Kano hastily jumped out of his car and jogged up to Kaoru's front door. He was completely out of breath, and rested his head on the doorframe, panting for a few seconds. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts with a green t-shirt, a black hoodie covering it. He reached over to ring the doorbell when he heard a chuckle. He tilted his head to the right, spotting Kaoru leaning on the wall across from him.

And she... woah... He let his eyes wander down her figure, momentarily lingering on a few key spots of his greatest interest.

Those legs... DAMN, they're fine! Damn, SHE'S fine!

"You look... pretty." Kaoru blushed, fidgeting nervously as she played with a loose strand of her hair.

"Thank you. You look nice, too."

He smiled, taking her hand is his. He began walking toward his car, with Kaoru wobbling behind him.

"Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

He looked back at her again and shook his head.

"You can't walk in heels, can you?"

He watched another blush spread over her face, and smiled despite himself. She's so cute.

"Um, is it that obvious?"

"Yeah. You couldn't walk without holding on to me, could you?"

"No. Do you mind?"

He felt his face heat up. "N...no, of course not!"

"So, where are we going?" Kano grinned at his friend's question as he opened the passenger-side door for her.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

-+-

Kano escorted Kaoru to a semi-casual restaurant, meaning he took her to a place nicer than his usual dining out at McDonalds or Burger King. It was more like an Applebee's, with a nice atmosphere for a 'first date' couple.

They both ordered All-you-can-eat-rib meals, which ended up a total mess. Both their faces were covered in barbecue sauce.

But the dinner went so smoothly. Kano was amazed at how much he had in common with this girl. She played sports, not to mention she basically looked like his walking twin... He chuckled, listening to her tell a story about her brothers. She really was perfect; covered in barbecue sauce and not rushing off to the bathroom to get it off.

And her outfit... He grinned. He was going to have to take her out more often, just so he could see her in skirts.

"Kano...? Kano, are you listening to me?"

Kano blinked, realizing he had completely zoned out.

"Sorry, Kaoru. Got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

She laughed, taking another bite out of her ribs.

"Well, now I probably have to repeat my whole story, since you obviously have no idea what I said."

"No way! It was something about your brothers' eating habits, right?"

She shook her head, laughing once more. "Not all at, Kano. But that's okay."

They locked eyes, and burst into laughter again.

-+-

When the meal was over, they argued over who should pay and how much. Kano won, obviously, and was quite smug about it.

"So... what now?" Kaoru looked up at her date as they headed towards his car.

"Well, um... what do you want to do?"

Kaoru shrugged. "I don't know, you asked me out! You pick something fun!"

"Alright, alright. How does a walk in the park sound?"

"That sounds nice, I guess."

"Yeah, okay. Park it is."

Awkward silence filled the air, as Kano put the keys into the ignition and headed toward the park.

-+-

Kano blushed, as Kaoru was clinging onto his arm like she would die any moment. After about 20 minutes of walking, he was sure those heels were killing her. But she wasn't complaining or taking them off. And she was freezing. He looked down at her shivering body, mentally cursing. He should have just taken her to the movies. Saw III was supposed to be really good, and he wouldn't mind holding onto her if she got scared.

But this... He frowned. His stupid choice and she was the one suffering. She did ask you to pick, you know. Chill out. Kano frowned. But she also wanted to do something fun... He sighed.

"Is it really that bad?"

Kaoru's simple question alarmed Kano, causing him to jump.

"Is what that bad, Kaoru?"

"Walking with me. Your acting like you'd rather be in school."

"No! It's not bad! It's not you, you're fine! Don't worry about it! I'm so sorry, it's not you it's me and..."

Kano stopped. Kaoru was clinging to him as a gust of cold wind swept through the park. He looked down at her, seeing her buried into his chest, still shivering. He pushed her away gently and took of his hoodie. He then handed it to her.

"Put it on."

"What?! But Kano! You'll get cold!"

Kano smirked and gave her a noogie. "I doubt it, Matsubara. Besides, you're already cold."

Kaoru frowned indignantly. "I am not cold! If I were really cold I'd be shivering or something!"

Kano laughed, wrapping his arm around her waist as he dragged her along the path. "You already were, babe."

Kaoru blushed. "I...I..."

Kano looked at her, his left eyebrow raised.

"Okay, fine. You win." She slid his hoodie on, relaxing as his body warmth heated her. "Thank you."

He smiled. "Anything for you, babe. Now, where were we?"

And the two continued to converse on lighthearted subjects as they walked.

-+-

Kaoru waved goodbye as Kano drove away from her house at about 9:25. Dinner and a walk. She blushed. Not bad for a first date!

She opened the door to her house; creeping up the steps to her room to be sure she didn't wake her younger brother. She slipped into her bedroom, grabbing her pjs and heading toward the bathroom. She glanced into her mirror and stopped short. She was still wearing his hoodie. She smiled softly, taking it off and putting on her pajamas. She then put the hoodie back on, relaxing at its scent, and collapsed onto her bed. She switched off the lights, rolling over.

And she fell asleep with a huge smile on her face.