First Impact

Warm sun poured down from above, the spotless azure sky stretching as far as the eye could see. A solitary figure seated at a table near a small café seemed content to allow the sun to wash over him. With bare arms crossed and eyes closed the young male leaned his head back, drawing in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. As the last of the breath slipped between his lips the man allowed his eyes to open, his green orbs shifting towards a closed laptop resting next to a bottle on the table. Sighing with a hint of resignation, a hand brushing aside a patch of blond hair, he reached for the device. The monitor easily flipped open, a blank screen coming into view as the man grabbed the bottle from the table. Tapping the screen to wake the dormant machine, fingers moving to untwist the bottle cap, the man took a slow drink of water. As he set the bottle back down the distinctive noise of metal scrapping against concrete filled the air, his eyes moving to spot the source of the racket. What greeted his gaze caused him to groan, "What do you want?"

"Jeeze River, as unsociable as ever," a young, dark skinned woman sighed, hands resting on top of a chair, "I noticed you sitting here and wondered how you were doing."

"You do realize we're no longer teammates, and haven't been for months now, Liz."

"Doesn't mean we can't still shoot the breeze from time to time," Liz offered sharply, cerulean eyes narrowing slightly, hands moving to rest on her hips.

River simply snorted at the notion, replacing the cap on the bottle and dropping it on the table. "What? You got a problem with that or something?"

Closing the laptop and picking it up, River rose from his seat, coming face to face with Liz, "I don't feel like wasting my time with the likes of Team Satomi."

"What's gotten into you man? Why are you always so… so… agh," Liz roared, her hands clutching clumps of auburn hair in frustration.

"By the way, tell Takeshi something for me. Tell him: things won't go down the same way as last year, any shot I have, I'm taking."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Liz shouted, jabbing a finger into River's chest, "Tomorrow's the opening ceremony."

"What's the point? He never listens anyway. Besides, I'll let my racing do the real talking," River shrugged before brushing away Liz's finger.

For a moment the two shared a scowl, River finally breaking the tension, choosing to turn and walk away. "Hey!" Liz shouted after his shrinking form, lifting a fist as if to threaten him.

Receiving no acknowledgment, Liz allowed her fist to drop to her side, a lopsided frown crossing her lips. "Why's he gotta be like that?" she wondered aloud.

"Who?" a new voice asked from behind Liz, startling the girl.

"God, Amy. Don't do that to me," Liz gasped, turning to see Amy's inquisitive gaze, "What's that look for?"

"Who were you just talking about?" Amy inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh. River, he's as arrogant as ever," Liz finished with an annoyed snort, fingers scratching at the back of her head.

"Well you should've known that. He was never very friendly as a teammate anyway. You can't let it get to you," Amy reminded Liz softly, offering a small smile to reassure her friend.

"Yeah, I know," Liz sighed, "I know."

To be continued…