AN: Well, since this fandom is pretty much my personal playground now (sad as that sounds), thought I'd take a stab at posting something longer than a one-shot. Although this is set post-movie, and could be considered canon-compliant as of now, if there's ever another season (which I think is possible), I'm sure it will be horribly contradicted, so I'm considering it a canon-divergent AU. I just love this ship, and while it probably will never happen in canon, it's fun to write anyway.

A note pertaining to this particular chapter. First Kitchen (which is Wendys in Japan) did an actual Drive Head promotion. They really gave out coloring pages, but I changed it to toys here. I don't know if the chain exists for real in the Drive Head universe, but I felt like throwing it in.

Ch1-

It was recently announced that First Kitchen was having a Drive Head promotion. It was a simple fast food restaurant for families. Nothing gourmet on the menu. But if you ordered a kids meal during a limited period, you would get a Drive Head toy. That was the extent of how popular and beloved the Drive Heads were with the people of Japan, especially their hometown of Bayfront City.

Well, there was no rule that one had to be a child to order the kids meal. Even if there was, that wasn't going to stop Sasagawa from trying. During lunch break on the first day of the promotion, she was relieved to find that there were no sudden disasters occurring that required her attention, so she rushed to the nearest restaurant.

"White Crystal Hope?" She sighed. The toy she got was random. Well, White Crystal Hope was still nice, but it wasn't Cyclone Interceptor.

'Oh well. I'll just order another.' It was fine in theory, but the line was already quite long, there being many kids excited over the promotion, and it was a day when schools were closed. She would have to get back to work eventually. Sasagawa didn't suppose anyone who had gotten Cyclone wanted to trade with her. But maybe if she was lucky. She looked around the restaurant, where families were already sitting at tables. It was extremely crowded. There probably wasn't even an empty table for her to sit at, as is.

It was then when she spotted something which was completely unexpected. At one table for four, near the corner wall and a bit out of sight, some familiar people were sitting. There was an empty seat, even, because only three were in use.

Sasagawa was so excited that for a moment, she lost interest in collecting Drive Head toys. She rushed over to see them.

"Dr. Karigari! What are you doing here?" Her hands were clasped together and her face lit up. What, indeed, was he doing there, though? Certainly he wasn't interested in Drive Head toys. And, she couldn't imagine he particularly cared for fast food. So, was there some larger purpose?

"…Miss…" Karigari could only stare at her in disbelief for a moment. He hadn't expected to encounter her any more than she'd expected to encounter him. For a moment though, practicality overwrote his intense shock. "Could you please not announce my presence here?"

It was rather noisy, and probably no one was paying any attention. But still, he was a wanted criminal out in public.

"Uh… I'm sorry," Sasagawa replied. She knew she shouldn't have, and she felt a little bad about it..

"It's fine," Karigari replied. Even though he was barely looking up at her, he could tell that she was troubled.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Sasagawa asked. Just looking at Karigari and his subordinates, there was a lot she wanted to ask. Aside from the mystery of why they were there to begin with, the biggest twist was that Yusuke and Akira looked normal for the first time in months.

"Go ahead," Yusuke answered before Karigari even could.

"Thank you," said Sasagawa. She sat next to Karigari, who was alone on one side of the table. She didn't notice how flustered Karigari was, her gaze still focused on his subordinates.

"It's so great to be able to eat here again," Akira said. He and Yusuke had a large plate of burgers in front of them, which they were downing.

"How did you eat before?" Sasagawa wondered. They had bodies, but their heads weren't attached. Certainly, they had to get nourishment from somewhere though, or they would die. At least she thought so. She wasn't sure how being beheaded worked.

"Eh… it wasn't fun," Yusuke replied. "But now that Doctor finally got our heads fixed, he said we could have a real meal. And this is great!"

"I'm glad," Sasagawa replied. Well, at least it was starting to make sense to her.

"Apparently, their idea of a real meal is cheap and unhealthy fast food," Karigari spoke. The disdain in his voice made it obvious he was not in agreement.

"But it tastes so good," Yusuke replied.

"Yeah," Akira agreed.

"I guess so," Sasagawa said. She realized she hadn't even eaten any of her food. It was going to get cold. And while she didn't mind fast food, she didn't particularly want it anyway. "You can have mine too if you like," she offered.

"Really?" Akira asked. He was about to grab for it, but Yusuke stopped him.

"You can't take it. That's hers."

"It's fine," Sasagawa replied. "I only came for Drive Head. And I didn't get Cyclone anyway." She frowned.

"Okay, good," said Akira, who proceeded to take her burger.

"Drive Head…" Karigari muttered. He couldn't say the words without twitching. "I expected as much. I did believe you had finer taste in food than this dump, Miss."

"Umm… well… it's not my favorite," Sasagawa replied. "But it isn't that terrible."

"Doctor just wanted to go out for steak," Akira said. "But this is more fun."

Sasagawa smiled.

"But you went here because you wanted to make your subordinates happy. That's really nice of you."

Karigari turned his head away from her, trying to cover up how much of a wreck he probably looked like. He hated to admit that her compliments could destroy him from elation on the spot. And he was embarrassed by the situation to begin with.

Sasagawa tilted her head.

"Are you alright, Dr. Karigari?" That he was being so quiet and distant was a little disappointing to her. They had been talking a bit more than usual recently, mostly by e-mail but occasionally in person. Yet, Karigari still had a tendency to avoid her. She knew he was rather awkward and always preoccupied. She found that rather endearing. But still, she couldn't help but wonder if she was a bother to him.

"Yes. Fine," he answered. If he could, he would have ran away immediately. Which was stupid of him, he knew. And he was supposed to be a genius. But had he been given time to prepare for meeting Miss, maybe he would know what to say and do. Although, probably not, he realized. He was utterly hopeless around her. He knew he should really just savor this chance encounter, even if the setting was as uncivilized as could be.

"That's good," Sasagawa replied. She wasn't entirely sure if he'd meant it, but there was no point in prodding too much. She'd have to just take his answer at face value. But, well… before she had to run off and go back to work, she wanted to talk with him a little more.

"By the way, you didn't happen to get any kids meals, did you?" Okay, so talking about Drive Head wasn't the best idea, but it was the first thought that came to her mind, looking at all the food they'd collectively ordered.

"Nah," Yusuke said. "We wanted the biggest portions."

"I guess so," Sasagwa replied. "But if you ever get a Cyclone Interceptor, could I please have it?"

"Sure," replied Yusuke. "What would we do with it?"

"I could get you one right now if you'd like," Karigari spoke.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her whole face glowing with happiness. "But… do you really want to wait on that line?"

"If you wish it," he answered. For her reaction, it was worth a hellish line. "Alternatively, I could just send them."

"Hey! We're still eating!" Akira exclaimed. Both looked unhappy with the request.

"It's okay," Sasagawa replied. "I can come back another day. But… I can't wait to have that Cyclone toy! It looks like the new Force Field Mode. Have you seen it?! My Cyclone had a blue glow! It's never been cooler!"

"I've certainly seen it," Karigari replied. Even more up-close than she'd seen it, being the one who actually developed the Force Field Mode. "For once, it's something I consider worthy."

"You like it?" Sasagawa wondered. Of course she adored it, but that was a surprise, coming from Karigari who hated the Mobile Rescue Police.

"It's work of my caliber," he answered. He wanted to explain to her that he was the one who made it. He knew it would please her. But at the same time, he felt it wasn't worth it. He didn't want her to care only because he worked on her precious Cyclone. Really, he understood that Sasagawa loved Drive Head way more than she cared about him, but he liked to delude himself that this wasn't the case. It was a double-edged sword.

Well, Karigari certainly didn't regret what he'd done with Cyclone. He'd gotten ample revenge on the Mobile Rescue Police, who obviously couldn't have saved the world without him. And, he'd made Sasagawa happier in the process.

"I thought so too!" Sasagawa exclaimed, much to Karigari's surprise. "When my Cyclone rushed in, and defeated that mysterious giant monster, it was like nothing I've seen before. That was the sort of miracle you could pull off."

"That wasn't a giant monster, you know," Karigari said. Asserting his knowledge was the only way he could think to react.

"What was it?" Sasagawa wondered.

"An android," Karigari replied. "Well, it was at the time. Before that, it was an AI, who was threatening to destroy mankind." He folded his arms. "It's a long and complicated story. One best not discussed around so many people. But if we were to go some place more private, I could explain the secret to you."

"But I want to know now," Sasagawa replied. "How did you find all this out? Have you known about this for a long time?"

"I told you, Miss, it's extremely confidential. That's why even the Mobile Rescue Police have been covering up the truth for months. Although I suppose they might reveal it sooner or later. I'll let you know before then, however…"

"Sure," Sasagawa interrupted. "Why don't we go to the steak restaurant like you wanted? Or is that also too public? But it can't be today. I'd better get back to work soon. When are you free?"

Karigari held out his finger, signaling for her to stop talking a mile a minute and let him think.

"It should be more quiet there," Karigari answered. "But there may not be a truly private place in this world. Even one of my hideouts was exposed, a mere casualty in achieving my revenge. Of course, I have another in the works."

"Really? Where?" Akira asked.

"I can't announce that here," Karigari said, annoyed.

"I'd love to see your new hideout!" Sasagawa exclaimed.

"Perhaps one day you will," Karigari answered. "As for when and where we should meet, I'll have to get back to you on that."

"Alright," Sasagawa said, though she was rather disappointed. And not just because she wanted to learn Karigari's secrets. "Are you busy?"

"Always," Karigari replied. "Busy with building my new hideout, for one." The truth was that his mind was working double just to process the fact that Sasagawa wanted to meet him in private, and even suggested going to a nice restaurant like he wanted. If not for the fact that he was a genius, he wasn't sure he could ever process that. "I'll certainly make time for you, Miss," he added. "I just need to keep my schedule flexible. And if we were to make plans in this public place, who knows who might overhear?"

It looked like mostly kids and their families, who were minding their own business. But Sasagawa supposed that wanted criminals had to be careful.

"Sure," she answered. "But please let me know. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again." It was always a highlight of her day, and this day was no exception. When she got back to work, she knew she'd still be in a good mood, even though she never managed to get her new Cyclone toy.

Sasagawa placed the White Crystal Hope toy down on her desk. She had to quickly check e-mails to make sure nothing important had came up while she was away. But she doubted it, as no one had called her directly.

Moments later, she was approached by Unai.

"Sempai, did you get Cyclone Interceptor?" Unai asked.

"No," Sasagawa replied. "But I definitely will tomorrow."

"Oh," Unai replied, surprised. "I thought you did for sure, given how content you look."

Sasagawa shook her head.

"Actually, I met a friend by chance."

"You mean Dr. Karigari?" Unai wondered.

"Uh…" Sasagawa's first instinct was to deny it. But she realized how transparent that would seem when all she could do was gape at first. "Do I make it that obvious?" she asked softly.

"Well, ever since he came back to the city, you've been talking about him a lot," Unai said.

Sasagawa supposed that was true. Of course, when she had to keep it a secret that he was still alive for months, she tried her best not to mention him at all. Although it still wasn't entirely public knowledge that Karigari was around, she was relieved to be able to at least mention him around her friends now. Of course, casually talking about a wanted criminal was pretty bizarre, especially in a positive light. She did acknowledge that and still tried not to go overboard. But, she probably wasn't the best at not gushing about the things that meant a lot to her.

"Is he plotting anything?" Unai wondered.

"I don't think so," Sasagawa replied. He did mention something about his revenge at the restaurant, but in past tense. Of course, she hoped he was done with all of that. It had been a long time since he'd done anything dangerous that she had known about. But she'd be lying if in the back of her head, she didn't worry at all about him doing something wrong.

"It's just odd that he hasn't made a move in so long, if he really was alive," Unai said. "But, if you don't think he would, then I believe you, Sempai."

"I know," Sasagawa replied. "But, Dr. Karigari definitely isn't a bad person. I trust him." She had to trust him. Since the day they met, he proved that he didn't really want to hurt anyone. And then he saved her life, twice. He nearly died to save the entire world from that strange threat at the Tower of Babel, and in the process lost his eye and hand, and almost the lives of his important subordinates. As complicated a person as Karigari was, he was a truly admirable hero.

"Sasagawa!" One of her higher-ups came into the room, seemingly quite concerned.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Hurricane force winds have been hitting parts of the city," he spoke. "Already, it's shaping into a disaster. You need to head there right now."

"I understand," she replied. Hurricanes, though? That was pretty weird, when she thought about it. It was sunny just before, and the weather had only been calling for more sun all week. Well, it wasn't really out of season, and disasters always happened in Bayfront City. Fortunately, they had Team Drive Head to make sure everyone was rescued during those disasters. She was positive that they would soon be arriving on the scene as well, and that naturally excited her. She couldn't get her new toy of Force Field Mode Cyclone, but at least she could watch the real deal.

As instructed, Sasagawa headed out to the coordinates by helicopter.