Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 File 1: Dominant Species
Part 1: "Stripes in the Jungle"
Chapter 5: Motivation
by P. Kristen Enos (bgcpost2040@aol.com)
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A Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 English Dub Version Fanfic. All rights belong to AIC, ADV Films and the other creative powers that be. I just want credit for writing the story. Contains spoilers! Rated PG13. Yuri warning! Nothing in here should be a shock if you've watched the episodes and paid attention. All I'm doing is filling in the gaps with my own interpretation of events! Special thanks to egret for betaing!
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With the wheeze of each breath, a sweat drenched Sho Yamada watched every painful second pass by before the digital timer finally reached the twenty minutes mark.
"At last!" he declared as he hit the stop button and wearily leaned against the rails of the treadmill, not hiding his fight for breath.
"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't do a cold stop after a cardiovascular workout?!" his physical trainer declared as she forcefully pushed the start button but quickly adjusted it for a lower speed "You need to cool down just like you warmed up!"
He let out a groan but continued to move his legs at the machine's prompting. "You are a cruel woman, Irene Chen!" he muttered, giving her a death glare.
She smiled sweetly and said, "You were the one who walked in here five months ago because you were feeling cooped up in your lab all day long. I am just doing what you're asking of me. And you are improving despite yourself. You haven't done a complete collapse in a while." Then she added with a lower a voice and a sultry tone, "Of course, my personal incentive is that I'm working on building your stamina for our honeymoon. And I'm telling you right now that twenty minutes is not going to cut it."
The man suddenly brightened at the thought and proceeded to continue his walk with a much more enthusiastic attitude.
Seeing that this battle was won for the moment, Irene took a step back and glanced around the gym. After working there for five years, she made it her habit to greet all of the regulars and get to know new faces. Since it was late night, when the peak of the after work crowd had already subsided, the people usually left at this time were the die-hards, people who had really weird work schedules, or people who had no lives.
It was then when she noticed an unfamiliar woman step out of the locker room and move over to one of the bicycle machines, apparently starting her workout for the evening. Irene narrowed her eyes at the woman because she couldn't shake the feeling she had seen her somewhere before. Dressed in a tank top and shorts, the stranger was clearly not a new to work outs given her lean, athletic build. She was pretty with light brown hair that was styled in a short but cute boyish cut.
Then it clicked where Irene had seen her before.
"Excuse me a moment, Dear. I think I know that woman."
"Well, I'm hitting the sauna after this."
"Take your time," she answered as they gave each other a quick parting kiss.
Irene walked over to the obliviously peddling woman and called out, "Linna Yamazaki?"
The woman in question almost jumped off the bike in surprise, whirling around at the break in her concentration. Seeing who spoke to her, she narrowed her eyes a bit and guessed, "Irene?"
"It is you!" the physical trainer declared happily, rushing up to the woman for a hug. "I almost didn't recognize you because of your hair style."
Linna blushed and ran her hand through her hair. "I just got it cut yesterday. I needed a change."
"It looks really good! In fact you look really good!" Irene declared as she blatantly assessed the embarrassed woman from head to toe. "When did you move back to Tokyo?"
"Last week. This is my first night I've been able to come in and work out since I've been dealing with moving and my job transfer."
"Are you still working at Hugh Geit?"
Linna nodded sheepishly. "Still an O.L."
"I'm telling you, just say the word and I'll get you a job here. You're a natural athlete. You shouldn't be rotting behind a desk."
Linna shrugged. "I come to the gym to relieve stress from the rest of the world. I don't want to work here too. -- Hey, is that an engagement ring?"
"Yep," Irene declared as she held up her hand proudly. "It's from that well-worn man on the treadmill over there."
Linna looked and reacted with some surprise. "He looks...different from your previous boyfriends."
"I guess it was just fate that made me realized that sweetness of heart didn't need to be packaged in rippling muscles."
"Well, congratulations. When's the big date?"
"End of the next month. In fact, drop off your new address in my inbox at the front desk and I'll send you an invite!" Irene paused a moment and then asked, "So are you seeing anyone these days?"
Linna blushed even harder as she admitted, "No. Still haven't met anyone interesting. A couple of dates when I was Osaka but that's it."
"Girlfriend, I can hook you up with some really eligible catches here. The quality in men has increased dramatically since you left."
"Um, well, may be some other time. Right now I'm just focused on settling back in Tokyo," Linna answered quickly as she started to peddle her bike to resume her workout.
Irene stared at her for a moment, as if mentally assessing the other woman's words and actions. Then a flicker of something deeper passed across her face as she smiled once again.
"I'm having a bridal shower-slash-bachelorette party Saturday.I'd like you to come if you're free," Irene said. "You'll know some people from the gym, like Cynthia and Naoko, so you won't be a complete stranger." Then as if she was struck by an after thought, she added, "And you'll finally get to meet my sister Reika. She's staying with our parents for the next month to help with the wedding."
"I'd like to come," Linna said genuinely. "I'm also glad there's no pressure to bring a date for this."
"Oh no. Girls only!" Irene emphasized. "And you better not skip out like you've done to some of my other parties, or I'll send my big sister after you!"
Linna laughed in response to the tease. "I promise I'll show!"
"Good! I'll talk to you later," Irene said as she finally walked away, looking incredibly pleased for some reason.
Linna noticed the reaction but just shrugged it off as unimportant while she continued to peddle away.
The reaction everyone was having to her job was really starting to bother her. She had originally came to Tokyo to become a Knight Saber. The office lady position was just a public reason as well as something to pay the bills. However, now that there wasn't a need to don hard suits anymore, her own personal dissatisfaction with her job had increased, and everyone's comments weren't helping. And it wasn't as if she had any other hobbies to pursue in her off time that would either make the work hours sacrifice worthwhile, or could be turned into a career in and of itself.
Or did she?
Irene's offer burned in her mind. Could she really be happy working in a gym?
Of course, anything would be an improvement to being an O.L., given that her new boss was just as lecherous as her previous ones in Tokyo. Luckily her boss in Osaka had left her alone in that area. She was sure his disinterest was connected to the rumors that he was gay, although she had never confronted him about it.
Then Linna remembered the judo classes she took at her gym in Osaka. Her attendance was more a lark than anything serious, merely going along with some of her work out buddies because they were drooling over the male instructor. She had stopped going because she was struck down by a flu and had lost interest by the time she finally recovered.
Still, it was one of the more interesting ways she spent her time.
Suddenly enthused, Linna mulled over that thought as she peddled a little faster.
-- End Chapter 5 --
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Special Author's Note: I've decided to try an experiment by using the Private Forum feature and allow for a public discussion (with occasional input from me) on this series: update notification, discuss what's currently going on, and explore ideas for future stories. Interested? Go
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