Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Wet. He was wet.

He splashed through rapidly filling puddles as the rain poured heavily from the sky. Already he was soaked through, as if he'd taken a shower with all his clothes on. He stopped and peered through dripping strands of hair.

Through the torrent of rain he could see a house, vaguely. He blinked, rainwater sliding down from his slick hair to his nose, eyelids, chin, and dropping into his loose shirt.

'I thought no one lived up here.'

But he squared his shoulders and trudged towards it, the sole refuge in the unrelenting rain.

. : Caught in the Rain : .

by xxkoffeexx

The weather was nice and sunny, perfect for late spring. It was a Friday to top, so every student at Seigaku was in good spirits as they headed home for the weekend or went to their after school activities.

Seigaku's tennis team was not an exception to this. The members were relaxed and chatting happily, mostly about what they were going to do over the weekend. Even the regulars were playing less intensely. Echizen Ryoma, if you squinted hard enough, was hitting his serves just a millimeter softer than usual.

Speaking of the prince of tennis, his official fan club consisting of two freshman girls were sitting on the bench, not cheering on the tennis team for once because they too were recipients of the tranquil atmosphere.

"What are you doing over the weekend, Tomo-chan?"

"Oh, baby-sitting."

Ryuzaki Sakuno looked a little sympathetic. "Your brothers?"

"Nope. My mother's cousin's sons." The quieter girl blinked.

"Really?"

"Well, my mom's cousin just moved here and she hasn't gotten things settled yet. She's going to be out tomorrow with my mom, so I'm in charge of my brothers and her sons."

"Ah… How many kids does she have?"

"Two."

Sakuno winced slightly. "That's not too bad compared to the other people you had to baby-sit."

Tomoka snorted un-ladylike and stretched. "Yeah, well, those two might as well be as troublesome as five kids. But it's not that bad. I don't mind babysitting more kids. It's just that I have to stay at her house."

"Why—oh. You're watching over the new house?"

"Old house, actually. It's supposed to be in a rural area—up in the hiking mountains or something. Dah, as if anybody would want to break into a house like that." The auburn-haired girl's eyes rolled up at the cloudless blue sky. Sakuno was wide-eyed.

"Mountains? You mean where there's… bears?"

Tomoka blinked and stared at her. "What?" The braided-pigtail girl fidgeted slightly. "What do you…?"

"You know… well, I heard some rumors about bears up in the hiking trails." At her friend's alarmed face she hastily added, "But it's probably just rumors. I actually heard the mountains are quite safe." She smiled assuredly. 'Maybe.'

"I heard that rumor as well." They jumped and turned to see the glasses-wearing data man standing beside them, scribbling in his ever-present notebook. He ignored their cries of "Inui-senpai!" and "Don't scare us like that!" and continued, "But the source of that rumor is questionable."

Tomoka was still annoyed, "Inui-senpai, if you keep sneaking up on people they might get a higher chance of getting a heart attack."

He didn't look up from his notebook. "Not probable." He finished writing and closed the notebook with a snap. "Perhaps if you're over seventy the chances will be high. On the other hand, the chances of that rumor being true are significantly less."

The redhead forgot her earlier ire and leaned forward eagerly, "So there are no bears up there?" He shook his head. She sighed in relief. "Oh good. I don't want to be in the middle of a bear-filled mountain with only four little boys to protect me."

Sakuno bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Tomo-chan. I must have heard wrong." Her friend shook her head with a smile and was about to say it was okay, but the third year spoke.

"Of course, it all depends on which part of the mountains you're going."

The redhead froze. "Which part… of the mountains?" The data man nodded once.

Sakuno looked at her worriedly. "Oh, but you said the mountains are about an hour away. Right Tomo-chan?"

She nodded vigorously. Inui frowned slightly. He opened his notebook and scribbled in there for a while, muttering, "Hour away… only hiking mountain in radius… Aria Mountain… population…" When he finished, he looked up to see the two girls looking at him expectantly. He cleared his throat and stated, "No bears."

They sagged in relief. The braided pigtail girl grinned teasingly. "How fun! You get to stay in the mountains with four cute little boys."

Tomoka rolled her eyes, smiling as well. "Sure, if you call those brats 'cute'…"

Unnoticed, the tall data man slipped away.

"I'm kind of worried about the weather though."

"Really? But I heard the weather was going to be fine tomorrow."

"Over here it is. Up in the mountains… you can never be sure."

"Oh… But, I think you'll have a lot of fun anyways, Tomo-chan. You're a great babysitter."

"Aw, thanks Sakuno. But you helped me out a lot too…"

"Kaidoh."

The bandana-wearing second year paused, holding the towel around his neck. Practice was over, and the other regulars walked to the locker room, chatting and laughing as they headed off to enjoy the weekend. Inui stood off to the side, holding his notebook.

"You're running all day tomorrow, am I correct?"

The scowling viper nodded in affirmation. Inui smiled slightly. Kaidoh almost took a step back when he saw that smile on his senpai's face. (For instance, before he announced his newest pois—er, concoction)

"I have a good training plan for you. Since you've been running on consistent ground for the past month I think a change in scenery is necessary… perhaps on a hiking trail, or the mountains."

Kaidoh Kaoru's eyes widened as he hissed a little. "Mountains? But…"

The data man's eyebrow lifted. "But?"

The viper looked a little embarrassed as he blew out another hiss. "I heard there were bears."

'Kaidoh too?' Inui's eyebrows went higher. "According to my data, there should be no bears or any dangerous animals in any mountains within an hour's distance from here."

"Ah. Okay." Kaidoh nodded his head. His senpai, of course, was always right.

"Aria Mountain is a good place to start."

Another nod and hiss. "Thank you, senpai."

His glasses flashed ominously. "Your welcome."

Saturday

"Take care that you don't burn anything. And make sure the boys are within your sight at all times. I don't want them to be attacked by any bears or wild animals when we come back." Tomoka's mother put on her shoes while putting on her coat, lecturing in the same manner as her daughter. Her mother's cousin, Riana, was telling her two little boys to behave, listen to Tomoka-neesan and wait for her until she came back home. Tomoka's little brothers were watching TV in the living room, calm and being good children at the moment.

Tomoka sighed. "There are no bears, Mom."

"Nevertheless keep on your guard and don't let those boys out of your sight. Who knows what tricks they might pull to get rid of you." The older woman fixed her with a firm, knowing look. Then she smiled. "Riana is extremely grateful to you for watching over everything. And so am I. We know you'll do your best."

Tomoka hugged her mother and said with a grin, "I will. Don't worry, I'll do my absolute best to take care of everything."

"I don't know how to thank you for doing this," Riana gushed from behind, finished talking to her boys. She smiled at the girl. "If you have any problems, please call me. My cell number is in the kitchen refrigerator, and if you can't reach me, then call my husband's number."

The redhead waved a hand. "Of course. It's no problem at all. Have fun you two!" Riana laughed a little and went out.

Her mother hung back and rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, about as much fun as babysitting." Tomoka snorted good-naturedly. "Like Riana said, call us if anything happens."

"Yes, Mother. Go on, you'll be late. And come back safely." With a final wave her mother went out the door. Tomoka shut and locked it. The house was suddenly silent.

With a glint in her eye she turned around and marched into the living room. She was not surprised to find it completely empty. Her eyes narrowed. "Where could those imps be?"

A giggle came from her right, where the kitchen was. She started towards it, but stopped when a toy mouse scuttled before her. That's the oldest trick in the book. "You're going to have to try harder than that," she called out smugly to the silent walls. These boys weren't dealing with just any babysitter. No, she was Osakada Tomo—

"Kyaha!"

Tomoka whirled around and was shocked as cold water squirted on her face. Water guns? That's playing dirty! She wiped her face in time to see her youngest brother dashing around the corner. With a growl she ran after him.

"You little…! Come back here!"

More giggling and a pitter-patter of feet followed.

Kaidoh hissed under his breath as a person bumped him for the umpteenth time. The bus was crowded as expected on a fine Saturday morning. However, it was not the crowd that bothered the viper.

'I studied too late last night.' He should've been up three hours ago, ready run the new course that Inui recommended to him, but the sun rose without him. In his hurry he forgot to brush his hair and he had no bandana to cover the messy mass on his head. On top of that he left his cell phone at home.

And now he was stuck in a bus full of people who were too close to him for his liking. He wondered if he had claustrophobia. He wondered if one could develop claustrophobia. He briefly thought about turning back and just staying at home, but then decided that would be weak and disobeying orders.

The bus suddenly lurched, causing a couple young girls nearby to crash into him. He in turn barely managed to keep from colliding into an old lady, gripping the pole beside him. He silently sweated as the females on either side eyed him in interest.

'Damn.'

Tomoka glared at the four sheepish boys before her, hands at her hips. "Now are you guys going to behave?"

Keota, Riana's son and the oldest of the boys, eyed the water guns in her hands. "Those are ours."

"Not if you keep shooting me. I'm the babysitter, I have the right to confiscate your toys if you're being bad."

Her youngest brother, Taeki, spoke up cheekily. "What's 'conf'scate' mean?"

Her other brother, Takeshi, added, "And you can't keep our toys. That's stealing!"

"Yeah! Or we'll tell our mommies!"

"Besides, we have mo—" All the boys jumped on Kaemon, Keota's brother, before he said anymore, but Tomoka heard enough. The boys winced as their babysitter raised her voice.

"If you guys dare touch another water gun I will tell your mommies what you did to the kitchen—" the kitchen was currently covered in puddles of water and waterlogged countertops "—and as punishment you guys have to eat only vegetables for an entire week."

They stared at her aghast. Never say that Tomoka was a tough babysitter for nothing. Normally she wouldn't have threatened them so harshly. But because she was watching over four little boys on a lovely Saturday in the middle of nowhere, adding the fact that she was half wet and tired from chasing said boys around the house for an hour… well, frankly, Tomoka didn't care if she scared them witless.

She pointed to the living room. "Now go and work on your homework quietly."

Keota, only in the first grade, blinked. "We don't have any homework."

"I don't care. Go and read or something. Just be quiet."

Four pairs of eyes blinked up at her. "We don't know how to read."

A second later they quickly scrambled into the living room at the look on her face, not wanting another Tomoka Lecture that could potentially make their ears fall off.

She sighed as the sounds of the TV drifted from the room. She walked into the kitchen, eyeing the ponds of water decorating the floor and countertops that she had to clean. Vaguely she knew her shirt was old and plain so she didn't care if it was wrinkled, and her sweatpants would dry off easily, but her hair would not dry as fast. The boys took special aim at that part of her as much as possible, somehow knowing in their devious little minds that a girl's hair was sacred.

With a disgruntled expression she pulled the ties out of her hair and made it into a loose ponytail, sparing a moment of loss for parting with her beloved pigtails. Then she took a deep breath and began drying the kitchen.

Kaidoh was alone in the trail. He thought it was odd that nobody else got off at his stop, since it was a hiking mountain after all. But then, perhaps not many people knew about this place. It seemed right that only Inui-senpai would know about it, and would recommend it to him.

He ran steadily up the inclined slope, mindful of the many crags and rocks jutting on the ground. Once he even stumbled, but he managed not to fall and kept going. He didn't bring a towel, but he brought a water bottle from which he drank from sparingly. He didn't even bring food in his haste to leave the house.

At least, he thought grudgingly, there were no bears.

Ting.

He stopped and looked up. Another wet drop. Soon, more drops came down from the sky, gradually increasing until it began raining in earnest.

He blinked as water droplets dripped from his wet hair and into his eyes. In a matter of seconds, he was soaked to the bone. He hissed, but the sound was lost in the loud pattering of the rain. As Kaidoh stood there in the pouring rain, he realized something.

'This… is not my day.'

"Okay, I'll clean out this fireplace and make a nice, warm fire—!" Tomoka cried in dismay as a poof of ash covered her face, closing her eyes and mouth quickly.

"Nee-chan?" Her brothers looked at her from the couch. When she turned around their eyes widened. Their sister's face was entirely gray, like those mummies they saw on Discovery channel.

"Go and bring me a towel!" the mummy ordered.

"YAAH!" They screamed and ran from the living room. Keota and Kaemon blinked after them, took one look at their babysitter's face, and ran away in a similar fashion.

Tomoka wiped some of the ash off with a dirty cloth and glared after them. "What's wrong with them?"

A thundering of feet, and the boys returned—with water guns.

"Go away, evil mummy!"

"Yah, don't suck the life out of our flesh!"

"Mummies can do that?"

"I saw it in a movie!"

Tomoka's eye twitched. She stood up, hands on her hips as she yelled, "What do you think you're doing? Didn't I tell you not to touch the water guns? Do you want to eat vegetables for the rest of your life?"

The boys gasped and aimed their water guns at her. "GAAGH! She's a mummy!"

"I always thought she was a banshee!"

She growled and marched towards them. "Say that one more time you little—!" A mistake.

They fired.

The water cleaned the ash off her face. But her clothes and hair were wet. Again. A cold wind made her shiver. Tomoka was not happy.

The boys realized it was not a mummy but their babysitter. And they also knew something horrible would happen if they didn't start running. So they ran.

Tomoka glared deadly at the door, flinging her sopping hair from her eyes. "You boys better run!" She made to chase after them, but a knocking sound stopped her. She blinked and went to the door, wondering who on earth it could be. Warily she opened the door.

Rain fell like buckets pouring from the sky. The sound was nearly deafening. And in the middle of it all, a tall, familiar second-year scowled blearily at her.

"Kaidoh?" She stared. "I-I mean, Kaidoh-senpai!"

He stared at her as well, hissing. "Osakada." Water dripped from his dark bangs. The dark-haired second year was totally drenched. She blinked.

"Kaidoh-senpai, you're soaked!" Indeed, his shorts and black sleeveless shirt held more water than the kitchen had. And his dark hair was fairly plastered on his head. She opened the door quickly. "Come in, you must be freezing."

He scowled in surprise and hissed slightly. "Osakada. You… live here?" He stepped towards the door hesitantly. She blinked.

"Oh! No, of course not! This is my mother's cousin's house." He raised his eyebrows slightly. "But Kaidoh-senpai, what are you doing way out here?"

He hissed again. "I was running." He looked her over and asked, "Were you outside as well?"

Tomoka realized what she must have looked like and blushed. Ah, my hair! I must look like a real banshee! "Oh… Well, the boys were playing with the water guns and they thought it would be fun to shoot me."He merely blinked and she grinned. "Come inside! It's warmer and you can dry off. I'm about to make a late lunch, so—" She was suddenly whirled aside as four blurs with colorful plastic water guns dashed out into the rain, nearly knocking over the dark-haired boy. "H-Hey! Come back inside, you're going to catch a—hey! Are you listening to me? HEY!"

Kaidoh blinked as she charged past him into the pouring rain. He watched the four tiny shapes and Tomoka run around in the sleet, yelling and laughing, splashing in the growing puddles of mud. She was attacked by both the onslaught of rain and the water guns. To add insult to insult, she slipped in a puddle mid-yelling at them.

A corner of his mouth lifted, hissing slightly in amusement. Then both his eyebrows shot up as one of the boys skidded before him, grinning innocently. He held a water gun in his hands. Kaidoh blinked. "Fshhh, hey—" A jet of water and the kid's laugh cut him off.

"Yaagh! Come catch me!"

His eyebrow twitched. 'That kid…'

Tomoka skidded and squinted up at him. "Don't just stand there, Kaidoh-senpai! Catch them!"

He hesitated slightly before joining her in the rain he just came from.

"Do you think it's funny to go out there in the rain and get everybody wet and muddy? You know your mothers wouldn't have allowed it. But you still went out there!"

Four pairs of guilty eyes glanced up at her as she ranted before them in the living room, all wet from the shower and wrapped in warm blankets she grabbed from the closet. Kaidoh was taking care of the fireplace while drying himself—he, too, had taken a shower. In fact, they had all taken a shower after running around in the rain and mud for thirty glorious minutes. The rain made everything harder to see, and the four little boys were very hard to catch. Tomoka, particularly, took a beating to both her pride and her rear side from slipping and falling in the mud.

"And what if you caught a cold? What if I got really sick and had to go to the hospital? Or even Kaidoh. San." The second-year glanced up from the fire and Tomoka hurriedly continued, "Do you guys want us to get sick?"

The four boys looked down at their bare feet guiltily, knowing in their young minds that what they did, even for them, was not good. Keota was mostly quiet, probably feeling the most responsible as he was the oldest. Even Taeki had his head bowed. Tomoka's eyes soften just a bit.

Kaidoh stood up and hissed briefly. "Fire's ready." As the boys all scrambled to get near the warm flames, he gave Tomoka an indiscernible look, the fire casting light and shadows behind him. She blinked when he walked past her, muttering, "We better make dinner."

She turned to stare after him, but he'd already disappeared into the kitchen. "Wait!" She started and hurried after him.

Dinner making was a success, and the food was delicious, even if she did say so herself. The four boys dug in eagerly, tired and hungry from their earlier antic in the rain, and Tomoka couldn't help but place more food for them. Kaidoh was eating quietly, nodding when Tomoka asked if everything was okay (the food). The dinner was peaceful, except for when Kaemon asked the second year if he was Tomoka's boyfriend, to which they both began to choke.

"Kaemon, don't be impolite," the redhead girl hissed, face red from coughing (or something else).

His face was innocent enough. "But I just wanted to know." Kaidoh was still having difficulty breathing, but he managed a hoarse "no".

When the boys were finished eating, they ran out of the kitchen with Tomoka's order to stay in one place and not go outside after them. Leaving her and the dark-haired senpai alone.

She glanced up at him after he put away his plate. "Ah, Kaidoh-senpai, you don't have to stay. It's getting dark outside and I'm sure you have to go home…"

He waited a moment. "Are you sure?" She blinked.

"Yeah, of course! You've already done a lot to help me… if it weren't for you I would never have gotten the boys back in so soon… and you helped prepare dinner, so…" Why do I sound so unsure…?

A movement made her look up to see him standing at the sink, his back toward her. "I can stay a little longer." A hesitant hiss followed.

She blinked again and smiled. How gentlemanly. Taking some plates from the table and placing them in the sink, she began soaping them beside him. "Thank you, Kaidoh-senpai." He made a noncommittal noise. To be honest, she was glad that he was staying, even for a little bit.

Today turned out to be... nice.

Suddenly the whole house flickered, and the lights went out.

For a long time all they could hear was the pouring rain and the occasional rumble from outside. It took a while for their eyes to adjust in the dark, and after a few moments Tomoka could make out Kaidoh's outline next to her. "Kaidoh-senpai, I'm sorry, this is—"

"Not your fault," he cut in, his tone stilling any attempts to blame herself. "I'm better off inside than out there." She nodded, though it was barely visible. Then she gasped.

"The boys!" Are they okay? Why haven't they screamed yet?

She moved to go find them. Then she realized her hands were still in the lukewarm, soapy water, and she held them up, dripping. "Um, we better dry our hands and then look for some flashlights or candles." She tried to remember where the towels were, and then forgot. She squinted, wishing it were less dim. "Where are the towels…?" Suddenly a warm arm reached around her shoulders, and she automatically stiffened, wondering what he was doing. His breath hit the side of her temple, and she didn't know whether to turn her head because his face was too close to hers.

And then it was all over in a quick second, his warm breath disappearing, and a white towel appeared before her. The towels had been on her other side. She released her breath she didn't know she was holding and took it. "Thank you."

"The fireplace should be enough," Kaidoh said calmly as they dried their hands. She nodded, and then agreed verbally in case he didn't see.

"The boys—"

"They're probably fine."

"Yeah." They both made their way (slowly) out of the kitchen and towards the living room, where the orange glow of the fireplace flickered on the walls. It was empty. Her eyes widened and she rushed in, all thought except the safety of the boys flying out of her head. "Takeshi, Kaemon, Tae—" She abruptly shrieked as a roaring mass of figures jumped out from behind the sofa, making her stumble back. Kaidoh caught her before she fell.

He let out a slightly amused hissed as the four mischievous boys snickered like the naughty boys they were. She let out a more aggravated hiss as she straightened, her cheeks burning. Before she could let loose on them, a hand brushed her shoulder and she looked up, slightly confused and overwhelmed by the need to blow up. His eyes told her now was not the time to lecture them. They were in the middle of a power outage.

She hesitated and relented, instead ordering the boys to sit near the fire, but not too near it. She brought the blankets and pillows, deciding to set up makeshift beds because they might have to sleep there tonight. Kaidoh busied himself with the fire as she forced the boys to get into the blankets. They didn't need much convincing because they were already sleepy. But they insisted on hearing some stories… particularly ghost stories.

Which she was totally fine with telling them, however, one person in the room didn't seem to like the idea. She stifled a giggle when Kaidoh stiffened noticeably. Because she was considerate (actually, she was just really tired), she told them to save the story telling for another night, when they weren't so sleepy. So instead they talked about their favorite television shows and games, until one by one they dropped off to sleep.

Tomoka moved them into more comfortable positions, fighting not to yawn herself. When a hand nudged her, she almost tipped off balance, but a large hand secured her arm. He held out an extra blanket and pillow to her, and she took them with a thankful smile. "Sorry, Kaidoh-senpai. Your family's are probably worrying." He shook his head. "Where are you sleeping?" she whispered. He indicated to the sofa. She nodded, and then frowned. He was startled when she shoved the blanket back into his hands. "Here, I don't need it. I'll keep the pillow."

He frowned too and gave it back to her. "You're not sleeping on the ground without a blanket."

She pushed it back. "The fireplace will keep me warm. I'll be fine." He had the sofa, but nothing else. And the sofa wasn't exactly sleeping material.

Neither was the ground. Kaidoh firmly placed the blanket in her arms, starting to hiss. "I'm your senpai. I should be sleeping on the ground."

"But you're a guest, Kaidoh-senpai. I'm responsible for the boys and this house, and the guest." Push.

"I'm responsible for you." He pushed the blanket back at her. She was getting irritated both by his sense of duty and her own lethargy.

"Kaidoh-senpai, it's our fault that you're still here. If it weren't for us, you would probably be—"

"Stuck in the storm."

"—safe at home by now. Kaidoh—" He suddenly pulled her down with him on the hard ground, along with the blanket and pillow.

Taken by surprise, her shriek was cut short when her face pressed between his shoulder and collarbone. She quickly pulled away before things got awkward. Cheeks burning once more, she opened her mouth to say the first thing that came into her mind—

"We'll wake them up if we argue any more." He firmly stemmed any more arguments, and Tomoka was slightly relived to see his face was tinted red as well.

Her knee touched his, and he glanced up slightly. She smiled tiredly, not looking at his eyes. "Thank you, Kaidoh-senpai."

He felt uncomfortable, but nodded and stretched out on the ground. Tomoka did the same, heart thudding against her chest at the idea of lying only a foot away from him. She froze when the blanket was thrown over her. Turning her head, the dark-haired boy handed over the pillow. Sighing, she took the pillow and put it on the ground between their heads. It was longer than the normal pillow; otherwise she wouldn't have done it. She scooted closer, telling herself that being warm was better than being cold and embarrassed.

He didn't move. Probably wondering if this was appropriate or not, which was exactly what she was thinking, but really, this would benefit them in a long run. Before she got to say this, he shifted slightly, placing his head on the pillow. He turned on his side so his back was facing her. She silently agreed, but before turning to do the same, she threw half the blanket over his form. Tomoka always had to have the last say in everything.

The wind puffed out before the blanket settled on them, and by then they were fast asleep.

It was the sound of giggling that woke him up. Frowning slightly, he tried to go back to sleep, back to where it was so warm and comfortable…

His eyes shot open. A warm arm was flung across his chest, effectively stopping him from rising, and he realized there was long hair brushing his jaw. His own arm was wrapped around a slim waist. He slowly turned and almost groaned upon seeing the red hair and a sleeping face. The giggling increased, and he gently removed her arm as he sat up. Face bright red, he turned half-heartedly and almost groaned again upon seeing an older Tomoka and a dark-haired woman. The older-Tomoka raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Bears these days are much better-looking than those back in our days."

The other woman collapsed in a fit of laughter, holding the sofa for support. He blushed.

And then Tomoka woke up.

"Weather here quite mild. No clouds seen for miles…"

His glasses flashed as he turned a page in his valuable notebook.

"A reported thunder storm and power outage in the Aria Mountain vicinity…"

Various students walked past the tall, data tennis player, aware of the upper classman's muttering and not paying much attention to it, because they were quite used to it.

"I wish we didn't have to go back to school. Man, that weekend was great."

"Yeah, me and my girlfriend went out all day Saturday because the weather was so awesome."

"I heard about the power outage, Tomo-chan. Was it really bad?"

His ears perked when they picked up familiar feminine voices near the tennis courts.

"We-ell… actually, it wasn't that bad."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yeah, it was—eep!"

"Tomo-chan? What is it? …Um, Tomo-chan, that chair is too small to hide behind—Ah, Momo-senpai! Kaidoh-senpai! R-R-Ryoma-san! G-good morning!"

"Good morning, Ryuzaki-chan! How are—eh?"

"...What is Osakada doing?"

"Huh? That's Osakada-chan? What do—hey, Mamushi, you need to go to the nurse or something? You look like a cooked lobster."

A hiss. "Shut up!"

Inui's glasses flashed as he flipped his notebook out. "A call from Kaidoh's parents on Saturday night… Kaidoh's mysterious disappearance… Osakada's reaction upon seeing him, his reaction upon seeing her…" He shut his notebook with a fwip. He smirked. "My calculations are correct. Those bear rumors proved more useful than I thought."

END

A/N: This is another stab at TomoxKai… And I don't know if it really fit, you know? There's some randomness going on… is it random? Like the bear thing. But, well, it's been raining for days on end, and the idea was appealing. And there aren't enough TomoxKai stories. And I just felt like… yeah, why not bears? Inui, Instigator of Love. How… weird. Haha!

Thank you for reading!