"Keep it down, ya hooligan!!"
I snapped out of my slumber as the screeching voice of Shera, my landlord, echoed throughout the apartment complex. She was – to say the least – losing her grip to old age.
"I'm not being noisy!" I countered and stomped on the floor for emphasis. The image of the insane old lady covered in dust was too appealing.
"I'm warnin' ya. If I hear any more of that Limpy Biscuit today, youse sorry ass is outta here!" came the annoying woman.
"That's from Jame's room, not mine!" I yelled. "Leave me alone!"
"Oh, this is goin' to ya monthly bill, it is!" was the last I heard from her.
"Great, can my life get any better?" I wondered aloud.
As if on cue, the telephone came to life.
"Domon? Domon?" asked a male falsetto voice.
I groaned aloud. Two weeks ago, a close friend of mine thought it would be amusing to screw with my intercom system. And what could be more annoying than hearing that obnoxious voice calling my name like a broken record?
"OKAY!! Audio on, visual off!"
The intercom 'beep'ed and a light female voice replaced that of the high-pitch intercom.
"Domon? This is Erica Valentine. I believe we met at the New Years party?"
I frowned. 'New Years party?' I mouthed as I drew a blank. In truth, I had one too many alcoholic beverages that night.
'Maybe it's a woman carrying your love child,' my conscience teased.
"That must be one hell of a kid I have, if he only spent three months in his mother's womb," I countered aloud.
"Excuse me?" Erica asked through the intercom.
"Uh, nothing!" I mentally slapped myself. "Sorry, come on up. I'll buzz you in."
After frantically excavating my clothes from the mounds of junk on the floor, I ran into my bathroom to brush my teeth. By the time I was done, Miss Valentine had already knocked numerous times.
"Sorry," I apologized as I undid the locks and flung the door open.
"Hi. Mr. Kasshu, right?" I nodded dumbly. "Don't know who I am, do you? It's okay," she added hurriedly as I began to panic. "I didn't expect you to. I am Mr. Asia's assistant."
"Master Asia?" That brought a smile to my face. "How is he?"
"Umm…" She looked around uncomfortably.
"How rude of me, please come in," I invited as I realized that we were more or less conversing in the hallway. "Now," I started as I offered the young woman a seat. "How's Master Asia?"
"He…passed on," she answered, her response came in the form of a whisper.
"What?! How? When?" Unbeknownst I was on my feet staring down at the frightened woman. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. "What happened?"
"Unknown causes."
"Oh…" I stared at the ground for a moment. "Just like Dragon…"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking about a martial artist of the 1970's A.D. I believe his name was Bruce Lee. He was the greatest fighter of his time and one of the original six who aggrandized the popularity of Kung Fu. The cause of his death was also inconclusive."
"Oh. Right…" She trailed off and diverted her eyes away from me. "Nice place," she mumbled after a brief glance at the chaotic living space I called home.
"It's usually a bit more organized, but some lout thought it would be amusing to raze my place," I explained and pointed at the broken windows. I stopped and wondered why I was explaining myself to a woman I wasn't even acquainted with. "Pardon me for asking, Miss, but is there a reason why you're here?"
"Oh, I am such a klutz," she tapped her head. "As you now know, Neo-Japan is currently without a champion for the next Gundam fight. You are selected to fill the vacant position. It was Mr. Asia's final wishes."
"Represent Neo-Japan?" I gazed at myself in the mirror and frowned. "Why not Neo-Hong Kong? It is a student's duty to take the place of the master."
"According to the Fight regulations, the replacement cannot have any relationship of the deceased champion. Council's rule."
"Huh." I looked at myself, then at Erica. "Well, if the rule comes from up above, then I guess I have no say in it."
"Funny," she rolled her eyes at my wry humor. The Gundam Fight Council was located in the colonies. "Of course, all expenses are paid for by the government. From the bare necessities down to luxuries, they're all covered."
"Mmm…perks are nice. But no pay? That tips the balance more to the left. But," I saw the downtrodden look on her face. "I must pay homage to my old master. I accept."
A smile lit up the young woman's face. "Great! Happy to have you on board, Boss!" She saluted mockingly.
I glared at her in mock anger. "Not funny. And don't call me Boss, I can't stand being called that."
"Okay, boss!"
I sighed exasperatedly. Memo to self: never reveal a pet peeve to eccentric women. I bent down to retrieve a shirt on the floor. Realizing the asset I had in my control, I dropped the article of clothing back to its original place.
"Hey, I'm your boss right? Which entitles me the privilege to screw things up and have you pick up after me, if I am not mistaken?"
"Yeah, I think so," she answered nervously.
"Okay." I looked around barely able to contain a smile. "Oh, look at this mess!"
---
"So what else should I know about?" I asked the slightly panting woman next to me.
"Just give me a second to breathe," she huffed. I smiled. Besides training, bossing people around was my favorite hobby. "Boss, you should consider taking a class on how to pick up after yourself."
"Was that a shot?" I shot her a mock glare. She seemed to have taken it at face value.
"No! Of course not, Mr. Kasshu!" She responded quickly while waving her hands for emphasis.
Did I mention that I love bossing people around?
"Good. And I was serious about the Boss crack," I added, giving her a hard glare.
"Wait…are you tricking me?"
"Of course not! Why the hell would I?" I shot back in mock anger. By now I was putting on my tread-carefully expression. Works every time.
"Sorry," she responded timidly.
I felt bad about toying with her naïve mind, but hey, she was my assistant, a role that pertains to putting up with the boss. I was only trying to her excel at her job. "So where are we going again?"
"Sakura Café. We're meeting the Gundam mechanic."
"Ah, we're here!" She grabbed my arm and steered me into the classy restaurant.
"Can I help you?" the attendant asked.
"We have reservation under the name Kasshu. I believe a young woman has already arrived at that name?"
"Yes, such a woman has done so." He looked at me with disdain. "In my days, a man would be considered lucky to have one woman, thank you very much." He picked up two menus and, ignoring the gesture I was giving him, led us to a window table.
Was that the mechanic? She was young, around twenty, and in my opinion, very attractive. The first thing I noticed was her straight auburn hair. The second was her lavender eyes. They say you can read a person just by looking into the person's eyes. Her eyes were as calm as the majestic ocean, pure, innocent, and unaffected by the corruption of man.
"Hello," I found myself saying. "My name's Domon Kasshu. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?"
The calmness was replaced by shock, astonishment, then glee.
"Rain." She stated simply. "Try to guess my last name."
Whoa. This woman's got clout.
She looks familiar…
A camera.
A photo.
Dare I venture…a kiss?
My first kiss!
"No way!" I shouted in my reverie. The conversation in the restaurant died out dramatically. Many of the patrons were eyeballing me, some scoffing while others shaking their heads in disapproval.
"The youth of this generation…"
"My word!"
"MY Alexander is a proper gentleman. Unlike SOME people…"
Okay, I wasn't the quintessence of proper behavior. Sue me.
"Rain…Mikamura?" I breathed in while focusing all my attention on the young woman.
"It's good to see you again too, Domon."
"Am I missing out on something?" Erica asked. "What, did she bear your love child or something?"
It's funny how such a random thought can be broached twice in one day.
"You've…grown." My eyes went on autopilot. She'd certainly 'grown' all right.
"How blunt…just like before." She held her hand to her mouth and chuckled softly.
Third observation. Her voice was angelic. Though affected by puberty, Rain's voice was identical to that of the little girl who always wore that Sunday morning dress. Still young, pure, virgin.
I couldn't utter another syllable. Just gazing into her eyes made my day.
Or month.
Year?
Rain intertwined her hands together and placed her chin upon them. She took a page out of my book and looked straight into my corrupted, anguished eyes. An angel like her wouldn't want to waste her grace on a tainted mortal. I didn't deserve to be in her presence.
I lean in closer, and so did she.
Our lips, mere centimeters apart.
I've fallen victim to her spell.
I lean in.
She closes her eyes.
Anticipation.
"So she's NOT carrying your love child?"
The moment's passed.
Snapping out of her daze, Rain tilted her head and brushed her lips on my cheek. I was disappointed, but the warm smile she gave me was enough.
The million dollar grand prize is the best, but it's nice to have a potpourri basket as consolation…
---
A/N: My apologies to those who thought I was through with G-Gundam. I tried convincing myself that I was, but I just can't bear to part with it. I wouldn't forgive myself for doing so. So there. I am officially out of retirement, at least for another few months. Again, I'm sorry if this has caused any inconvenience.
Another note: To those who think I condemn certain themes, let me be the first to say that I do not. I might've said some things when I first started writing, but those thoughts have long since been eradicated from my beliefs. Please do not question or attack my morality because of this. If I had not before, I would like to take this time to redress any statement I'd made before that seemed offensive to you. I can only ask for your forgiveness. Again, I'm sorry.
Special Thanks to:
Jen23
Starangel100890
Shuffle Queen
Allenby Beardsley
Little Demon51
SporkGoddess
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-chan
Eveligne
Knives
SoCalGirl5590
OvEr-dOsE44
And everyone who's read my works. Thanks, guys.