Patlabor: Personal Files
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...
Author's Note: Episode 07 was abandoned (after nearly six months of
struggling to make it work out). What exists of it will now be known as a
'lost episode.' If someone wants to take it off my hands and rewrite or
revise and complete the episode, let me know... after all, I am quite willing
to allow guest authors to write certain episodes (as long as they aren't ones
I particularly want to write). There were two major things that happened in
Episode 07 that should be noted before reading this one- the first one is that
Akito Kenichi resigned from Unit 3 to be replaced by Kanuka, who transferred
from the street patrol after being, er, overwhelmed by the wackiness inherent
in the precinct. The second major thing that happened is that, in response to
some rather bitter taunting, Noa accidentally revealed that she's not a virgin
(technically, she was responding to being called a 'maiden') to all of Unit 2.
She and Asuma have yet to have a chance to talk about this....
Episode 08: A Father's Wisdom
January 7, 2000
Noa was nervous- finally, an off day. One where she and Asuma could go out
for drinks like they had talked about the previous week, and perhaps have a
long and meaningful talk. For one thing, she was... concerned... about
what he thought of her announcement the previous day. It isn't every day
you blurt out to the whole world that you, a twenty-two year old Japanese
girl, are not the innocent maiden everyone thinks you are.
But also... also, if that went well, she wanted to break it to him- she
wanted to move their relationship forward a bit. Maybe not enough so that
their friendship would be lost if things didn't work out, but perhaps they
could go on a few 'official' dates, and see if they COULD be more than
friends.
Now, all she had to do was find him and remind him of his promise to go out
for drinks.
* * * * *
Asuma looked through his closet, trying to pick out something to wear. His
baseball cap, of course, was a must- he almost always wore it on off-duty.
It used to be his late brother's, after all- one of only a very few relics
he had been able to save. The only other one he'd taken with him to the
SV2 was that scarf he gave to Noa when they went to visit the Grave a month
before.
The rest of his outfit, however, was difficult to choose. He didn't really
know what he was doing today, so he had no clue whether he should wear some
jeans he didn't mind messing up, a pair of semi-dress slacks he could wear
into a decent restaurant, or something even more formal.
Hiromi knocked and stepped into the locker room. "Asuma, there's a
telephone call for you."
Asuma blinked. "For me? Who would be calling me?"
"I'm not sure- I didn't get a name. Should I go ask him?" Hiromi asked.
Asuma shook his head. "No, don't bother. I'll go and ask him myself."
With that, he straightened the uniform he hadn't gotten out of and followed
Hiromi to the phone.
When Asuma returned, his decision had been made for him. Reaching into the
closet, he pulled out the most formal set on non-uniform clothing he had.
* * * * *
Noa blinked when she saw Asuma walking down the stairs. 'Either he plans
to take me somewhere much more expensive than I was planning on going to,
or he forgot that we were going to go out today.' She paused. 'Or he
doesn't WANT to go out with me any more after hearing that I'm not a
virgin.'
She approached him slowly. "Asuma?"
He blinked, as if in a daze. "Eh, what?"
"Weren't we going to go out today?" she asked cautiously.
"We were? Oh, sorry... forgot," he said absently. "I'll take a raincheck,
but there's something else I need to do right now. See ya later."
With that, he slipped past her, out the door.
Noa sniffed. 'He's avoiding me. He... he can't deal with me having
had...'
Unable to handle her own thoughts, she turned and ran off into the dorm
rooms, tears in her eyes.
* * * * *
Asuma unlocked the door to his car and was about to get in when another
member of the female gender ran up to him enthusiastically.
"Mr. Shinohara, sir!" Natsume Kawai called, running up to him.
Asuma flinched at the use of his last name. "Yes?"
"Mr. Shinohara, sir, can I get a ride with you into town? Just to any bus
stop will do."
"No, I'm not headed into town," he answered, a little harshly.
Natsume blinked. "Please? Pretty please? Can't you just do me a little
favor and take a little detour to get me to a bus stop? You're the only
person with a car on base in all of Unit 2, and-"
"Then borrow Noa's motorbike," he snapped. "I can't take you anywhere
right now. Excuse me, I can't afford to be late." He stepped into the car
and slammed shut the door.
"But I don't know how to drive a motorbike!" she called out as he drove
away.
* * * * *
Hiromi gathered up the dirty clothes that had overflowed out of the hamper
and stuffed them back in. Unlike most of the others of Unit 2, he didn't
have any special plans for the off day other than to get some neglected
chores done. That included doing everyone's laundry, a top to bottom
cleaning of the locker rooms, and some other things that would otherwise
never be done, despite the many hours of busy-work that the members of the
SV2 were constantly assigned.
"Oops- forgot the detergent," he said to no-one in particular. He sped off
to the utility closet by the dorms. To his surprise, he heard some
sniffling on his way back as he passed by one of the rooms. Pausing, he
decided to investigate.
Noa looked up in surprise when Hiromi walked in and quickly tried to wipe
all evidence of the tears which had been pouring down her face. "Hiromi!"
she said, her voice cracking.
"Ms. Izumi?" the soft-spoken giant replied. "What's wrong? Why are you
crying?"
She sniffed. "Crying? I'm not crying."
Hiromi frowned. "I might not say much, but I'm part of your labor team as
well. I can tell something's wrong even though I don't know you as well as
Asuma does..." He frowned when Noa jumped at Asuma's name. "Now what is
the problem?"
Noa didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, her tears started falling
back down her cheeks. "Hiromi, A... Asuma is avoiding me. I blurted out
to the whole world that I wasn't a virgin because some pompous jerk was
getting under my skin, and now Asuma won't have anything to do with me...."
With one last burst of energy, she gasped out, "I've lost him."
Hiromi blinked. "How is it you know he's avoiding you?"
"Well, we had plans for today, and he just ignored them and went out. Said
he had something else to do, but wouldn't even tell me what... and he was
in such a hurry- he HAD to have been avoiding me!"
Hiromi looked perplexed. "Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with
that call from his father he got a half hour ago?"
"No, I'm not 'sure' about anything, but it sure looked like... wait, did
you say his father called him?"
Hiromi nodded. "Yes. They talked for about a half hour, and then Asuma
went into the dressing room and put on his best suit and, of all things, a
baseball cap." A slight twinkle developed in his eye. "I didn't let him
know that I knew it was his father- I thought it best that way."
Noa, however, wasn't listening- instead, she was thinking very hard. 'His
father? He was very dressed up- more so even then when he visited his
brother's grave. Maybe... maybe they're about to have some sort of
meeting? In which case, it's not too surprising that he seemed kind of out
of it when I saw him- he wasn't avoiding me, he was just stressed out over
his father!'
She gulped. "I hope," she said aloud.
"What was that?" Hiromi asked.
"Oh, never mind," Noa said, wiping away the last of the tears. "Thanks,
Hiromi... you know a lot more than you let on, don't you?"
Hiromi smiled. "Well, I just don't have occasion to say much, that's all."
His expression then turned serious for a moment. "Don't worry- he won't
let a little thing like a mistake in the past ruin your relationship-
you're too important to him."
Noa blushed. "Um, thank you." She paused. "Actually, I don't think a
simple 'thank you' is enough right now. With Asuma gone for the day, all
my plans are ruined. How about I help you out around here?"
Hiromi just nodded, not saying anything.
* * * * *
"I can't believe Asuma would turn down a cute girl like you," Shige was
saying to Natsume Kawai. "Well, if he won't do it then I guess I'll have
to. I'll see if I can take labor 3's command car and drive you down to the
bus station in a minute. Let me go talk to Gotoh and I'll be right back."
He started running off, one hand behind his head and smiling like a maniac.
Noa and Hiromi, carrying four buckets filled near overflowing with dirty
clothes (three by Hiromi, one by Noa), started to pass by Natsume as she
stood, waiting. Seeing an opportunity, she ran up to Noa.
"Ms. Izumi!" she called, running up to her. "Ms. Izumi, can I talk to you
for a second?"
Noa looked from Hiromi to Natsume and back again. She said she'd help him,
but she didn't want to be rude and just ignore the girl who wanted to talk
with him. Without another word, Hiromi took the basket from her, added it
to the three he was already carrying, and nodded.
"I'll handle it, Ms. Izumi," he said. "She seems to need you more than I
do right now."
"Thanks again, Hiromi," she said before turning her attention to Natsume.
"Now, what can I help you with?"
"Ms. Izumi, is there something wrong with Mr. Shinohara? All I did was ask
him to give me a ride into town and he snapped at me! Then he drove off
without any sort of explanation..."
A couple of mechanics in the next room overheard this. "Asuma yelled at
Natsume?" the first one asked as they snuck out of hearing range.
"That Shinohara! He already treats Noa like dirt- and the only thing that
makes it forgivable is that they're going out and she doesn't seem to mind
it herself, but now he's starting in on Ms. Kawai too? That's no fair!"
"Yeah!" the first mechanic said. "We should do something about it!"
"But what could we do?" the second mechanic asked.
"Hmm.... Come with me- I have an idea."
Meanwhile, Noa was explaining things to Natsume.
"...Yeah, it's been real trying for him," she was saying. "He and I once
got into a REAL big argument about it. I kept demanding he try and
reconcile with his father, and he wouldn't even hear about it. Well, that
flared up and we wound up not speaking for several days."
"Sounds bad," Natsume commented.
"It was. We kind of made up without ever resolving it, though, when he
saved my life in a labor battle." Noa sighed. "Maybe it's being resolved
now... at any rate, he's under a lot of stress. It's not surprising he was
a bit upset."
Natsume smile. "Thanks, Ms. Izumi. I was afraid he was still mad at me
for that mistake I made in the tournament."
Just then, Shige returned wearing a jacket and carrying a set of keys.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Natsume nodded. "Whenever you are."
"Come on- let's get out of here before the chief finds out I'm leaving."
As they left, Noa stood, pondering. A slight smile spread across her face.
'If he was so upset he acted like that to Natsume, it's no surprise he
would be a little... detached... when he was talking to me. It's just
natural,' she thought. 'Maybe I still have a chance, after all.' Her face
clenched in determination. 'No- no maybe about it. I DO still have a
chance....' Then it softened again. 'I hope.'
* * * * *
"Your son has arrived, Mr. Shinohara, sir," a servant said.
Okami Shinohara, the owner and president of Shinohara Industries, tensed
nervously. "Show him in, Tsukai."
"Very good, sir," Tsukai replied, slipping out the door.
A moment later, he returned, bringing Asuma with him. Asuma was wearing a
very stylish formal western suit- black dress jacket, black pants, white
shirt, and a tie. The only thing which seemed off about the whole affair
was the battered old baseball cap he wore.
Okami glanced at the hat, pain in his eyes. "Did you HAVE to wear... oh,
never mind. Come on, it's well past my normal lunch time. Let's eat."
Never one to pass up a good meal (even if it was offered by his father),
Asuma nodded and followed him to the table, where a wide variety of foods
had been placed. They served themselves civilly, and started eating in
silence. After a few minutes, however, Asuma grew impatient with the quiet
and resolved to do something about it.
"So... why did you all-of-a-sudden decide that I was fit to be eating lunch
with you again?" he began with hostility.
Okami sighed. "Do we have to fight? After the graveyard incident, I was
hoping that we could get together and maybe see if we couldn't resolve our
differences." Staring up into his son's eyes, he continued, "I'd like to
know why you hate me so much."
"Hate you?" Asuma asked sardonically. "Why should I hate you? After all,
all you did was drive my brother into insanity and eventual suicide with
your constant demands for us to be better in school, more conformant to the
general public, and just good little ambassadors for the company. All you
did was toss me out when I failed to meet your expectations and force me
into civil service. All you did was-"
"Enough!" Okami cried. "I know I've made some mistakes, but everything I
did I thought was in your best interest. Of course I wanted you and your
brother to be better! Every parent wants their child to be better off than
they were. I wanted you and your brother to be able to do what I didn't,
and to not have to ruin your own lives to make something of yourselves."
"And throwing me out?"
"That was to teach you some responsibility. And it seems to have worked!
From what I hear, you're part of the only good team in all of SV2- you
alone maintain its respectability."
Asuma sneered. "You expect me to be swayed with flattery? You think I'm
going to fall down at your feet and tell you I'm sorry I ever doubted you,
and what a horrible son I am for not seeing it all sooner? Hardly!"
"Don't take that tone with me, young man! You should be more respectful
of-" Okami paused mid-sentence and hung his head. "Must we fight every
time we open our mouths? We seemed to be doing fine at the cemetery, and
we were doing pretty good here until we started talking. You and I share
the same blood coursing through our veins- is there no way we can find
something to talk about which won't lead to us fighting with each other?"
"I doubt it," Asuma said, glaring at his father.
Okami opened and closed his mouth several times. "Well, fine then. Let's
eat in silence- we're a family, and if not talking is what it takes to keep
us together than we shouldn't talk to each other."
Without another word, he went back to his food, picking at it with his
chopsticks.
Again, the silence grew unbearable. Finally, Asuma couldn't stand it
anymore. "Dammit! I'm sorry, dad- there's probably something we can talk
about without fighting. I just can't think of what."
A thin smile broke out on Okami's face- perhaps there was a chance for
them, after all. "Hmm... well, we could catch up on what's been happening
in each other's lives. Who was that girl I saw you with? Is she your
girlfriend or something?"
Asuma blushed very faintly. "Her name is Noa Izumi. No, she's not my
girlfriend. Not really... she's just my forward- my partner."
"You're blushing," Okami noted.
"Well... I sort of wish there was something more," Asuma admitted. "But it
wouldn't work out- for one thing, it's against the rules for two people in
the same unit to have an intimate relationship..."
Okami snorted. "It's not like you've let the rules get in your way,
before. I don't think you'd let that stand between you and this 'Noa'
girl."
Asuma bit his tongue to keep from snapping back angrily. Pausing a few
seconds to calm down, he actually considered what his father said. It was
more or less true- if that one rule was all that stood between him and a
deeper relationship with Noa, he wouldn't let it stop him.
"Well... there are a few other reasons I don't think it would work, as
well."
"What are they?" Okami asked.
Asuma thought about that for a moment. What WERE his reasons for not
starting a relationship with Noa? He certainly liked her enough, and she
wasn't too bad looking- she did look kinda cute when she got angry. She
was a bit of a ditz, but not so much of one that it made her annoying- it
just enough to make her fun to bug...
"Well?" his father prompted.
"Uh... well..." He could mention that she wasn't a virgin, but that wasn't
really a turn-off for him. At least she'd sort of know what she was doing
if they ever got that far. What excuse could he give? "She seems more
interested in her labor than she is in a relationship... all she does in
our off-duty time is polish and clean it. She's even named it 'Alphonse.'"
Okami frowned. "Surely she's not more concerned with labors than she is
with people."
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "She wouldn't be the first person I knew who felt
that way."
Okami grit his teeth. "Never mind- it seems as though we really CAN'T talk
about anything without fighting."
Asuma shrugged. "Actually, I've finished lunch already. Maybe I should go
before we get into a bigger fight, huh?"
Okami opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it. "Perhaps
you'd better." Asuma got up and started to leave. "Wait, son!" Asuma
stopped, not looking behind him. "Could we maybe... things weren't too bad
today, were they? Maybe we could get together again at your birthday in
March?"
Asuma didn't say anything for a moment. "Maybe. I wasn't thinking about
celebrating it at all, but maybe." With that, he left.
"Tsukai," Okami called after giving Asuma enough time to leave.
"Yes, Mr. Shinohara, sir?"
"You heard and saw how Asuma was acting when he was talking about that Noa
girl. What do you think?"
"He appears quite infatuated with her, but seems afraid to build on their
relationship into something greater, sir."
Okami nodded. "Indeed- that is what I thought as well. Perhaps..."
"Perhaps?"
"Well, it would be rude of me not to provide the Izumi family with a dowry,
wouldn't it? It may be some time before they'll need it however, so could
you contact my lawyers? I'd like to talk to them about making a small
change in my will..."
* * * * *
Noa was waiting for him when he got back. "Welcome back, Asuma," she said
nervously. "How... how did your meeting with your father go?"
He blinked. "How did you know I was with my dad?"
'Oops. Didn't mean to let him know Hiromi told me that,' Noa thought.
"Er... it was the only place I could think that you would go on an off day
dressed like that."
"Ah... well, I guess it didn't go too bad for a meeting with my father. We
left on a better note than we usually do...."
"Well, that's good!" Noa exclaimed enthusiastically. "What did you talk
about?"
"Oh... this and that," Asuma replied, making it obvious he didn't want to
discuss it.
Noa took a deep breath. "Asuma, there are some things I wanted to talk to
you about today that we weren't able to because of your meeting with your
father."
"Like what?"
Noa gestured to a chair. "Asuma... I want to know what you think about
what I said last night."
Asuma feigned ignorance. "Er... last night?"
"You know... when I told everyone I wasn't some pristine maiden and all?"
"Oh... that." Asuma had really hoped she wouldn't bring that up.
"Yeah, that," Noa replied matter-of-factly. "Does knowing I'm not a
virgin... change anything between us?"
When Asuma thought about it, though, it really didn't matter. Still, he
wanted to know some things. "Well, I don't think so. Was... it... with
anyone I know?"
"No!" Noa exclaimed. "It was years ago- I was sixteen at the time, and he
was this dreamy eighteen year old boy named Ouki Hamaki. When he asked me
out, it was a dream come true... until he... kind of... forced me into it."
Asuma's eyes burned in anger. "He raped you?"
Noa shook her head. "Not quite... but I really felt intimidated into it.
Like if I hadn't said 'yes' he would have hurt me. I dumped him the next
day... My dad was furious- he's wanted me to get married for a long time
now- but when, a few months later, we found out that Ouki had joined the
Yakuza... well, let's just say dad got over it."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't know," Noa said. "I didn't keep track of him after that."
"Well," Asuma growled with determination, "If he ever meets up with me,
he'll regret it."
Noa couldn't help it- she giggled. He was so defensive of her... Perhaps
he would be willing to... "There was something else I wanted to talk to
you about..."
"Oh?"
"Yeah..." Noa took a real deep breath. "Asuma, I want to..." Suddenly,
she froze. Could she really ask this? What would she do if he said no?
In fact, what would she do if he said YES?
"Noa? You awake?" Asuma prompted, a smile on his face.
"Uh, yeah! It's just that... god, this is difficult to ask."
"That's okay," Asuma said, the smile still on his face in an encouraging
manner. "Just ask it."
"Right," Noa said. Taking another deep breath, she finally blurted it out.
"Asuma, I want to change our relationship a bit..."
Asuma's face was frozen in shock- still smiling, of course. "You... do?"
Noa panicked a bit- he wasn't taking this well at all. "Not much! Just a
little... I'd like to start thinking of the things we go out and do not as
just 'hanging out,' but maybe... as... dating. You know...
boyfriend-girlfriend sort of dating."
Asuma was still in shock. "Ah... I see."
Noa started freaking out. This wasn't good at all- he just stood there,
his face unchanging. He wasn't even able to speak. "If you want to... and
if it doesn't work out, we can always try and stay just friends..."
After not moving for nearly a full minute, Asuma finally got over his
shock. Laughing nervously, Asuma kept smiling. "Ya know, it's funny- you
were asking about what dad and I were talking about. One of the things we
discussed was why I wasn't dating you even if I wanted to..."
This time, it was Noa's turn to freeze in shock. "Oh?"
"Yeah. And you know what? There was exactly one reason I could think of."
Asuma decided not to mention Alphonse- obviously, he was wrong about that
one.
After a few seconds pause of her own, Noa asked, "And that was?"
"Well... it's against regulations for two people in the same division to
have intimate relations."
Noa's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Then that means-"
"Relax!" Asuma soothed, putting his hands on her shoulders to help calm
her. "Everyone in the SV2 thinks we're going out, anyway- as long as we're
subtle about it- or should I say as long as we STAY subtle about it- no-one
will say anything."
Noa inched further into his arms. "Are you sure?"
Asuma took another step in, and wrapped her up in a gently hug.
"Positive."
Watching them from the door (and providing an unasked for look-out) Hiromi
smiled.
* * * * *
"So, are we all agreed with the plan?"
"Yes. Asuma Shinohara MUST be punished!"
"Then it's settled. Operation Let's Get Vengeance for Natsume is on!"
In the small storage room, the gathering of SV2 labor mechanics cheered.
-------------------------
Next Episode: The creature comforts of Asuma's command car are failing,
and little disasters are going on everywhere around him. How many of the
members of the maintenance squad will be thrown into the sea when Chief
Sakaki finds out? And what will happen if one of the pranks goes too far?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
desaix@sysnet.net
fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm
An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum
Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...
Author's Note: Episode 07 was abandoned (after nearly six months of
struggling to make it work out). What exists of it will now be known as a
'lost episode.' If someone wants to take it off my hands and rewrite or
revise and complete the episode, let me know... after all, I am quite willing
to allow guest authors to write certain episodes (as long as they aren't ones
I particularly want to write). There were two major things that happened in
Episode 07 that should be noted before reading this one- the first one is that
Akito Kenichi resigned from Unit 3 to be replaced by Kanuka, who transferred
from the street patrol after being, er, overwhelmed by the wackiness inherent
in the precinct. The second major thing that happened is that, in response to
some rather bitter taunting, Noa accidentally revealed that she's not a virgin
(technically, she was responding to being called a 'maiden') to all of Unit 2.
She and Asuma have yet to have a chance to talk about this....
Episode 08: A Father's Wisdom
January 7, 2000
Noa was nervous- finally, an off day. One where she and Asuma could go out
for drinks like they had talked about the previous week, and perhaps have a
long and meaningful talk. For one thing, she was... concerned... about
what he thought of her announcement the previous day. It isn't every day
you blurt out to the whole world that you, a twenty-two year old Japanese
girl, are not the innocent maiden everyone thinks you are.
But also... also, if that went well, she wanted to break it to him- she
wanted to move their relationship forward a bit. Maybe not enough so that
their friendship would be lost if things didn't work out, but perhaps they
could go on a few 'official' dates, and see if they COULD be more than
friends.
Now, all she had to do was find him and remind him of his promise to go out
for drinks.
* * * * *
Asuma looked through his closet, trying to pick out something to wear. His
baseball cap, of course, was a must- he almost always wore it on off-duty.
It used to be his late brother's, after all- one of only a very few relics
he had been able to save. The only other one he'd taken with him to the
SV2 was that scarf he gave to Noa when they went to visit the Grave a month
before.
The rest of his outfit, however, was difficult to choose. He didn't really
know what he was doing today, so he had no clue whether he should wear some
jeans he didn't mind messing up, a pair of semi-dress slacks he could wear
into a decent restaurant, or something even more formal.
Hiromi knocked and stepped into the locker room. "Asuma, there's a
telephone call for you."
Asuma blinked. "For me? Who would be calling me?"
"I'm not sure- I didn't get a name. Should I go ask him?" Hiromi asked.
Asuma shook his head. "No, don't bother. I'll go and ask him myself."
With that, he straightened the uniform he hadn't gotten out of and followed
Hiromi to the phone.
When Asuma returned, his decision had been made for him. Reaching into the
closet, he pulled out the most formal set on non-uniform clothing he had.
* * * * *
Noa blinked when she saw Asuma walking down the stairs. 'Either he plans
to take me somewhere much more expensive than I was planning on going to,
or he forgot that we were going to go out today.' She paused. 'Or he
doesn't WANT to go out with me any more after hearing that I'm not a
virgin.'
She approached him slowly. "Asuma?"
He blinked, as if in a daze. "Eh, what?"
"Weren't we going to go out today?" she asked cautiously.
"We were? Oh, sorry... forgot," he said absently. "I'll take a raincheck,
but there's something else I need to do right now. See ya later."
With that, he slipped past her, out the door.
Noa sniffed. 'He's avoiding me. He... he can't deal with me having
had...'
Unable to handle her own thoughts, she turned and ran off into the dorm
rooms, tears in her eyes.
* * * * *
Asuma unlocked the door to his car and was about to get in when another
member of the female gender ran up to him enthusiastically.
"Mr. Shinohara, sir!" Natsume Kawai called, running up to him.
Asuma flinched at the use of his last name. "Yes?"
"Mr. Shinohara, sir, can I get a ride with you into town? Just to any bus
stop will do."
"No, I'm not headed into town," he answered, a little harshly.
Natsume blinked. "Please? Pretty please? Can't you just do me a little
favor and take a little detour to get me to a bus stop? You're the only
person with a car on base in all of Unit 2, and-"
"Then borrow Noa's motorbike," he snapped. "I can't take you anywhere
right now. Excuse me, I can't afford to be late." He stepped into the car
and slammed shut the door.
"But I don't know how to drive a motorbike!" she called out as he drove
away.
* * * * *
Hiromi gathered up the dirty clothes that had overflowed out of the hamper
and stuffed them back in. Unlike most of the others of Unit 2, he didn't
have any special plans for the off day other than to get some neglected
chores done. That included doing everyone's laundry, a top to bottom
cleaning of the locker rooms, and some other things that would otherwise
never be done, despite the many hours of busy-work that the members of the
SV2 were constantly assigned.
"Oops- forgot the detergent," he said to no-one in particular. He sped off
to the utility closet by the dorms. To his surprise, he heard some
sniffling on his way back as he passed by one of the rooms. Pausing, he
decided to investigate.
Noa looked up in surprise when Hiromi walked in and quickly tried to wipe
all evidence of the tears which had been pouring down her face. "Hiromi!"
she said, her voice cracking.
"Ms. Izumi?" the soft-spoken giant replied. "What's wrong? Why are you
crying?"
She sniffed. "Crying? I'm not crying."
Hiromi frowned. "I might not say much, but I'm part of your labor team as
well. I can tell something's wrong even though I don't know you as well as
Asuma does..." He frowned when Noa jumped at Asuma's name. "Now what is
the problem?"
Noa didn't say anything for a moment. Finally, her tears started falling
back down her cheeks. "Hiromi, A... Asuma is avoiding me. I blurted out
to the whole world that I wasn't a virgin because some pompous jerk was
getting under my skin, and now Asuma won't have anything to do with me...."
With one last burst of energy, she gasped out, "I've lost him."
Hiromi blinked. "How is it you know he's avoiding you?"
"Well, we had plans for today, and he just ignored them and went out. Said
he had something else to do, but wouldn't even tell me what... and he was
in such a hurry- he HAD to have been avoiding me!"
Hiromi looked perplexed. "Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with
that call from his father he got a half hour ago?"
"No, I'm not 'sure' about anything, but it sure looked like... wait, did
you say his father called him?"
Hiromi nodded. "Yes. They talked for about a half hour, and then Asuma
went into the dressing room and put on his best suit and, of all things, a
baseball cap." A slight twinkle developed in his eye. "I didn't let him
know that I knew it was his father- I thought it best that way."
Noa, however, wasn't listening- instead, she was thinking very hard. 'His
father? He was very dressed up- more so even then when he visited his
brother's grave. Maybe... maybe they're about to have some sort of
meeting? In which case, it's not too surprising that he seemed kind of out
of it when I saw him- he wasn't avoiding me, he was just stressed out over
his father!'
She gulped. "I hope," she said aloud.
"What was that?" Hiromi asked.
"Oh, never mind," Noa said, wiping away the last of the tears. "Thanks,
Hiromi... you know a lot more than you let on, don't you?"
Hiromi smiled. "Well, I just don't have occasion to say much, that's all."
His expression then turned serious for a moment. "Don't worry- he won't
let a little thing like a mistake in the past ruin your relationship-
you're too important to him."
Noa blushed. "Um, thank you." She paused. "Actually, I don't think a
simple 'thank you' is enough right now. With Asuma gone for the day, all
my plans are ruined. How about I help you out around here?"
Hiromi just nodded, not saying anything.
* * * * *
"I can't believe Asuma would turn down a cute girl like you," Shige was
saying to Natsume Kawai. "Well, if he won't do it then I guess I'll have
to. I'll see if I can take labor 3's command car and drive you down to the
bus station in a minute. Let me go talk to Gotoh and I'll be right back."
He started running off, one hand behind his head and smiling like a maniac.
Noa and Hiromi, carrying four buckets filled near overflowing with dirty
clothes (three by Hiromi, one by Noa), started to pass by Natsume as she
stood, waiting. Seeing an opportunity, she ran up to Noa.
"Ms. Izumi!" she called, running up to her. "Ms. Izumi, can I talk to you
for a second?"
Noa looked from Hiromi to Natsume and back again. She said she'd help him,
but she didn't want to be rude and just ignore the girl who wanted to talk
with him. Without another word, Hiromi took the basket from her, added it
to the three he was already carrying, and nodded.
"I'll handle it, Ms. Izumi," he said. "She seems to need you more than I
do right now."
"Thanks again, Hiromi," she said before turning her attention to Natsume.
"Now, what can I help you with?"
"Ms. Izumi, is there something wrong with Mr. Shinohara? All I did was ask
him to give me a ride into town and he snapped at me! Then he drove off
without any sort of explanation..."
A couple of mechanics in the next room overheard this. "Asuma yelled at
Natsume?" the first one asked as they snuck out of hearing range.
"That Shinohara! He already treats Noa like dirt- and the only thing that
makes it forgivable is that they're going out and she doesn't seem to mind
it herself, but now he's starting in on Ms. Kawai too? That's no fair!"
"Yeah!" the first mechanic said. "We should do something about it!"
"But what could we do?" the second mechanic asked.
"Hmm.... Come with me- I have an idea."
Meanwhile, Noa was explaining things to Natsume.
"...Yeah, it's been real trying for him," she was saying. "He and I once
got into a REAL big argument about it. I kept demanding he try and
reconcile with his father, and he wouldn't even hear about it. Well, that
flared up and we wound up not speaking for several days."
"Sounds bad," Natsume commented.
"It was. We kind of made up without ever resolving it, though, when he
saved my life in a labor battle." Noa sighed. "Maybe it's being resolved
now... at any rate, he's under a lot of stress. It's not surprising he was
a bit upset."
Natsume smile. "Thanks, Ms. Izumi. I was afraid he was still mad at me
for that mistake I made in the tournament."
Just then, Shige returned wearing a jacket and carrying a set of keys.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
Natsume nodded. "Whenever you are."
"Come on- let's get out of here before the chief finds out I'm leaving."
As they left, Noa stood, pondering. A slight smile spread across her face.
'If he was so upset he acted like that to Natsume, it's no surprise he
would be a little... detached... when he was talking to me. It's just
natural,' she thought. 'Maybe I still have a chance, after all.' Her face
clenched in determination. 'No- no maybe about it. I DO still have a
chance....' Then it softened again. 'I hope.'
* * * * *
"Your son has arrived, Mr. Shinohara, sir," a servant said.
Okami Shinohara, the owner and president of Shinohara Industries, tensed
nervously. "Show him in, Tsukai."
"Very good, sir," Tsukai replied, slipping out the door.
A moment later, he returned, bringing Asuma with him. Asuma was wearing a
very stylish formal western suit- black dress jacket, black pants, white
shirt, and a tie. The only thing which seemed off about the whole affair
was the battered old baseball cap he wore.
Okami glanced at the hat, pain in his eyes. "Did you HAVE to wear... oh,
never mind. Come on, it's well past my normal lunch time. Let's eat."
Never one to pass up a good meal (even if it was offered by his father),
Asuma nodded and followed him to the table, where a wide variety of foods
had been placed. They served themselves civilly, and started eating in
silence. After a few minutes, however, Asuma grew impatient with the quiet
and resolved to do something about it.
"So... why did you all-of-a-sudden decide that I was fit to be eating lunch
with you again?" he began with hostility.
Okami sighed. "Do we have to fight? After the graveyard incident, I was
hoping that we could get together and maybe see if we couldn't resolve our
differences." Staring up into his son's eyes, he continued, "I'd like to
know why you hate me so much."
"Hate you?" Asuma asked sardonically. "Why should I hate you? After all,
all you did was drive my brother into insanity and eventual suicide with
your constant demands for us to be better in school, more conformant to the
general public, and just good little ambassadors for the company. All you
did was toss me out when I failed to meet your expectations and force me
into civil service. All you did was-"
"Enough!" Okami cried. "I know I've made some mistakes, but everything I
did I thought was in your best interest. Of course I wanted you and your
brother to be better! Every parent wants their child to be better off than
they were. I wanted you and your brother to be able to do what I didn't,
and to not have to ruin your own lives to make something of yourselves."
"And throwing me out?"
"That was to teach you some responsibility. And it seems to have worked!
From what I hear, you're part of the only good team in all of SV2- you
alone maintain its respectability."
Asuma sneered. "You expect me to be swayed with flattery? You think I'm
going to fall down at your feet and tell you I'm sorry I ever doubted you,
and what a horrible son I am for not seeing it all sooner? Hardly!"
"Don't take that tone with me, young man! You should be more respectful
of-" Okami paused mid-sentence and hung his head. "Must we fight every
time we open our mouths? We seemed to be doing fine at the cemetery, and
we were doing pretty good here until we started talking. You and I share
the same blood coursing through our veins- is there no way we can find
something to talk about which won't lead to us fighting with each other?"
"I doubt it," Asuma said, glaring at his father.
Okami opened and closed his mouth several times. "Well, fine then. Let's
eat in silence- we're a family, and if not talking is what it takes to keep
us together than we shouldn't talk to each other."
Without another word, he went back to his food, picking at it with his
chopsticks.
Again, the silence grew unbearable. Finally, Asuma couldn't stand it
anymore. "Dammit! I'm sorry, dad- there's probably something we can talk
about without fighting. I just can't think of what."
A thin smile broke out on Okami's face- perhaps there was a chance for
them, after all. "Hmm... well, we could catch up on what's been happening
in each other's lives. Who was that girl I saw you with? Is she your
girlfriend or something?"
Asuma blushed very faintly. "Her name is Noa Izumi. No, she's not my
girlfriend. Not really... she's just my forward- my partner."
"You're blushing," Okami noted.
"Well... I sort of wish there was something more," Asuma admitted. "But it
wouldn't work out- for one thing, it's against the rules for two people in
the same unit to have an intimate relationship..."
Okami snorted. "It's not like you've let the rules get in your way,
before. I don't think you'd let that stand between you and this 'Noa'
girl."
Asuma bit his tongue to keep from snapping back angrily. Pausing a few
seconds to calm down, he actually considered what his father said. It was
more or less true- if that one rule was all that stood between him and a
deeper relationship with Noa, he wouldn't let it stop him.
"Well... there are a few other reasons I don't think it would work, as
well."
"What are they?" Okami asked.
Asuma thought about that for a moment. What WERE his reasons for not
starting a relationship with Noa? He certainly liked her enough, and she
wasn't too bad looking- she did look kinda cute when she got angry. She
was a bit of a ditz, but not so much of one that it made her annoying- it
just enough to make her fun to bug...
"Well?" his father prompted.
"Uh... well..." He could mention that she wasn't a virgin, but that wasn't
really a turn-off for him. At least she'd sort of know what she was doing
if they ever got that far. What excuse could he give? "She seems more
interested in her labor than she is in a relationship... all she does in
our off-duty time is polish and clean it. She's even named it 'Alphonse.'"
Okami frowned. "Surely she's not more concerned with labors than she is
with people."
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "She wouldn't be the first person I knew who felt
that way."
Okami grit his teeth. "Never mind- it seems as though we really CAN'T talk
about anything without fighting."
Asuma shrugged. "Actually, I've finished lunch already. Maybe I should go
before we get into a bigger fight, huh?"
Okami opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it. "Perhaps
you'd better." Asuma got up and started to leave. "Wait, son!" Asuma
stopped, not looking behind him. "Could we maybe... things weren't too bad
today, were they? Maybe we could get together again at your birthday in
March?"
Asuma didn't say anything for a moment. "Maybe. I wasn't thinking about
celebrating it at all, but maybe." With that, he left.
"Tsukai," Okami called after giving Asuma enough time to leave.
"Yes, Mr. Shinohara, sir?"
"You heard and saw how Asuma was acting when he was talking about that Noa
girl. What do you think?"
"He appears quite infatuated with her, but seems afraid to build on their
relationship into something greater, sir."
Okami nodded. "Indeed- that is what I thought as well. Perhaps..."
"Perhaps?"
"Well, it would be rude of me not to provide the Izumi family with a dowry,
wouldn't it? It may be some time before they'll need it however, so could
you contact my lawyers? I'd like to talk to them about making a small
change in my will..."
* * * * *
Noa was waiting for him when he got back. "Welcome back, Asuma," she said
nervously. "How... how did your meeting with your father go?"
He blinked. "How did you know I was with my dad?"
'Oops. Didn't mean to let him know Hiromi told me that,' Noa thought.
"Er... it was the only place I could think that you would go on an off day
dressed like that."
"Ah... well, I guess it didn't go too bad for a meeting with my father. We
left on a better note than we usually do...."
"Well, that's good!" Noa exclaimed enthusiastically. "What did you talk
about?"
"Oh... this and that," Asuma replied, making it obvious he didn't want to
discuss it.
Noa took a deep breath. "Asuma, there are some things I wanted to talk to
you about today that we weren't able to because of your meeting with your
father."
"Like what?"
Noa gestured to a chair. "Asuma... I want to know what you think about
what I said last night."
Asuma feigned ignorance. "Er... last night?"
"You know... when I told everyone I wasn't some pristine maiden and all?"
"Oh... that." Asuma had really hoped she wouldn't bring that up.
"Yeah, that," Noa replied matter-of-factly. "Does knowing I'm not a
virgin... change anything between us?"
When Asuma thought about it, though, it really didn't matter. Still, he
wanted to know some things. "Well, I don't think so. Was... it... with
anyone I know?"
"No!" Noa exclaimed. "It was years ago- I was sixteen at the time, and he
was this dreamy eighteen year old boy named Ouki Hamaki. When he asked me
out, it was a dream come true... until he... kind of... forced me into it."
Asuma's eyes burned in anger. "He raped you?"
Noa shook her head. "Not quite... but I really felt intimidated into it.
Like if I hadn't said 'yes' he would have hurt me. I dumped him the next
day... My dad was furious- he's wanted me to get married for a long time
now- but when, a few months later, we found out that Ouki had joined the
Yakuza... well, let's just say dad got over it."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't know," Noa said. "I didn't keep track of him after that."
"Well," Asuma growled with determination, "If he ever meets up with me,
he'll regret it."
Noa couldn't help it- she giggled. He was so defensive of her... Perhaps
he would be willing to... "There was something else I wanted to talk to
you about..."
"Oh?"
"Yeah..." Noa took a real deep breath. "Asuma, I want to..." Suddenly,
she froze. Could she really ask this? What would she do if he said no?
In fact, what would she do if he said YES?
"Noa? You awake?" Asuma prompted, a smile on his face.
"Uh, yeah! It's just that... god, this is difficult to ask."
"That's okay," Asuma said, the smile still on his face in an encouraging
manner. "Just ask it."
"Right," Noa said. Taking another deep breath, she finally blurted it out.
"Asuma, I want to change our relationship a bit..."
Asuma's face was frozen in shock- still smiling, of course. "You... do?"
Noa panicked a bit- he wasn't taking this well at all. "Not much! Just a
little... I'd like to start thinking of the things we go out and do not as
just 'hanging out,' but maybe... as... dating. You know...
boyfriend-girlfriend sort of dating."
Asuma was still in shock. "Ah... I see."
Noa started freaking out. This wasn't good at all- he just stood there,
his face unchanging. He wasn't even able to speak. "If you want to... and
if it doesn't work out, we can always try and stay just friends..."
After not moving for nearly a full minute, Asuma finally got over his
shock. Laughing nervously, Asuma kept smiling. "Ya know, it's funny- you
were asking about what dad and I were talking about. One of the things we
discussed was why I wasn't dating you even if I wanted to..."
This time, it was Noa's turn to freeze in shock. "Oh?"
"Yeah. And you know what? There was exactly one reason I could think of."
Asuma decided not to mention Alphonse- obviously, he was wrong about that
one.
After a few seconds pause of her own, Noa asked, "And that was?"
"Well... it's against regulations for two people in the same division to
have intimate relations."
Noa's eyes widened. "Oh, no! Then that means-"
"Relax!" Asuma soothed, putting his hands on her shoulders to help calm
her. "Everyone in the SV2 thinks we're going out, anyway- as long as we're
subtle about it- or should I say as long as we STAY subtle about it- no-one
will say anything."
Noa inched further into his arms. "Are you sure?"
Asuma took another step in, and wrapped her up in a gently hug.
"Positive."
Watching them from the door (and providing an unasked for look-out) Hiromi
smiled.
* * * * *
"So, are we all agreed with the plan?"
"Yes. Asuma Shinohara MUST be punished!"
"Then it's settled. Operation Let's Get Vengeance for Natsume is on!"
In the small storage room, the gathering of SV2 labor mechanics cheered.
-------------------------
Next Episode: The creature comforts of Asuma's command car are failing,
and little disasters are going on everywhere around him. How many of the
members of the maintenance squad will be thrown into the sea when Chief
Sakaki finds out? And what will happen if one of the pranks goes too far?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
desaix@sysnet.net
fanfics available at
http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm