Scene 5: Dates

After she dropped off her dress in Living Pod #109, Rini hopped on the tram. Her thoughts circled around Teiko and the mysterious Mr. Friendly, and she sighed.

Teiko was my date! she realized. Now I'm really screwed. I can't show up to the Moon Ball all alone tomorrow!

Ding! UPPER EDUCATION CENTER, read the destination board. Rini got off the tram and entered the mostly deserted school building.

Sanae said going with Donovich would be embarrassing, but it will be even more embarrassing to show up without anybody! Besides, he's my friend, and asking him would be way better than asking a stranger...

Rini walked the halls and poked her head in the Lab. It was deserted. She tried the library next.

No luck! Donovich is usually lurking around here somewhere. Ah-ha, there he is!

The pale, tall Donovich, with his mop of shaggy red hair, was pacing up and down in front of the gym's double doors.

"Hey-!" Rini started, but Donovich spun on his heel and entered the gym's swinging doors, leaving Rini alone in the empty hallway.

Where's he going? Rini walked over to the gym and cracked the door, sticking her head inside. Donovich was lingering by the pop-up bleachers, watching Kotori, who slammed her fists into a wooden practice dummy again and again.

"Hiiyah! Yaah! YAH!" Kotori's strike cries echoed off the grey, padded walls of the gym. She was alone, besides Donovich, who was now walking toward her, and Rini, who slunk in and ducked behind the bleachers.

"Huh-yah!" Kotori threw herself into a spinning back-kick, hitting the dummy so hard that Rini winced. Kotori paused, panting.

"K-Kotori?" Donovich's nervous voice cut the silence. Kotori calmly shifted her eyes from the dummy to Donovich.

"What?" she said.

"I, um, I brought you this," Donovich said, advancing closer and holding out a water bottle.

Kotori narrowed her eyes. She said, "Water?"

"It's water, but it's different, it's been fortified in the Lab for optimal osmosis and mineral replacement in athletes! It's, uh, I made it for you."

Kotori stared him down before grabbing her own water bottle and taking a long sip.

"Well," Donovich said in the silence, "it's for you, so I'll just leave it over here, then."

"Okay," said Kotori. She turned her focus back on the dummy, shaking out her fists and checking her stance.

"Look, Kotori, I was hoping to ask you…" Donovich struggled to find words as Kotori began to practice agility, peppering the dummy with light, quick taps. He cleared his throat, took a bold step closer and said loudly,

"Kotori, will you go to the Moon Ball with me?"

What! Rini thought.

Kotori stopped training to stare Donovich down again.

He can't be serious! Rini thought, leaning forward from her hiding spot.

"You can't be serious," said Kotori.

Donovich's face was the same shade as his hair, but he boldly went on, "I know I haven't made a very good impression on you, Kotori, but let me make up for that. Let me escort you to the Moon Ball. I promise to make it a good night."

"You creep me out," Kotori said bluntly.

Ouch, thought Rini. To his credit, Donovich continued,

"I don't always know what to say or how to act. I know science, Kotori, that's what I'm good at! I won the science faire, but it didn't mean that much to me. Going to the Moon Ball with you would mean everything."

That's kinda sweet, Rini had to admit.

"Look," Donovich continued, "I just want to get to know you, as a friend. We grew up on this Moon Base together. We both won our respective categories at the Moon Festival. This could be our last chance to hang out before Placement. Please?"

When she continued to be silent, Donovich said, "I know you've probably been asked to the Ball by like 10 guys already, I just thought-"

"Actually," Kotori cut him off, "nobody's asked me. Only you."

Donovich couldn't hide his grin as he said, "That's probably because everybody is terrified of you." Kotori fixed him with a glare so icy that even Rini shivered. But then, slowly, Kotori smiled too, and very quietly laughed.

Did Kotori just...giggle? Rini gaped.

"That's probably true," said Kotori. "I suppose that makes you less of a wuss than I thought."

"So does that mean you'll go with me?"

Kotori gave him another hard stare before she said, "Okay, but as colleagues-"

"Friends?"

"As fellow champions, yes, I suppose we can go together."

"Yes!"

"But don't be a creep, and don't make me regret this."

"I won't, you won't, I-yes!" Donovich was grinning ear-to-ear.

I don't believe it! thought Rini.

"I have a lot of training to get to," Kotori said, switching her attention back to her wooden practice dummy.

"Oh-okay," Donovich stammered, backing out of the gym. "Tomorrow, then?"

"Yup," Kotori nodded, returning to her quick, feather-light blows.

"Okay, see you tomorrow night then!" Donovich called, stumbling over his feet as he tried to keep watching her, even as he left. "Okay! Bye!"

He didn't notice Rini, slumped up against the bleachers, as he left.

Good for him, Rini thought, watching as he punched the air with glee and began to whistle, heading off down the hall. I've never seen him so happy...sucks for me, though, who the hell am I suppost to go with now?

Rini returned her focus to Kotori. I really didn't expect that. Why would she say yes to Donovich if she's dating Masaru?

Buzzz! Buzzz!

Rini squawked as her phone began to vibrate, interrupting her thoughts. She fumbled trying to answer it, the phone clattering to the floor.

"Damn!" she muttered.

"Is somebody there?" came Kotori's voice. Rini snatched up her phone before easing out of the gym's door and back into the hallway. She pushed the answer button.

"What!" she demanded in a loud whisper, hurrying away from the gym.

"Rini, where are you?" asked Sanae's voice.

"The Education Center, Sanae, why-?"

"Great!" Sanae cut her off. "Look, I need a special soldering tool to help me fix D.D. Can you swing by the mechanics department and smuggle it out for me?"

"I suppose."

"Cool, it'll be in classroom M5. Grab the smallest one you can find and bring it by when you come back to Teiko's tonight."

"Okay."

"Thanks, Rini, bye!"

Rini clicked the 'end call' button and continued down the hall, where it turned to the right before leading to the mechanics department.

The department had it's own wing on the east side of the school. She scanned her student identification at the heavy double doors, which beeped and parted, allowing her to enter. The open space before her was filled with work benches and the projects the mechanics students were working on, which was everything from robots to spaceships. Closed classroom doors lined the open area on both sides.

Rini walked through the space, her footsteps echoing on the concrete. There was a handful of mechanics students throughout the room, and the sounds of their talking and tinkering echoed around the high-ceilinged room as well.

Rini located the classroom marked M5 and entered. There was one other person already in the room.

"Masaru!" Rini blurted out his name in surprise, causing Masaru to fumble and drop whatever he had been working on. Rini felt her cheeks turned bright pink.

"Rini, hey!" he said, smiling and picking up his project. "You surprised me!"

"Ah, sorry," Rini said. She wanted to shut the door and run away, but she was already inside…

"I didn't expect anybody to be in here today," she said.

"Me neither," Masaru said with a light laugh. "Especially you! I don't remember you being interested in mechanics."

Rini took a quiet, deep breath, slowing her rapid heart rate before countering, "And I don't remember non-students being allowed in this department."

"You caught me," Masaru said, putting his hands up playfully. "A few students who remembered me from last year let me in. I just needed a few tools."

Rini walked closer, peeking at his project. It looked like the dissembled parts of a gun. A can of pink spray paint sat next to his toolbox.

"What is that?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he said, casually sliding the larger pieces from view. "Just a gift I'm working on for someone special."

"Someone special?" said Rini, now heading toward the cabinet to search for the soldering tool Sanae had described. "Is it for your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Rini kept her voice casual. "Your girlfriend, Kotori."

"She's not…it's not like that."

Rini shrugged, making a show of looking through the available tools. "You two were making out after one of her fights."

"Oh, you saw that, huh?"

"Half the arena saw it!" Rini said. She glanced over her shoulder at Masaru, whose cheeks had turned a deep shade of red. She added, a little more gently, "I guess I just assumed you two were together."

"Yeah, I actually did, too," Masaru said. After a pause he continued, "Kotori and I…We had something before I left for Mars last year. It wasn't a real relationship, I know that now, but we liked each other. When I got back, I tried to pick up where we left off but…well, she made it very clear that she's not interested in me anymore."

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be."

"-for prying. It's really none of my business."

"It's okay." Masaru gave her a little smile. "I'm over it."

Rini returned his smile before continuing her search. She had just located the soldering tool when Masaru began to talk again.

"I heard you and Teiko won second place in the science faire," he said. "Congrats, Rini!"

"Thanks," she said, discreetly placing the soldering tool in her backpack and standing to leave.

"It's really cool how all the participants are invited to the Moon Ball this year. You'll love it, Rini, you'll get to meet so many people from other planets."

"Yeah?"

"So who's the lucky punk that gets to take you?"

"Oh." Rini's stomach dropped. "I…" she cleared her throat. "I, well, I've been so busy that, umm, I haven't really had time to, um, think about who I would want to go with."

Masaru raised his dark eyebrows. "Lots of options, then?" he asked.

Rini could feel the heat rising in her face. She said, "Not really. I-I haven't been asked yet."

"No way!"

Rini's face was burning now.

"Sorry…" Masaru looked embarrassed as well. "I just can't believe-" he cut himself off with a vicious shake of his head. Then he looked at Rini and said, "Rini, I'd love to go to the Moon Ball with you."

Oh. Goddesses. "You don't…have to ask me," muttered Rini. He feels bad for me. This is the worst day of my life!

As though he could read her thoughts, Masaru said, "It's not like that. I really like you, Rini!"

"Masaru…"

"I've always liked you! You're my best friend's little sister!"

Ouch. And the moment's passed.

"I went to the Moon Ball last year with all the other top fighters who got drafted for the Red War," Masaru continued. "It would be fun to go with a pretty lady this year!"

Rini sighed. She said, "Kotori will be there, won't that be weird for you?"

"I meant it when I said I'm over her. Now c'mon, Rini, let me go with you. Please? Unless of course you had somebody else in mind?"

"Not...really."

"Then how about it? Can I be your date?"

"Um," Rini's heart was racing, "sure, Masaru."

"Alright!" Masaru grinned and winked at her. "I'll be the perfect gentleman, you'll see."

"I…," Rini took a step toward the door, "I have to get going."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then, at your living pod."

"It starts at 7."

"I'll be there by 6:30, Rini. Can't wait." He flashed her that white-toothed grin.

Rini struggled to remain cool. She said, "Okay, see you then."

"See ya."

Rini hurried outside. Her knees were weak and it was all she could do to keep from melting into a puddle once the classroom door had closed. She willed herself to walk on through the mechanics department. Her face was hot and her cheeks pulsed in time to her racing heart. Dozens of different thoughts chased their way around her head, making her dizzy.

I have a date!

Yeah, a pity date.

But it's still a date! A date to the Moon Ball...and it's with Masaru!

Isn't this what I've always wanted?

Kind of, but not like this...

So what! What else was I expecting? A date's a date, and it's MASARU!

He kind of treats you like a little sister though...

But he said he likes me!

I don't think it's in the same way that I like him...

Rini's thoughts continued to nag as she found her way back to the tram and rode it toward the living pods.

Focus! she demanded of herself as she neared Teiko's. There will be so much more at stake tomorrow than your relationship with Masaru! And for the first time, Rini was slightly grateful for the distraction of mysterious danger and lurking evil.