby growled. Rain scowled and crossed her arms. NOW they were in over their heads. . . .

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to be continued . . . . .

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A/N: Yep, that's it for this chapter. Now that the plot thickens, what will happen next? I'm taking advice from the readers, so submit what you want or expect will happen. On another note, thanks to all who reviewed. Special thanks to Shuffle Queen for teaching me how to format. THANK YOU. I'll have the next installment posted immediately. Please remember to review and tell me what you think.

~*Assassin Gundam*~