"Raf…! Omigosh, RAF! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!"

Not caring in the least what anyone else might think, Miko ignored her deeply ingrained Japanese instincts for maintaining proper appearances and unapologetically pushed her way past several startled people in the confines of the tiny security office. She broke into a brief sprint before running into an isolated room, where she skidded to a sudden stop and immediately locked her arms around Rafael in a powerful and protective embrace. He said nothing but nodded in reply. Attempting to soothe, she gently stroked his back as he trembled slightly from his harrowing ordeal.

"I-it's okay, Raf-kun…it's all over now."

Raf looked exhausted. His worn-out and haggard expression only served to stoke Miko's already burning fury. She reluctantly pulled away and blinked back angry tears as she watched him slowly put his disheveled shirt back on. He remained eerily silent but the haunted look in his sunken eyes spoke volumes.

Miko whirled to glare at the two airport security guards standing silently a few feet away. They were fully aware they had made a serious mistake tonight but didn't seem too bothered by it.

They also had no idea how close Miko was to completely losing it.

Baring her teeth and with sarcasm dripping from every syllable, she snarled in English, "I trust that everything has been resolved to your liking, gentlemen?"

One of the guards nodded and answered in fluent English, "Yes, ma'am. Your Special Agent Fowler-san has already been in contact with our superior and provided the necessary clearance for you and Esquivel-san."

Bowing deeply, the guard continued with a smug, knowing smirk, "We humbly offer our most sincere apologies for our regretful error. We hope that you can forgive us for any unfortunate…inconvenience you may have experienced."

"'Inconvenience…?'"

Everyone in the room jumped when Raf finally broke his silence. His uncharacteristically low voice was frighteningly icy as he repeated, "'Inconvenience?!'"

Fast as lightning, Raf leapt to his feet and cried, "You guys did a full body-cavity search on me! Do you have a clue how degrading and uncomfortable that was…?" Jabbing an angry finger in the guards' direction, Raf continued to vent vehemently, "…and even that wasn't the worst part! You thought it was funny! You were actually joking about it and said, 'Let's put this ugly American gaijin through the wringer and have a real good laugh!'"

The guards' superior expressions immediately withered and vanished, their haughty arrogance replaced by an almost comical uneasiness.

Raf continued through gritted teeth, "Oh, wait…that's right. You didn't realize this gaijin knew exactly what you were saying…did you? Yeah, I'm still new to the language but I understood every word. I thought it was especially hilarious when you compared me to Goku from Dragonball Z!" Raf paused for a heartbeat before shouting, "DAMMIT, MY HAIR'S NOT THAT SPIKEY!"

Miko blinked in surprise as she did a double-take at this new side to her normally mild-tempered boyfriend. She found it extremely attractive and realized she was unexpectedly but definitely turned on.

The two guards had a decidedly different reaction to Raf's outburst. Despite his impressive government credentials, they did not take kindly to losing face to this impudent gaijin. The guard who spoke earlier became red-faced and defended his actions as he huffed, "How dare you! We were merely following standard procedure based on our government's interest in protecting national security. We keep our beloved country safe from outsiders! You do not have the right - !"

That was it.

Miko smiled a predator's grin and whispered to Raf, "I got this, baby." Switching to her native tongue, she cut the man off and furiously began to chew the guards out with a rapid-fire verbal assault too fast for Raf to easily follow. He chuckled inwardly as he managed to pick out a few words here and there from the vicious barrage of insults.

Remind me to never get you mad, Miko. Heh…I never knew it was possible to humiliate someone so thoroughly and yet be so blasted polite about it. Ouch, that one was brutal…complimenting the guards by saying their collective lack of intelligence was only surpassed by their astounding level of incompetence. Wait, what was that…? Scrap, Miko…that might be hitting things a bit below the belt there, accusing their families of inbreeding and then questioning if they even have a - hang on, if they have a-a what…? Daaamn.

The guards both blushed impotently at the oral onslaught but remained deathly still and silent, fearing to further anger Miko any more than she already was.

After several minutes of loudly offering commentary on the guards' highly suspect manhood, Miko finally stopped to catch her breath. The guards made the most of their opportunity and prostrated themselves on the ground before Miko and Raf, weeping profusely as they begged for forgiveness. They hurriedly excused themselves and practically stumbled over one another as they quickly vanished into one of the many doorways in the cramped office.

Miko growled, "Yeah, you better run. Cowards."

Raf eased himself into a seat and chuckled wearily, "It's a good thing you decided to let Jack keep the Apex Armor, Miko. Who knows what would've happened if you had it on hand just now."

She shrugged, "Eh…just as well. They would've probably tried to confiscate it in Customs."

Miko sat down next to Raf and gently held his hand. They sat quietly for a few moments and enjoyed the relative peace before saying anything more on the subject.

"I don't understand, Raf…I was only gone for a few minutes. What the heck happened?"

Rafael sighed as he thought back several grueling hours, remembering how this nightmare began…

…

"Look, I'm just saying, Miko…maybe you should give it a chance."

"You give it a chance, Raf! There's no way I'm wearing a traditional shiromuku. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable a wedding kimono is? Don't even get me started on the wataboshi. It's supposed to represent humility and modesty in a proper wife but if there's one thing I've never been, it's proper."

After disembarking from the plane, Miko and Rafael slowly made their way through the terminal at Tokyo International Airport, commonly known as Haneda Airport. Peering out the large windows lining the surrounding walls they could see that it was the middle of the night, but judging by the huge crowds of people briskly moving to and fro it didn't seem to matter. Japan was truly a nation that never slept.

Raf stifled a yawn as Miko continued to rant, "…and another thing, we've seriously got to find a way to spice up this marriage ceremony! Japanese weddings may have loosened up a lot recently but I still don't want to risk us falling asleep!"

"C'mon, Miko…it can't be that bad."

"Look, Raf…the actual wedding service may not last all that long but it's so boring! There's nothing but processions and speeches and then bowing followed by more speeches before we get to the really, really good part…"

"…more speeches?"

"See? That's why we work so well together. You…complete me, Raf."

"Jerry Maguire 'complete me' or Dark Knight 'complete me?'"

"Dark Knight, of course…duh."

"…just checking, Miko."

"Anyway, I'm just grateful that I don't have to worry about my parents getting caught up in all the old traditions and whatnot. They just aren't the type. They're both artists and see the world from a totally different perspective. They know how important it is to be creative and unique, so hopefully that means we'll be free to plan our wedding the way we want it!" Miko wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out in obvious distaste as she spat, "'Traditional' weddings…BLEAHH!"

"I still don't get it, Miko. What do you have against keeping with tradition?" Raf shyly remarked, "I…I think you'd be really beautiful wearing a traditional wedding kimono."

Miko blushed for only an instant before she smirked, "Baka…You've lost your mind, Raf."

She then paused thoughtfully as she seemingly reconsidered the idea. Miko grinned suggestively, "Then again, it might be lots of fun getting me out of said kimono, right?"

Raf blushed to high heaven, causing Miko to almost collapse in a fit of uncontrollable giggles. She quickly recovered and said, "Calm down, Raf. I'm just kidding...sorta. Look, it just wouldn't be me, okay? Be honest, could you really see me wearing something like that?"

"I don't know…maybe."

Miko rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Certifiably insane, that's what you are. C'mon…we need to hurry up and get in line or we'll be here until morning. My parents were nice enough to offer to pick us up from the airport and we don't want to keep my dad waiting."

They began the long process of entering Japan, beginning with the filling out of paperwork for the standard quarantine procedures. Then Raf had to present his Foreign Passport as Miko presented her Re-Entry Passport. Miko answered a call as she waited on Raf to finish at the next checkpoint. After he was issued a disembarkation card they began to make their way to the baggage claim area.

Miko hung up her beloved cell phone and sighed, "Scrap, all that rushing around for nothing. My parents got stuck in a huge traffic jam and won't be here for several hours at least."

Raf smiled, "I don't mind, just as long as you're here."

Miko playfully punched Raf in the arm, the public display of affection drawing more than a few surprised glances from passing onlookers. Miko wasn't surprised by the reaction and grinned happily as she waved back at the passersby.

She chuckled softly, "Some things never change."

"Does it ever bother you?"

"Nah, not really…I'm a trendsetter, Raf. I enjoy standing out in a crowd and I like to think I'm paving the way for those who're too scared to step outside the box. Don't get me wrong, though…I love my homeland. I've been really homesick for Japan lately and couldn't wait to visit."

Raf looked around and attempted to take it all in. There was so much bustling activity it was difficult to process, even for his amazing mind. The airport itself was filled to the brim with every kind of retail business imaginable, catering to virtually any need or want. Compact capsule hotels stacked on top of one other provided confined but extremely reasonable accommodations to businessmen, either too weary to make it home after toiling long hours at their jobs or too inebriated after engaging in all-night drinking sessions alongside their co-workers. Everywhere the eye could see were wildly colorful advertisements that promoted everything from the trendiest fashions to famous idol singers to the newest popular movies, both domestic and foreign. From where they were standing Raf could see just beyond the airport. His eyes widened in awe. Viewing the shining cityscape of Tokyo from the perspective of their flight was one thing, but up close the towering neon spires reaching high into the night skies simply took his breath away.

"Wowww…"

Miko grinned, "Pretty awesome, huh? If you think this is something, wait till you get a taste of Tokyo nightlife!"

Raf quipped, "It's not Jasper but I guess it'll have to do."

Miko growled, "If I ever find out who printed those stupid 'entertainment capital of the world' brochures…"

Raf couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, hush. Come on, Raf…we want to be ready when my parents get here and we still need to get our luggage."

They eventually made it to the baggage claim area. As they waited, Raf happened to glance down and noticed that the laces on one of his shoes had become untied. He crouched to tie his shoe and frowned when the shoelace snapped. Miko was watching and could not help it when a tiny gasp escaped her lips.

Raf heard her and looked up. Smiling, he asked, "What?"

Miko nervously laughed it off, "I-it's nothing, it's just that in Japan it's considered bad luck if your shoelace breaks."

"Really…?"

"It's just a silly superstition, Raf. Don't worry about it."

Suddenly Miko realized just how long it had been since her last trip to the toilet. Awkwardly she began to dance about as she frantically searched for the nearest restroom. Raf recognized the signs and chuckled.

"Listen, you look like you're about to pop so why don't you take care of things while I wait here and get our luggage when it comes around?"

"Y-you don't mind?"

"I'll be glad to."

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Miko's eyes lit up as she finally spotted a restroom not too far away. She hurriedly handed Raf her baggage claim receipts and gave him a tiny peck on the cheek.

Raf blushed before doing an impressive Frank Welker impersonation, "Let's split up, gang!"

Miko paused, "Scooby-Doo? Really, again…?"

Raf shrugged, "I told you, it's a classic."

Before she made a run for it, Miko shook her head and groaned, "It's a good thing I'm marrying you for your body and not your taste in cartoons. I'll be back before you know it, Raf!"

Raf sighed happily as he watched her leave before turning to wait for their luggage. It wasn't long until Miko's suitcase soon arrived. He waited for several turns of the baggage carousel but strangely his own luggage never showed up. Raf strained as he hefted her heavy suitcase, thankful that Miko had at least decided to leave her guitar and amplifier back at Hangar E.

With his baggage claim tag in one hand and Miko's belongings in the other, Raf began to look around for help. Without meaning to, he inadvertently bypassed the Customs Inspection area.

Finally Raf managed to find an airline staff member who spoke decent English. She smiled politely and motioned him over to her kiosk. He struggled not to accidently knock over anyone as he wrestled with Miko's suitcase.

After several long minutes of checking, the staff member looked hesitantly at Raf. She did not have good news.

"It appears your luggage has somehow been…misrouted."

Feeling a foreboding sense of dread, Raf tentatively asked, "Misrouted where, exactly…?"

Appearing extremely embarrassed, the staff member said, "According to our records, your luggage is currently on its way to Bangladesh."

"B-Bangladesh…?"

"Yes sir, it seems that - "

"…how? How could - please explain how something like this could possibly happen?!"

For the briefest of instants, Raf's voice became heated. He froze when everyone within earshot suddenly became deathly silent and looked directly at him.

Raf rubbed his eyes and apologized, "I-I'm very sorry. I just got off a 16-hour flight, I've spent almost an hour working my way through the lines, I'm getting ready to meet with my fiancée's parents to announce our engagement, and my shoelace broke. Losing my luggage on top of all that is just a lot to take in."

The staff member was very nervous and bowed repeatedly.

Raf smiled sheepishly, "Well, at least it was just my clothes that were lost and not my laptop. Thank God it was in my carry-on, right?"

The staff member smiled distantly, nodding but not really acknowledging anything Raf was saying. She began to speak in Japanese to one of her nearby co-workers.

"Listen, I-I know it wasn't your fault. I promise that it's okay. I don't want you getting in trouble or anything…"

The two staff members continued to speak swiftly in their native Japanese, far too quickly for Raf to translate. After glancing at Raf the co-worker immediately got on the phone. Raf began to feel very uneasy about the whole situation. The staff members were actually sweating and almost seemed to be afraid of him. He redoubled his efforts and struggled to keep up with what they were saying. He blinked in surprise when he picked out a familiar word.

Did…did they just say theft?

Without warning a big hand suddenly seized Raf's shoulder with a firm, unyielding grip.

Raf turned to faced two stern-faced security guards.

"Mondai wa arimasu ka?"

Raf was able to translate Is there a problem and attempted to answer. However the guard held up his hand and instead directed his attention to the two nervous staff members. The other guard began to examine Miko's suitcase and suddenly gave Raf a fearsome look. Raf smiled meekly and tried to explain that it belongs to his girlfriend, and that if they would simply page her over the intercom they could straighten out this whole mess. Unfortunately, the other guard cut Raf off.

"Anata wa Amerikajin desu ka?"

Raf sighed, focusing intently and quickly managing to interpret Are you an American? He opened his mouth to answer but the guard continued relentlessly.

"Nihongo ga dekimasu ka?"

With a sinking feeling Rafael realized the guard wasn't even giving him an opportunity to attempt a reply. Even though he understood Do you speak Japanese he knew at this point that it was an exercise in futility.

"Kochira e, douzo."

Raf didn't need to decipher This way, please. The guards weren't giving him much of a choice as they guided him towards the security office.

They entered a cramped office and closed the door. One guard grunted and pointed at an uncomfortable-looking chair before sitting down behind his desk. Raf slowly sat down and nervously faced the guard while the other one continued to stand menacingly behind him.

The seated guard steepled his fingers and looked hard into Raf's uneasy expression.

"You are in a great deal of trouble, Mr. Esquivel."

Raf started, "Y-you speak English?! Wait, why didn't you say something earlier...?"

The guard ignored his question and requested to see Raf's paperwork and passport. He looked intently over the documents and then asked, "Are you aware of the severity of your situation?"

"'Situation…?' Exactly what did I do?"

"Don't play the innocent with me. You knew that you willfully avoided several key security checkpoints, including the Plant and Animal Quarantine areas. If that wasn't bad enough, you somehow managed to slip past Customs Inspection altogether. What is it that you are trying to hide, Mr. Esquivel?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything!"

"In addition, we also believe you are guilty of theft. You have managed to steal another passenger's luggage."

"That's my fiancée's suitcase! I've already explained that to you!"

Raf realized with a sickening sensation that no matter what he said or did, the guards weren't going to believe him. It was time to break out the big guns.

"Look…I made an honest mistake. I didn't realize I had missed any checkpoints but I assure you that I didn't do it on purpose. I don't understand why I'm being treated this way but I honestly don't appreciate it, so before this thing escalates any further I want you to call this number."

Raf quickly produced his government ID and a card with emergency contact information. When the guard saw the unfamiliar badge he asked cautiously, "Exactly what is this…Unit: E?"

"It's the government agency that I work for. I'm a consultant with their foreign relations division, and I don't mind telling you they're not going to be happy about one of their agents being forcibly detained because of a simple misunderstanding."

The two guards exchanged an uneasy glance at one another.

Raf smiled, "The number on that card is a direct line to the local US Embassy. Call them and they should clear up everything."

"Please wait here."

Both guards exited the room. Raf waited for several minutes before they returned. The one guard resumed his place behind the desk as he took a deep breath.

Raf asked, "Well…? I hope that took care of everything."

"It did indeed. You are under arrest, Mr. Esquivel."

"WHAT…?! I-I don't understand, why didn't you call the Embassy?"

"We did, Mr. Esquivel. We made every conceivable effort to verify the validity of your claim. According to the US Embassy, there is no such organization as this so-called Unit: E."

"Wh-what…?"

The guard smugly continued, "The government agency you claim to work for does not exist, Mr. Esquivel. Furthermore, we have determined from all the evidence that you had bypassed several security checkpoints and used falsified government identification in an attempt to enter this country illegally. For what purpose, I do not know. Until we get to the bottom of this, consider yourself our prisoner."

…

"S-so what happened after that?"

Raf rubbed his red-rimmed eyes tiredly, the events of the night finally taking their toll on his already exhausted mind and body. He took a shaky breath and replied, "After that they questioned me for another two hours or so before they got bored. That was when they performed the strip search I mentioned earlier."

Miko scooted close to him and gently wrapped her arms around him.

Raf drily commented, "I gotta hand it to them…they were thorough. When they finally made certain I wasn't carrying anything dangerous on my person, they moved me to a holding cell in the back until they could figure out what to do with me."

She sighed sympathetically, "Oh, Raf…I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?"

Raf smiled, "I think that's my line. I'm really sorry for making you worry so much, Miko."

Tears began to fill Miko's eyes as she sniffed, "I just didn't know what had happened to you…I swear I was only gone for five minutes, Raf! When I got back to the baggage area, you were gone. I started to look around for you, but after an hour and I still hadn't found you…that's when I started to panic. I mean, I was asking total strangers if they had seen you but no one seemed to recognize you from the description I gave. I never would I have imagined you were getting interrogated in the security office!"

Raf nervously rubbed the back of his head and whispered, "I, uh…I tried to reach out to you through our sparkbond."

Miko blushed as she wiped her eyes, "Y-you did…?"

Raf nodded, "Yeah…I guess our bond isn't as powerful as Jack and Arcee's."

"Why do you say that, Raf?"

"Believe me, I was practically shouting your name in my head at one point, but the guards didn't give me much of an opportunity to really focus."

MIko winced, "Ouch."

"You're telling me. I just wish I knew why the US Embassy didn't seem to know about Unit: E."

"That was strange. I ran into the exact same problem when I called! After I finally found out where you were I tried going through all the proper channels to clear things up, but the guy at the Embassy acted like I was crazy!"

"What did you do, then?"

"I called Agent Fowler directly and he said he'd take care of everything…looks like he did, too. Claimed it was some big misunderstanding. I dunno…maybe whoever we spoke with at the Embassy didn't have the right clearance or something."

Raf murmured, "I-I guess…"

Suddenly the door to the office opened. The guards walked stiffly into the room, followed by a uniformed man with a daunting, commanding presence. Raf and Miko correctly guessed he was the guards' superior.

The man bowed and introduced himself.

"Kombanwa. I am Captain Toshio Muramatsu. Please…call me Cap."

He grunted angrily at the two guards and they immediately bowed low to the ground.

One of the guards stammered, "Our…our commanding officer did not think that we had apologized nearly enough. W-we humbly ask for your forgiveness, Mr. Esquivel. Please."

Miko angrily stood to her feet and snarled, "That's all well and good but 'Cap' here should've at least shown up and settled this mess hours ago!"

Raf gently interrupted, "Miko…it's all right." He then turned to the three men and returned the bow, speaking in fluent Japanese, "Domo arigato gozaimasu. I appreciate this more than you know, sir. Guys…? No hard feelings."

The two guards were somewhat surprised by Raf's kind words and nodded appreciatively before Captain Muramatsu abruptly dismissed them, sternly ordering them to get back to work. As they tripped and stumbled out the door he slowly shook his head.

"If it takes those two the rest of their incompetent lives, I will make sure they learn from their mistakes." He turned to face Raf and smiled, "I hope you do not let this experience adversely affect your stay in Japan, Esquivel-san. Please believe me when I say that not everyone in my country behaves as shamefully as those two."

Raf grinned, "America has their fair share of similar characters, sir. I could tell you some stories about this guy back home named Vince…"

Miko groaned, "Ugh…let's not and say you did, Raf."

Muramatsu chuckled, "Well, then! I believe I have kept you long enough, my friends. Esquivel-san…you are a free man."

"Th-thank you, Cap."

The two men smiled warmly at one another as they shook hands .

Cap happened to glance down and said, "Forgive me for pointing this out, my young friend…but your shoelace is untied."

Raf reached down to tie his shoe. When he pulled the laces taut they abruptly broke. He pursed his lips and muttered, "You've gotta be kidding me."

Looking up at a wide-eyed Miko and Cap, Raf shrugged helplessly, "Heh…this is exactly how this whole thing got started." He couldn't help but chuckle at their shared look of apprehension.

"Y'know…I just remembered something, Miko. Just before you showed up earlier when I was in the middle of putting my clothes back on, I saw this huge spider that skittered across the floor. I know how you are with spiders so it's a good thing you missed it. Seriously, this bug was so big it even scared me!"

Raf took note of how big Miko's eyes had gotten and chalked it up to her acute arachnophobia. Not wanting to unnerve her any further he quickly tried changing the subject.

"It's almost funny…it's bad enough that my shoelaces have already broken twice today, but right after the guards released me I was cleaning up and my comb broke! What are the odds, huh?"

Miko had gone pale, an expression of fear Raf had rarely seen on her face.

"Um, Miko…? Are - are you okay…?"

Cap interjected, "Excuse me, please. Did I hear you correctly? Are you are saying that your shoelaces had broken, then you saw a spider pass by you at night, then you broke a comb and then your shoelaces broke again...?"

Raf nodded nervously.

Cap explained, "Oh… please forgive me, my young friend. In Japan, these are all omens that you are cursed to have very bad luck. To experience just one of these signs is ominous enough, but for a poor doomed soul to suffer all four at once…! Did I happen to mention that the number four is also considered extremely unlucky?"

Raf's mouth dropped and he gaped in horror.

Cap suddenly doubled over and began to laugh and laugh.

After he regained his composure, Cap wiped tears from his eyes and added, "…that is, if you believe in such things! You are not Japanese, so I do not expect for you to understand. However, rest assured that I will pray for you."

Raf blinked uncertainly, "Gee, th-thanks."

Cap grinned broadly and said, "Enjoy your stay in Japan, my young friends! Gokekkon omedetou gozaimasu!"

Raf and Miko nervously looked at one another. Raf whispered, "Let's get out of here before something else happens, okay?"

As they approached the door leading to the main terminal, Miko smirked, "I guess we should be used to it by now. Who else but you would've experienced this kind of nightmare and lived to tell the tale, Raf?"

He stretched uncomfortably and shrugged, "It could've always been worse, Miko. I mean, at least your parents didn't have to wait all this time…"

Raf opened the door and came face to face with Miko's mother and father.

Miko cringed, "I, uh…I forgot to tell you…! That traffic jam cleared pretty quickly after I got off the phone with them. They've been waiting a couple of hours now…!"

Raf felt a familiar sense of inevitable doom as he smiled anxiously and bowed hurriedly to Miko's taciturn father. The older man grunted irritably and returned the bow, grumbling a string of Japanese words far too quickly for Raf to follow.

Miko stifled a high-pitched giggle and a confused Raf asked, "What? What's so funny?"

"My dad said, 'Your shoes are untied.'"