Chapter Four:

Rae was seated in her office looking over some divorce papers for a mediation project she was working on. She crossed out a section knowing no one would agree. She made some quick notes before standing up. Rae left her office and looked Sora as he typed away at his desk.

Sora looked up and groaned. "You want some changes done?" he asked. He took the stack of papers and started looking at them. He looked up at Rae and smiled. "You're great, but sometimes you're to persnickety."

"The Joint Custody Clause is vague and demanding. Mr. and Mrs. Nakumura won't agree when it comes to Akiko's living arrangements. Just word it differently and we shouldn't have a problem getting to an agreement," Rae explained. After all, this was her area of expertise.

"Why is there always paperwork?" Sora asked sadly.

"The law is all paperwork. That's the way it works. If it was easy, everyone could be a lawyer."

"But you're a mediator," Sora pointed out.

"I'm still a lawyer; I just handle mediation instead of backdoor settlements and opening remarks in a courtroom. I could be a lawyer, but this is just better. I still need to know the law. I don't need my settlements to break the law," Rae smiled.

"When's your date with Morinozuka-san?" Sora asked.

Rae blushed. She wasn't one to date. She had in the past, but not often and they were never special. Her time was spent dealing with homework back when she was in school, and now she spent the days at work and her night at home relaxing. "It's tonight," she answered. "He's picking me up from my condo."

"Do you think it's going to go somewhere?" Sora asked with a devilish grin.

Rae started making her way back to her office as her blush grew. "I don't know."

0o0o0o0

Later that day Rae entered her condo to see her younger brother seated at her kitchen bar. "Shinji, what are you doing here?"

Shinji looked at the table. "You can't date him," he said.

"Excuse me?" Rae asked as she set her bag down on the foyer entry table.

"You can't date Takashi Morinozuka," Shinji stated firmly. His fists were clenched tightly. As he glared daggers into the table.

Rae raised an eyebrow. "Please, do share this piece of insight because I did not just hear my little brother tell me who I could date," she asked coldly. She never took orders well.

Shinji jumped off his stool. "You can't date him! Everyone will think that I didn't earn my Dan level!" he shouted.

"Dan level. I didn't know who Takashi Morinozuka was until I fell on the man. You earned your advancement," Rae argued. "I'm sorry, but I'll date Takashi Morinozuka if I want to."

"What about my next Dan?" Shinji asked as his voice rose.

"That's a few years away. Who's to say that I'll still be dating him," Rae said as she crossed her arms. "Are you staying here tonight?" she asked changing the topic.

"Yes, I'm going to make sure you don't do anything with him," Shinji stated.

Rae rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm going to go get ready. Order something for dinner and get your homework done. If you try to sabotage this date, I'll kill you. So will Ren and our parents. So plan your attacks wisely. This is not a fight you can win." She turned on her heel quickly and stalked away.

"I don't like this!" Shinji yelled as Rae made her way down a hall to her room.

"Tough!"

0o0o0o0

Takashi knocked on Rae's front door five minutes before eight. He was in light brown slacks and a cream sweater. His brown loafers were well polished. He needed to be a proper gentleman, so he arrived early and the doorman let him up with Rae's permission.

The door opened and Takashi found himself staring at Rae's younger brother Shinji. Shinji was staring at him blandly.

"Shinji, let him in," Rae called from somewhere in the condo.

"Please," Shinji said sarcastically. "Do come in." his tone was breathy as he moved out of the way.

"Shinji apologize," Rae scolded. She came out of the hall in a cotton baby blue dress and a matching sweater. She was putting on a pair of blue crystal dangle earrings. "Good evening Morinozuka-san."

Takashi gave a gentle smile and nodded. He liked the dress and Rae's hair. She had curled it slightly to fall on her shoulders in loose ringlets.

"Ignore my brother," Rae stated simply. "He thinks this is a bad idea, and I told him that I don't care what he thinks."

Takashi blinked and looked around Rae's condo. It was very clean and classic with its simple colors and shapes. He looked at Shinji and smiled reassuringly. At least he hoped it was reassuring. He could understand the high schooler's worry. If Rae and Takashi continued to date after tonight, then people might think that Shinji was garnering favor with the Morinozuka family.

"Shall we go?" Rae asked.

Takashi nodded and watched Rae stuff her keys and money into a small bag. She pulled the stings closed and tied the bag off. She smiled up at him. "Ready?"

Rae ruffled Shinji's hair playfully. "I'll be home later. Don't destroy my house."

"No promises," Shinji grumbled as he closed the door.

0o0o0o0

Takashi and Rae sat awkwardly in a French restaurant. Neither were particularly made for dating. That much was clear. Rae looked at the meager portion before her. She hated small meals. She had a high metabolism and she needed more than a handful of food. However, she didn't want to be rude after Takashi stated that he was paying.

"Do you want something else?" Takashi asked.

Rae's eyes widened. "No," she said quickly. "It's fine really. It's good too."

Takashi was about to motion for the check when Rae reached forward. She placed her two small hands on top of his larger one. This made Takashi freeze as he stared at her.

"Morinozuka-san," Rae began. "Don't. This is great. Really."

She pushed his hand down onto the table as she backed up. She blushed slightly and pulled her hands away. She pushed her hair behind her ears. "How's school?" she asked. Small talk got a girl everywhere.

Takashi smiled. "Good. I had an exam today."

"How do you think you did?" Rae asked.

"Well."

Rae sheepishly looked at the napkin in her lap as she messed with it. "What are you studying?"

"Jurisprudence."

Rae brightened up and she lifted her gaze to meet his "Really? You want to be a lawyer?"

"To help my family," Takashi said.

"Oh," Rae's shoulders sagged slightly. So he wouldn't be a full time lawyer. "Well, at least I'll have another friend who's interested in law." She picked at her nails under the table. She smiled at him and started to eat.

Later that night Rae and Takashi exited the elevator, and Takashi, being the gentleman that he was, was going to walk Rae to her door to say good night. Tamaki would have a fit if he didn't.

Rae stopped in front of her door. "Tonight was great Morinozuka-san," she said.

"Takashi," the heir said as he smiled.

"What?" Rae asked.

"Call me Takashi."

Rae paused as she processed this. She smiled and placed a hand on Takashi's arm. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for distracting me from the chaos of work," she whispered in his ear with a smile.

After Rae was safely locked in her home, Takashi reached up and touched his cheek. He smiled widely and made his way back to the elevator. He would have to talk to Mitsukuni about all of this. Then he would have to plan a second date with Rae Miyagi.