The rays of the setting sun dressed the city in deep purples and soft oranges and reds. City lights were just turning on, casting a yellow glow on the streets blocked from the sun by tall business buildings and apartments. The streets were alive with a mixed crowd of citizens; people going to and from work, older couples going on a date night, younger people going to clubs, meeting up with friends, getting a bite to eat. With the blinding sun melting away and the winds dancing around, it was the ideal time to walk around.

GoGo sighed in satisfaction. Her midterms had gone well, she had finished designing a new prototype wheel for her bike, and the pieces she needed to build it would be coming in the next day. It was a great start to her weekend.

"Hey Leiko!"

At least, it was great until she heard those two words. GoGo bit her cheek. If she walked fast enough, she would lose the annoyance in the crowd of people.

"Leiko, it's me Eliot!"

At least, that was how it was supposed to work.

The voice was significantly closer, and a tap on her shoulder confirmed the proximity. GoGo groaned inwardly to herself. With great reluctance, she turned to face the annoyance that went by the name of Eliot. With any luck, he just had a question about the homework…that apparently couldn't wait till she had returned to campus.

"You have a question about the homework?" GoGo asked, her hope balancing on a precariously steep cliff.

"Nah, I already finished the homework." GoGo's hope took a stunning leap into the waves of the ocean and plummeted to the bottom of its murky depths. She violently chewed her gum.

"So why are you bothering me?"

Eliot let out a nervous laugh.

"I wanted to—well I was wondering if we could go on a date tonight?"

GoGo shifted her weight to one leg, and rested a hand on her hip. She lifted an eyebrow, her face screaming annoyed.

Eliot backpedaled, hoping to win over the girl.

"I-I mean I thought the first date went well, but we haven't talked since then so I thought we could catch up and maybe plan a second date…" Eliot scratched the back of his head, his eyes wandering to the side. "I mean, I know you're all about equality and stuff, that's why I thought we could plan the second date together and—"

GoGo blew a bubble, popped it with her teeth, and held out her hand in the universal sign 'stop.'

"First off, you're rambling, secondly, you're being assumptive, and thirdly that wasn't a date. It was me doing my good deed for the month by giving you an emergency ride to the hospital."

GoGo rolled her eyes and started walking again, passing mom and pop shops and small eateries. Eliot stumbled as he took long strides to reach her side again. GoGo ground her teeth together when she saw the annoyance still beside her. He was like a poor lost puppy, that was hoping to get adopted if he just showed he was a loyal enough pup.

GoGo stopped in front of a small ramen shop, the dim light leaking through the cloth hangings made her hair look like a darker version of the dyed streaks of her hair. Eliot looked at her hopefully.

"Look, Leiko. I know I'm a dork and I'm not as smart as you and your friends are, but would you give me a chance, please?"

As standoffish and cool as GoGo could be, she didn't take pleasure in hurting other people, emotionally or physically…unless they were chauvinistic pigs whose egos needed a good beating. Eliot by her standards was a nice guy, a bit oblivious and persistent, but an overall good guy. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Short, simple, to the point; a band aid quickly pulled away.

"Okay Eliot, here's the deal. I'm not interested, understand?"

Eliot chuckled good naturedly.

"Of course I understand why you're not interested; we hardly know each other. That's why I thought a second date, er, first date would be a great way to do that, to get to know each other."

GoGo mentally hit her head against a wall. Eliot was a nice guy, he really was, but man was he dense.

Seriously, could the guy not take a hint? Did his brain not understand non-scientific English words?

"Hey Hideki, can you give me a second serving?"

A noncommittal grunt was the response.

A lightbulb lit up GoGo's mind. A guy was there at the ramen cart behind her, and he didn't sound like a creepy old geezer. Yeah, he'd do.

"Eliot, what I mean by 'I'm not interested in you' is that I'm seeing someone. This person, actually." She grabbed the back of the customer's shirt and pulled the guy to her side, not even bothering to look at him.

"What the—ow!" GoGo had quickly shut up her victim by stepping on his foot. With her grip on his shirt still in place, she tried to sound believable.

"Oops, sorry. Um." The next sentence took all of GoGo's strength of will to ground out. "Hey love, would you explain to this nice person how we're in a relationship?"

She felt the guy's body gently shake with a chuckle. GoGo's eyes widened in surprise when the guy threw his arm around her shoulders. Her body stiffened automatically at the sudden contact but she quickly forced herself to relax.

"Sorry Eliot, but she's taken."

Eliot shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Oh sorry about pestering you then, Leiko."

Oh okay, so he only accepts my "no" if it's "no, I'm taken." Well alright then, at least he would leave her alone. GoGo violently chewed her gum, her eyes boring into the back of the retreating annoyance.

"Hey, you plan on letting up on your grip? Breathing's starting to become difficult."

GoGo immediately relinquished her strong grip on the guy's shirt.

"Whew, thanks GoGo, I can breathe again," he joked as his shirt's collar relaxed from its choking position around his neck.

"Sorry about that," GoGo muttered. "And thanks for—"

GoGo's head snapped to her other side to look up at the person she had grabbed and did a double take when she saw who it was.

"Tadashi?!"

Tadashi smirked, amused at seeing this rarely seen side of the speed demon.

"So, we're in a relationship?"

GoGo coughed and quickly composed herself.

"In your dreams, Hamada." She shrugged off his arm.

Tadashi put his hand over his heart.

"How did you know?"

GoGo nearly choked on her gum, a small blush creeping across her face. He dreams about her? Tadashi barked out a laugh, which was instantly reduced to chuckles when GoGo smacked his arm.

"I'm sorry GoGo," he chuckled. "It's just so rare to catch you off guard. I couldn't resist the opportunity to do it a second time!"

GoGo blew a bubble and popped it, clearly communicating her lack of amusement.

"Just know that I was only using you to get rid of an annoyance who doesn't understand the meaning of 'not interested.' And here I thought I was taking advantage of the forced kindness of a stranger who I would never see again."

Tadashi smiled.

"Well, since my kindness has been taken advantage of, would you let me take advantage of your kindness by letting me steal your attention for the rest of the evening?" At GoGo's silence, Tadashi quickly amended his invitation. "That is, if you're not busy and aren't completely repulsed by the idea."

Tadashi's heart skipped a beat when GoGo smiled, an eyebrow quirked up in question.

"So, what do you have in mind?"

A grin spread across Tadashi's face.

"Seeing as you literally tore me from my food, how does a conversation over ramen sound?"