The black-haired Tarkatan glared coldly from behind her mask and crouched into a defensive stance, anxiously awaiting her opponent's first move. He, too, had taken to an ancient Saurian fighting stance and bared his claws with anticipation.

Round Two!

Fight!

The green-clad ninja immediately spit a mouthful of acid at her, but the sly Tarkatan slipped through the floor just in time and landed a solid kick to his face from above. Stunned by her initial attack, he could do nothing to stop the barrage of purple fists and feet impacting all over his body. Finally, he managed to block one of her punches and jump to the other side of the battle arena. Just as he prepared another acid spit attack, she somersaulted over his head and stabbed him in the back with her sais. A cold feeling crept upon him. He knew this was the end.

Finish him!

The purple ninja tugged down her mask and opened her fang-filled mouth, swallowing an unfortunate Reptile whole and regurgitating his dismembered skeleton.

Mileena wins!

Flawless victory!

The words flashed across the screen mockingly.

"No fucking way!"

The short, navy-haired girl on the other side of the arcade game merely chuckled. "I thought you said you knew how to play this game."

Haga crossed his arms and smirked at a very peeved Ryuzaki. "Major. Ownage."

"Shut up!" He slipped another token into the machine. "I demand a rematch!"

--------

Minutes later, Haga stared in disbelief at the rough piece of notebook paper in his hand. "I can't believe that girl actually gave you her number." He handed it back with a smile. "What was her name again? Izumo?"

"Izumi. And she gave me her screen name and IP address. There's a difference." Ryuzaki shoved the paper in his back pocket. "I seriously doubt she was looking for a date."

"You should look her up and ask."

Ryuzaki glared in response as they rounded the corner.

"What?" Haga gave him a slight nudge. "She's the first girl that's actually talked to you since—"

"I know. You don't have to remind me."

"So what the hell's your problem?"

Upon finally reaching the bus stop they were looking for, the two halted, and Ryuzaki continued to ignore Haga's question. After a few minutes of silence, he checked his watch. Tokage was late again. Rather than feeling angry about it, though, his thoughts were miles away.

Whatwas his problem? Izumi wasn't overly obnoxious or ugly, and she seemed to love games as much as he did—almost to the point of being an otaku. For her, online contact information may have been the equivalent of a phone number. Imagining what it might be like… well, he couldn't, really. Perhaps that was it. She just wasn't his type.

But did he really even have a type? Sure, he found girls like Mai attractive, but who didn't? And when was the last time he fancied a girl, anyway? He seriously pondered it for a moment. There were pretty girls at school, he thought, not that any of them would actually talk to him. Excluding his mom and his sister, most of Ryuzaki's recent company had been male.

Okay, so it had just been Haga.

But that's not the point. He needed some female company for a change, so perhaps…

"Hey, I think I see your sister."

No, Izumi would probably make a better friend. He could learn to like MMO games. Maybe they'd be able hang out after school sometimes, too. Having another friend around couldn't hurt.

"Is that a clarinet case in her hand?"

And if she really was an otaku, maybe she'd know how to play Duel Monsters. Who knew? She can't have heard of him, though, he figured since she didn't make any snide remarks about his humiliating losses. It was a step in the right direction.

"Please don't tell me she's going to play that thing when we get to your house."

"She's not what I'm looking for."

Haga looked befuddled. "Er… what?"

"The girl from the arcade. She's not what I want."

'Well, why the hell not?' he wanted to ask, but the teal-haired boy settled for a different question: "So, what exactly do you want?"

"I dunno." Ryuzaki's eyes glazed over for a moment, as though he were lost in a dream. "I guess I'll figure it out whenever I find the right one."

"Oh, you're hopeless! You wouldn't know a great opportunity if it hit you in the face."

Before they could get into a snippy argument, however, Tokage reached the end of the crosswalk and skipped merrily up to the two. She tugged lightly on her brother's sleeve.

"Hey, guess what I learned today!"

Ryuzaki groaned. "Do I have to?"

"New recital music!" She flashed a sheet of paper with numerous lines and dots before his eyes.

"Oh, goody…"

--------

Considering her playing experience, a seasoned musician might say that she was making considerable progress. Haga, on the other hand, could only his gnash teeth at every reedy squeak and off-key note that resounded from within her bedroom.

"Somebody kill it. Please." Ryuzaki looked just as miserable.

Haga laid down his cards and stood from the couch. "I'll go talk to her."

The brunette rolled his eyes as if he already knew the outcome. He shook his head as Haga left the room.

After a few knocks, Tokage opened her door. "What?" she spat crossly.

"Can you turn it down a notch?" He looked at her hopefully and slapped on a huge fake smile.

The twelve-year-old remained firm in her resolve. "But I have to play this in front of people in two weeks!" Another harsh glare and she rewetted the reed in her mouth.

"But..."

"You wouldn't want me to disappointment them, would you?"

"Okay, fine. Whatever." He returned to the couch in a huff.

Ryuzaki, having heard most of the exchange, gave him a disappointed frown. "You give up way too easily." He winced as the squeaking resumed.

"Some things you just can't argue with. Maybe she'll improve."

"You're just not trying hard enough. Allow me."

--------

'Stupid C sharp…'

She began the scale, reaching the top once more with a certain degree of success. Switching over to her assigned music, Tokage tried the phrase that had been bothering her again. Again, the bottom note cracked.

She jumped at the sound of someone pounding on her door.

"Hey, now! I'm practicing here!"

"Well, could you try sucking a little less?" came the muffled reply. "We have a guest in the house."

"Who,Haga? He's here all the time!" she whined in return.

"Don't you have some nice, quieter homework to do?"

--------

Hours seemed to pass as the squeaking and off-key phrases persisted. Our dynamic duo then decided to take their cards outside. The game, however, failed to resume.

"Ice cream?" asked Ryuzaki.

Haga looked back at the house warily. "Should we really be leaving her all alone?"

"Pfft, the brat can take care of herself. Mom won't be home for at least another hour."

That said, he continued down the street with Haga hesitantly following.

--------

Now, a lot could be said about the relationship between Ryuzaki and Tokage. Being four years apart was just enough age difference to keep them from having the same peers; yet, they were just close enough retain an ongoing rivalry. While Ryuzaki usually kept the house in order when their mother was away, Tokage was going through a rather difficult phase. One that often involved temper tantrums and shrieking. Therefore, he took every possible opportunity to get away from her. Reasoning with an obnoxious pubescent girl was like explaining quantum physics to a brick.

As far as Haga was concerned, the girl was nothing more than a mere annoyance that came along with Ryuzaki. And he often spoke of her as such. But he could, nonetheless, stand her presence for however long was needed. There were also times when she came in handy, though they were few and far between.

"Eh… this flavor isn't really all that great." Haga frowned at his ice cream.

Ryuzaki looked over expectantly and casually opened his hand.

"Wait, you wanna…?"

The other cocked an eyebrow and nodded.

"Weirdo."

Haga had gotten used to the majority of Ryuzaki's quirks, most of which clashed with every cultural taboo known to Japan, but sharing ice cream was something he could never wrap his mind around. It didn't happen often, but every time caught him off-guard. He cringed inwardly and handed Ryuzaki the cone.

"No need in wasting it, right?" The dinosaur master grinned. "It's not like you've got any deadly diseases."

"You're so disgusting."

He slowly rolled his tongue over the cold, creamy goodness and sucked in a little through his lips, purposely making eye contact.

Haga made a face that clearly conveyed his lack of want. "Why the hell am I friends with you?"

Ryuzaki dipped a little further into the cone, accidentally getting a little smudge on his nose. Without a second thought, he extended his tongue and effortlessly licked it off. "Because I'm just that awesome?"

"Hold on."

"What?"

"Do that again."

"Oh, you mean this?" He stuck out his tongue and edged the tip dangerously close to entering one of his nostrils.

Haga felt torn between gawking at how absolutely nasty the display was and imagining what someone with a tongue that long might be able to do. "You're like a fucking lizard or something…"

"Yeah, that's what they tell me." Giggling slightly, Ryuzaki flicked his tongue out again and slurped up some more ice cream.

"Next time? We're getting cake instead."