Oh dear. This story seems to be turning into a general/drama/bad humour story. Oh well… what can you do? Gouki, yes… I am enjoying myself. You should see the evil grin plastered on my face right this instant. And… LOL! I'm just trying to imagine Leon's face, he goes up to a nice looking 'girl', but…

Wolf, if my memory serves me correctly, you owe me a chocolate bar *wink* and no, it wasn't… it's the screenshot of him in C3 (DOA3 C3) sitting on the roof. Uselesspawn, LOL! You totally cracked me up and I agree totally. And James… you just might be right. Nothing good lasts forever, especially in fanfics… *evil grin*

Number1… I agree! Ryu would look good in ANYTHING! *Ducks the things that the guys reading this fic throw at her*

I'm really glad you're enjoying though. And I promise that I will never put Ryu in a dress again. Okay, maybe in Presents, perhaps, depending on what mood I'm in, but…

*

Well… he mused miserably, trying to look on the bright side. I am fifty dollars richer…

But that's not the point! I've never been more humiliated in my life! What if someone I know sees me? My face is flushing just thinking about it!
"Good work," Tina laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.

He rubbed his temples. "I can't believe I'm doing this,"

"Eleven…" Hayate said innocently beside him.

"What?" he asked exasperatedly.

"That's the eleventh time you've said 'I can't believe I'm doing this'," Hayate informed him generously.

"You don't have to wear a dress!" he exploded. "Some friend you are!"

"Wow," Hitomi whispered to Tina. "I've never heard him yell before,"

"Me neither," Tina responded. "He looks cute in that dress, though…"

"Shut up!" he yelled, putting a hand over his face to mask the flush that was burning on his cheeks. They responded by laughing harder. "Stop it!"

Hayate shook his head, trying to rub away tears of mirth from his face at the same time.

"You're a good sport, Ryu, a good sport,"

"Never again," he muttered, cracking his knuckles absently. "Never again,"

"Is it… liberating?" Tina questioned innocuously. He shot her a glare.

"Of course it is liberating. I've wanted to express the fact that I am a homosexual for sometime now,"

Shocked silence greeted his words.

"Thanks a lot, you dickhead!" Ayane was fuming. "Now who am I going to go with. I can't be caught with a homo, I may as well write my own death sentence!"

"I will have you know that I am a very nice homosexual," he protested mildly.

"I don't give a flying fuck how nice you are! There is no way I'm going to the formal with a guy who looks better in a dress than I do!"

"Seeing as you haven't even tried a dress on yet, Ayane, I don't think you can truthfully say who looks better in a dress," Hitomi interjected.

"Okay…" Hayate was looking rather bemused now. "So you weren't kidding when you went around acting gay and I had to say you weren't gay? You lied?"

"Not really. I mentioned, if I remember correctly, that if my interests did sway that way, then they wouldn't sway towards you. I have more taste then that,"

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not."

"Take it as a backhanded compliment," he stated, glancing at himself in the mirror. "Hmm, do you think a black dress would go better with my eyes?"

"Yeah," Tina nodded. "It brings out the bright green in them and makes them stand out,"

"I think you look like a prick in a dress, no matter what colour it is!" Ayane said unhelpfully.

"Shut up, Ayane," Hayate groaned tiredly.

"Don't tell me to shut up, arsehole!"

"I have an idea," Hitomi said. "What say that Hayabusa dresses up in the dress, no pun intended, and Ayane dresses up in the suit?"

"I have an even better idea, how 'bout you shut your pie-hole, bitch!"

"Ooh, Ayane the MAN!" Hayate mocked.

"Say that again and I'll pummel you!"

"Such a strong and MANLY thing to say!"

"You asked for it!"

Ayane flew across the shop, punching and slapping any part of Hayate she could reach.

"Stop it! Ayane, Hayate, please we're in a shop!"

"Yeah, a damn dress shop!" she shouted furiously across the store. "Shove all these bloody dresses up my bloody arsehole!"

"Fine!" Hayate yelled back. "C'mere, bitch!"

Hitomi jumped between them, a short, tight black mini dress clutched in her hands.

"Stop it! Please! Here, Ayane, I found you a dress!"

"If you think I…."

"Just shut up for once, Ayane, and try on the goddamned dress!" Hitomi shrieked.

Surprised at Hitomi's out-of character outburst, Ayane accepted the dress thrust at her and disappeared with a glare into the change rooms. Slamming the door shut, numerous and highly audible swear words wafted out of the change rooms as Ayane struggled with the tight black dress.

Striding out after a period of everyone staring at each other silently, she strutted across to Hayate, mockingly thrusting her boobs into his face.

"See? At least I don't need to stuff my bra with socks or various miscellaneous objects,"

"Shut up!" Hitomi exclaimed, flushing scarlet.

"Man, Hitomi, you are a good actor," Tina shook her head.

"Thankyou," Hitomi said politely, all traces of the flush having left her cheeks.

During all the fighting and yelling, he had re-changed into his normal clothes.

I can't believe they seriously believed that I am a homosexual. I have no intention of ever getting close to another male like that! I thought Hayate at least would have doubted me. This is intolerable!

Storming out of the change rooms, ignoring the vulgar display that Ayane was presenting.

"I'M NOT GAY!" he shouted over the din. "I never have been and never will be," he continued in a quieter voice.

Stunned silence, then relief.

"Boy… am I glad to hear you say that, Ryu," Hayate smiled.

After another, uncomfortable silence, Ryu turned to Ayane.

"I was only kidding,"

She shot him a 'look'.

"Sure you are. Why do you have your hair so long? Why can't you cop a perv on my arse like anyone else? You can't kid me, Hayabusa, because I know!"

"I know… that you're a moron," Hayate informed her helpfully.

"NO UN-GAY GUY HAS HIS HAIR LONGER THEN THE AVERAGE GIRL'S!!!!" Ayane roared.

"Except me, I am an exception," he stated quietly.

"You're an exceptionally large arsehole but that's about it!" Ayane snapped.

"Besides, I think I looked beautiful in that dress," he added, smiling weakly at her to let her know he was joking before she could stride over and deck him, "but you look better in your dress. By far. Very flattering, and very elegant,"

"I… you… shut up!" Ayane fumbled for words.

"Yeah, Ayane, you look really good!" Tina gushed.

"Are you going to buy that one?" Hitomi queried.

Ayane spun around once, before giving up. Stalking over to Ryu, she turned around, facing her back to him.

"What's the price?"

Ryu gently extracted the tag out of the back of the dress.

"It's two hundred and fifty. Bargain," Tina read from over Ryu's shoulder.

"Two hundred and fifty bucks! Do I look like I have two hundred and fifty bucks?! Do you think money grows on trees or just magically appears in your wallet?"

"Oh, it doesn't?" Hitomi pulled out her purse. "Bummer,"

Ayane rewarded Hitomi's witticism with another 'look'.

"Are you getting the dress or not?"

Ayane looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think…."

"You thought! Wow! Did it hurt?" Hayate asked innocently.

Ayane punched him soundly in the gut before continuing.

"I think that if you like it, Hayabusa, you can pay for it! I mean, you are fifty dollars richer…"

"Woo hoo, only another two hundred to go," Hayate added sarcastically after having caught his breath again, wisely moving out of punching range. "Why should he pay for your dress, anyway? You're wearing it, not him. Although…" he shot a meaningful look at his friend, with a somewhat loud silence.

"Shut up," Ryu responded eloquently.

"Maybe you could both go as girls!" Tina suggested.

The glare she received from both parties answered that statement.

"How about I shove a pole up your arse?" Ayane suggested in the same innocent tone that Tina had used.

"If I add the fifty, can you afford it, Ayane?" Ryu's quiet query startled everyone.

"Since when do I look like a goddamn charity?" Ayane snapped.

"Hold out your hands," Hayate instructed. Bewildered, the young lavender-haired girl did as asked, not without a 'What the hell?' or two. "Now, bow your head," Hayate told her, before turning around to face the others. "Donations for the poor beggar girl!"

"Why, you little son of a bitch!"

"Here," Before Ayane could lunge, Ryu pushed the fifty dollars into her hands.

"Just take it, Ayane. I don't need it,"

She slapped his hand away, and then flinched as his hand encircled her wrist his fingers digging painfully into the pressure point on her wrist, causing her hand to lose grip and fall open. Then, he simply shoved the money into her hand, folding her fingers over the money.

"Take it,"

"Fine, ass," she pocketed the money, dropping it into her bag. "Happy now?"

"Yes," he said softly, before he smiled at her. A full smile, something she hadn't seen before.

"Okay. Stop flashing your pearly whites and let's get the hell out of here," she muttered.

*

In case you're interested… my favourite quote is the 'Except me, I am an exception.' 'You're an exceptionally large arsehole but that's about it!' Ayane's such a fun character to mess around with. As is Hayate, believe it or not. ^_^