The car slipped quietly between the rocky shoulders of sleeping giants, their silhouettes nearly invisible against the black blanket of rolling sky. Its bright eyes, unwavering beacons, kept an all-consuming darkness from swallowing its wards whole. The driver of the vehicle too kept his tired eye tirelessly on the road.
In the silent car, only Karma and Haven were awake. Haven sat in the passenger's seat, looking for any wildlife that might suddenly jump into the view of the headlights. "Hey, Akabane," she said softly.
The redhead hummed in acknowledgment, keeping his gaze on the road in front of him.
"I… I think I had the wrong idea about you. You're not as bad as I thought."
Karma stole a glance at the white-haired girl sitting next to him. "How so?"
"I think you consider other people's feelings much more than I give you credit for. That's actually a weakness of mine, I guess. I sometimes let my opinions take precedent over tact or even common sense," Haven paused, "So, I'm sorry for misjudging you and treating you accordingly."
"And here I thought you were a robot," Karma replied, sarcasm spotlighting a slight smile sent in her direction. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry for messing with you more than I should have. But, Haven… Where is this coming from all of a sudden? It's not like you to get so sappy."
She didn't answer at first, but she then replied, "I just don't want any regrets… Also, there's a deer."
Karma slammed on the brakes, causing several of their fellow passengers to complain in their half-asleep stupor.
The sun sat low in the western sky as a lone turquoise volkswagen van followed the one road that cut through the desert.
"Are you sure we were supposed to turn back there?" Liz asked the bluenette in the driver's seat as she looked out the window with concern.
"I'm just following the GPS," Nagisa replied.
"Turn left here," the robotic voice of the GPS sounded through the car.
"Um… I don't know about you, but I don't see any left turn," Liz complained. "And I don't see any other cars. Shouldn't the way to Vegas be, I don't know, more populated?"
"Well… We are passing through miles of desert?" Fia offered wryly.
"Do we have a map?" Liz asked. She spotted one unfolded in the back seat and snatched it.
"Wahh!" Haven cried as she was awoken by the sharp rays of light attacking her previously-hidden face.
"Hey, guys," Fia called softly as the redhead groaned against her shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "Maybe we should keep it down just a tiny bit?"
"It wasn't like I wanted to be awoken in such a startling manner," Haven sulked on Fia's other side. "How come the adults got to fly over and we have to drive?"
"Most importantly, it was to get faster aid to the other team. We've been driving for a few days now. And we have to get all this luggage and equipment over there somehow," Noriko explained from the back.
Suddenly, the engine started sputtering, the car slowing to a stop. Its passengers, those who were awake in any case, exchanged glances. Nagisa carefully maneuvered the car to the side of the road, whose gravel rattled awake the remaining passenger, got out of the car and headed for the engine.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Liz exclaimed. "We are in the middle of the desert and the car breaks down! I mean how cliche is that?!"
"We don't know if we're stuck for sure yet; We might just need to cool the engine. We'll be back on track in no time!" Fia tried to reassure her concerned companion, to no avail. "… I should knock on wood," she muttered as she looked around. Again, to no avail.
"We should be ok here. People will be able to see us long before an accident could occur," Noriko noted as she climbed out of the car. She watched as Nagisa opened a panel on the back of the bus and a cloud of black smoke came out. "Well, I doubt it's just overheated. Can someone call Classified?" Noriko asked.
Haven popped her head out the car window. "No can do, there's no service."
"Well…"
"Now we're stranded and we won't make it on time and we have no way to reach them or even Karasuma. My team could very well be dead by now! On top of that, we could die out here," Liz snapped.
"We're not going to die," Karma groaned, and unwillingly opened an amber eye.
"He has a point," Noriko agreed. "There may not be tons of traffic, but this road is somewhat well-traveled. You can tell by the conditions of the asphalt."
"And the fact that there's a car coming this way as we speak," Nagisa added, pointing to a distant dust cloud.
A few moments later, the car pulled up. "You guys seem like you could use some help," the driver called out his window.
"Really, sir? Could you help? Our engine seems to have gone out." Nagisa replied. "And we're kind of a bit lost."
"Sure thing. I'm Hank, by the way," the man returned with a friendly smile as he parked in front of the bus. "Where were you headed?" he asked, exiting the vehicle.
"Las Vegas," Noriko answered.
"Well, I can't give you a full check here, but it seems like I might be able to fix it. Let me take it to my shop; it's not too far," Hank said as he started hitching the bus to his truck." It's lucky you pulled me over while I was driving the tow truck."
A short, extremely cramped, and emotionally uncomfortable ride later, the truck pulled into a gas station and came to a stop.
"I'm pretty much in charge of everything that has to do with cars around town," Hank explained as they walked past a car with a for sale sign stuck in the window, a few gas pumps, and a large car repair garage.
The group stepped into the garage as Hank began examining the car. After a few minutes, Hank rejoined the group, wiping his hands with an oily towel. "Well, I have good news and bad news," Hank told the group. "The good news is I could repair the engine, pretty easily in fact. The bad news is that the car needs other repairs before it can go long distances. I would also need to order some parts, which could take some time. I'm not sure it would be worth your time and money to repair it right now; It's an old car and not a very safe one at that. Unless one of you is sentimentally attached, it would be a better idea to rent a car in the nearest decent sized town and bring it back here."
"Alright," Noriko sighed. "Looks like I'll need to call whats-his-face." She stepped out of the room, pulling her trusty flip phone out of her pocket.
Waiting for Noriko, the others looked absentmindedly around the shop until Nagisa noticed something particular on the wall: an article on the wall with a picture of Peter and Fia in West Side Story.
He tapped urgently on her shoulder. "Uh, Fia… You may want to see this."
Fia stared wide-eyed at her poster doppelganger. "Is that me?"
"I knew I'd seen you somewhere before!" Hank exclaimed. "My kiddo worked on the play. The town newspaper even did an article on it! Do you remember working with Brie?"
"I can't say the name sounds familiar," Fia, flustered by the sudden attention, answered.
"I told you to stop bragging about that little production," a voice commanded sharply. "Wait until I do something that's really noteworthy."
"Brie, I didn't realize you were at the shop! Come out here, I ran into the leading actress of that play you worked on!"
"And I didn't just work on the production," the voice's owner came into view, his ascendant amethyst eyes narrowing, "I directed it. Perfected it."
"BRIAN!?"
"Fiammetta Timo, nice to see you too," Brian replied, not looking up from the script he was reading. "I was thinking of doing The Phantom of the Opera next year. Do you think you could pull off Christine's singing parts? If not, I'll put on Camelot. You'd make a decent Guinevere."
She took a moment to compose herself. "You know I can!" She blurted, blushing slightly, but laughed and shook her head anyway. Some things never changed. Smiling wryly, she inquired tentatively, "I'm flattered, but you do remember that I'm studying abroad next year, right? I wouldn't have any time to train my voice, let alone practice or rehearse."
"That won't be a problem. As an actress, assuredly you would make time for your craft, which you put above all else, hm?" His violet eyes settled on Fia as she stammered, desperate for an excuse.
"Ah! So you guys are friends! You should stay with us!" Hank interrupted.
"Father, it would be much wiser to direct them to the bed and breakfast!"
"Ah, nonsense! They're your friends, any friend of Brie's is welcome to stay at my place."
"Father! We're already entertaining one guest, we cannot possibly entertain six more!"
Noriko burst in, "Right. We are eight hours away from our destination. I don't know who messed up, but it doesn't matter right now. I'll be grabbing lunch, taking a nap, and then getting a rental van. Be ready to load up when I get back and before you guys even think about going somewhere, come find me."
"Bossy," Haven muttered loudly.
Liz scowled impatiently. "FML, you've got to be kidding me!"
"Don't test me, I'm tired. You two can't even take driving shifts." Noriko glared at the two girls. "I suggest we all take naps while we can. There will be no adjustment period when we arrive."
"Who are your guests?" an orange-haired boy with green eyes asked as a disgruntled Brian led Fia and Haven into the kitchen of his home. The boy was sitting at a small kitchen table fiddling with a handheld camera.
"This is one of the rising stars I was telling you about, Fiammetta Timo. And this is her living companion, Hailey." Brian replied. Haven shot him a disdainful glance.
"It's nice to meet you both, but I assure you, Brian, she can't be as good as Kaede Kayano; she was well known even when we were in middle school," the boy smiled.
"Shall we have a competition?" Brian proposed.
"Bring it on! I don't mind a challenge." He, setting down the camera, laughed good-naturedly.
"I'm not sure I want to have an acting competition with a professional," Fia admitted, embarrassed on behalf of the boisterous director.
Brian folded his arms neatly across his chest, tablet in hand. "You need not worry. There is no way this Kayano can out-act you."
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Haven shuddered. "It makes me feel uneasy… like she's my rival or something…"
"Well, I should introduce myself, I'm-" the boy was interrupted as Karma and Nagisa joined them.
"Hey, it's the Mushroom Director!" Karma said with a grin as he clasped the ginger's hand in friendly greeting.
"What are you doing here, Chuunihan?" the boy replied with a surprised smile. "And Gender!"
"Mimura, it's great to see you again!" Nagisa smiled at his old classmate. "Did you and Sugaya ever make that film together? Wait, did you call me-"
He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, we won a minor prize together at one of those Indie film festivals too! Actually, because of that, I was inspired to reach out and form new collaborations, which is how I met Brian here online. A virtuoso of playwriting and a rising director! How cool is that?!"
"But… Brian," Fia started, "Since when were you into screenplays? Since when do you go online?"
"I don't normally, but Peter made the point that I should grace even the most common man with my artistic mastery."
She sweat-dropped. "Somehow I'm not sure that's how he put it…"
"C'mon, 'Shroom. You're telling me you never took Okajima up on his offer to do a film together?" Karma grinned devilishly.
Mimura shook his head quickly, apricot bangs bouncing from side to side. "I'd rather not be sued for sexual harassment."
Karma snickered, much to Nagisa's vexation. "But think of the views!"
"Wait…" Mimura said suddenly, his voice dropping to a discreet whisper. "Last I heard, you both were doing some work for Mr. Karasuma…"
Nagisa and Karma exchanged glances.
"Yeah, we are!" Nagisa offered. "Just some research while we study abroad!" He shot a nervous glance at Brian, preoccupied with showing Haven and Fia around.
Karma feigned a lazy yawn, stretching and placing his hands behind his head. "But we're currently on break, so we're taking a road trip. We should really catch up sometime. Maybe grab some lunch? We have a few hours to kill."
"Yeah, sure!" Koki Mimura smiled. "Brian's dad showed me a few of the good places in town to grab a bite."
Nagisa's stomach growled and a sorry smile sprung from his face. "That sounds really good, actually. Is there any chance we could pick up some sushi?"
"In the middle of the desert?" Karma asked.
The bluenette sweat-dropped. "Sorry, stupid question."
Mimura gave him a thumbs up. "I think I can hook you up, Nagisa. This town is small, but there's a nice restaurant in the town over if you don't mind the drive."
The boys flashed each other the smiles of an internationally-reaching friendship fostered by an internationally-flying yellow octopus. They grinned so much, it could almost reach from Hawaii and Dubai, and back again over the Philippines, North and South every 25 degrees-If you counted Tokyo and Sichuan that is. As they stood there, welcoming nostalgia in the nine-foot shadow of their former teacher, they culled the confidence and the comfort that only their fellow 3-E classmates could give them.
"So, why didn't you join the others when they headed inside?" Hank asked from behind the turquoise bus. "We've got A.C. in there."
Liz crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't feel like it. What's it to you?" she asked huffily.
"Just curious. Pass me that wrench," Hank motioned towards some tools. "Do you and them get along well? You seem a bit younger than the rest of the group."
"Are you trying to start a heart-to-heart here? It won't work." The raven-haired girl handed Hank the requested tool.
Hank shook his head in tandem to the rhythmic clanking of metal on metal and chuckled. "No, I was just curious why you're still out here. Brie never helps in the garage," the man explained with a chuckle. "He's always been nose-deep in those plays of his. But if you wanted to have a 'heart-to-heart,' by all means, I'm all ears." He shot his young companion a meaningful smile before turning his gaze back to the sweltering machine.
Liz shifted her weight from one heel to another and fixated her gaze on the engine. "Well… I'm kinda… in a hurry."
"To get to Las Vegas? Why? Got a reservation to meet? Las Vegas isn't just going to turn to sand and blow away," he joked lightly.
"We were on our way to meet my… dad. It was kind of urgent," she answered agitatedly, impatience an irritant inflaming, infecting her neural networks. "So we don't have time to spend joking around or waiting around with a group of people I didn't even ask to hang out with! Okay?" When Hank set down the wrench quietly, Liz sighed and took a seat on a spare tire. "Alright,, this guy isn't exactly my dad, but he's the closest I've got."
"So, what are you two actually doing for Karasuma?" Mimura asked with a knowing look in his green eyes as the three slipped into a booth.
"Well, long story short, we're taking down a corrupt syndicate," Nagisa explained. "Karasuma asked us to go undercover and investigate for him."
"Is it easier or harder than attacking an octopus moving at mach 20?"
"It should be pretty easy, but it doesn't help that one of us has fallen for our team mate," Karma glanced at the blushing blunette.
"Oh-no! Is she a seductress like Jela-bitch?"
"Nope, she's the albino you met at Hank's." Karma snickered at the surprised look Mimura gave Nagisa.
"It's not like you have room to talk Karma! You and Fia have something going on." Nagisa pointed out.
"Sounds like you two have gotten yourselves into a huge mess!" Mimura laughed at his red-faced former classmates. "I guess that means Kayano is out of luck."
Nagisa looked quizzically at him. "Kayano? Did her recent audition go badly?"
Mimura laughed apprehensively. "Um, nevermind, Nagisa."
Noriko walked into the kitchen, twirling a key around her finger. "EVERYBODY OUT!"
She looked at the three sitting at the table. Brian and Haven were in a friendly but excited discussion about Fia's habits. Fia sat with her forehead on the table as she drowned in her misery, debating disowning both of them.
"Where are the other three? I told them to be ready to go."
"Liz is in the garage with Hank. Nagisa and Karma are loading the van with their friend, Mushroom" Fia mumbled, face still firmly planted on the table.
"Fia, raise your head. It wouldn't do for my star to ruin her posture unnecessarily," Brian sighed disapprovingly.
"He has a point," Haven piped in.
"Noriko, I don't want to sit by Haven anymore," she groaned.
"So, place you next to Liz. Got it," Noriko walked out of the kitchen. "I'm driving off in five, with or without you."
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Haven Lee. I look forward to your attendance at my next We-Hate-Brian Party." Brian got up and shook the shorter girl's hand.
"Likewise. Be sure to email me every once in a while," Haven responded as she headed for the door.
Fia pushed herself to her feet. "Speak for yourselves. I'm never letting you two hang out again, ever," she grumbled. "See you in the spring, Brian."
"Goodbye, Fiammetta Timo. Heaven knows what I'll do next semester in your absence." After a moment of thought, he asked, "Can Haven sing?"
Fia grabbed Haven and hurriedly pushed the smaller girl out the door. "BYE, BRIAN." She herded Haven into the car and jumped in, just as the boys followed in behind her.
"Hey, Liz, you coming?" Karma called.
"Yeah, yeah!" Liz yelled over her shoulder before turning back to Hank.
"Good luck on your journey," Hank smiled at the girl.
"Um… Thanks for talking to me…" Liz mumbled before giving Hank a blink-and-you-miss-it hug. Then she ran to the van and jumped in just as Noriko began honking the horn for the five second countdown. "Hey, if I ever find myself in the area, maybe I'll stop by," Liz yelled out the window.
"You'd better!" Hank waved as the van pulled away.
"Are you okay?" Fia tentatively asked the girl rolling up the window next to her.
"Shut up," Liz mumbled half-heartedly.
Suddenly, Noriko's phone emitted a loud, high-pitched alarm. "Someone pick that up," she requested calmly. The rest of the car was still until, finally, Haven opened the screeching device.
"Guys, how far away are you? Support is needed stat," Koopa Kid's voice called through. The sounds of physical combat raged in the background. "Mario, you talk to them. Imma go support Rosalina."
"About eight hours. I thought you guys agreed to stay at the safe house," Noriko replied.
"We're still at the house," Mario answered, "It's just not so safe anymore."
Left Brain: . . . well… it's been… a while… If you're actually reading this, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEARING WITH US! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND AWESOME AND WE APPRECIATE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!
Right Brain: Wow, that means so much coming from logical Left Brain! And, yes, we really, really do appreciate you! We've missed you all so much! (T⌓T)
Karma: So, what took you guys so damn long? Wasn't this supposed to be released over two years ago?
Fia: That's two years of waiting for Haven and Karma to reconcile! (#Finally) To see Brian, and even a member of Class 3-E!
Left Brain: We are worms, lowly worms. *Koro-Sensei-level groveling*
Haven: Not gonna argue that.
Right Brain: Well, we were so busy as seniors! School comes first, but you're first in our hearts ( ^▽^ )/)
Left Brain: Also, some health issues on my end… both mental and physical.
Right Brain: And with COVID-19, I'm now out of a job, which means this is the first chance I've had to write in forever! I feel both anxious and happy to be back, but we sincerely hope you're all safe out there!
Nagisa: *smiles tepidly* It's okay, we understand-"
EVERYONE: BUT DON'T LEAVE US HANGING SO LONG NEXT TIME!
Narrator: Next time, Here we come, Las Vegas. Also known as, Liz flips tables and everyone's under cover.
Brian: Wait…. Why did you even stop at my father's shop? Also why are you going to Vegas?
