6:55. Alright, I've still got time.

Mark checked himself over in the bathroom mirror one last time. He rubbed his clean-shaven face with both of his hands, making sure that he had taken care of any stubble on his chin. His hair was freshly washed and combed, and was tied neatly into a knot behind the back of his head.

He had gotten his suit cleaned that morning. The black jacket and pants were spotless as were his white shirt and navy blue necktie, which he had yet to actually tie.

I hope I still remember how to do that.

It took several tries, but Mark eventually managed to get his tie tied to a level that made it appear decent at least.

He studied himself in the mirror. He had not dressed up like this in a long time; he had to admit that it actually felt kind of nice.

A car horn sounded outside his apartment.

Mark glanced at his wristwatch. It was 7:00.

He made his way downstairs toward his front door, feeling more nervous with each step he took.

What are you nervous about, Ramsey? he asked himself. This isn't anything you can't handle. It's not like Michiru will think less of you because of how you're dressed.

He then wondered why he was worried about what she would think of him.

It's not like you're going on a date with her. You're just going to a banquet for the start of the season. Takeshi will be there. So will Liz and Amy. You have nothing to worry about.

Mark opened his front door and was treated to the sight of a long black limousine sitting in front of him.

He swallowed nervously. It's alright…it's alright.

The driver came around to the back passenger door and tipped his cap to Mark as he neared. "Here you are, sir," he said as he opened the door for him.

Mark peered inside the limousine and his composure nearly evaporated.

Michiru was sitting in the backseat looking back at him. She wore her long black hair down and had pearl earrings dangling from each of her ears. Her dark-blue dress was long and sheath with a powder blue shawl draped over her shoulders. A diamond pendant was centered just below her neck and it sparkled when the lights outside caught it a certain way.

He was awestruck at how beautiful she was.

She smiled nervously after he didn't move for a few seconds. "What is it, Mark?"

Eventually he smiled. He leaned against the limousine with one arm. "Gee…if I'd have known you'd go through this much trouble for me, I would've started coming to these things a lot sooner."

She snorted and shook her head. "Get in the car, Mark! We need to pick up Takeshi and the others."

As the limousine threaded its way through the inner workings of the city, both occupants were more relaxed than they thought.

"So tell me," Mark said. "What exactly happens at one of these things?" She looked at him curiously. "All I know is what I've seen on television."

She smiled and placed her hands in her lap. "Well…there isn't all that much to it. When we get there…the two of us will be sitting in the audience by the way. We won't get introduced with Takeshi and the others."

"Oh…good. I wasn't looking forward to standing up in front of a lot of people."

"Not to mention you won't have Benjamin screaming in your face," she added lightly.

He laughed. "Yeah. That's good too."

"Then after the pilots get introduced, that's when the banquet starts. All the food is paid for by the league and that's when we basically converse with the sponsors and the business people that come."

"You want to me do that, I take it, right?"

"I'd appreciate it if you did," she said, glancing at him.

"I thought so." He grinned and leaned his head against his hand. "And that's it?"

"That's pretty much it."

"Sounds like any other business meeting to me. Only there's a lot of free food."

She laughed again.

Mark could feel his insides twisting with excitement when he heard her laugh. He didn't know what it was, but lately, whenever she either smiled, laughed, or even looked at him in a particular way, he would get the same peculiar feeling deep inside of him.

In fact, just looking at her now was having an effect on him. Seeing her like this, in a more relaxed setting where they didn't have to worry about their everyday lives, she seemed like a different person than the Michiru he knew.

He harkened back to the car ride they had shared a week before and how he had felt then. Even though she hadn't changed at all, it felt as if he were seeing her in a new light. Just looking at her now, in that beautiful dress that-

Stop staring at her boobs, you moron!

Mark stiffened when he realized where his stare had been fixated. He quickly blinked his eyes and altered his gaze.

No, don't look at her butt either, you idiot!

"Mark?"

Great…! Way to go dumb-ass!

Mark shook his head quickly and blinked his eyes. Michiru was looking at him quizzically. "Are you okay…?" she asked.

"Uh…" he stammered, trying to find the right words so he wouldn't make the situation any worse. "Yeah! I-I just…" Simply looking at her now was making the feeling in his stomach return. He managed to smile. "I just…thought you should know that…you look really pretty tonight."

Her mouth opened slightly and he could see her cheeks begin to turn red. "Oh…" she turned away. "Really?"

"Yeah."

She looked back at him. Now she was smiling again. "Thank you. Y-You look really nice too."

"You think?" he asked literally.

She nodded. "To tell you the truth," she added, turning her head slightly again. Her cheeks seemed to get even redder. "You actually look kind of cute…when you don't have grease all over you."

He laughed. "I'll have to keep that in mind for the future." She laughed as well.

After picking up the others, they arrived at the banquet hall a short time later. Their limousine had conspicuously dropped them off at the front door, where the throng of paparazzi awaited. Takeshi and Liz were immediately swarmed by the mass of photographers and it took them some time to enter the hall. Fortunately, that meant they paid little attention to Mark, Michiru, or Amy, who were able to gain entrance to the building rather quickly, which was entirely okay in their minds.

The official ceremony began shortly after 8:00, when all the teams and their pilots had gathered in the main auditorium where Benjamin would introduce them.

Michiru and Mark found seats in the audience and watched.

Benjamin introduced the five other teams, Black Egg, Edgeraid, White Snow, Sledge Mamma, and Velshtein, before finally coming to Team Satomi.

"And last, but certainly not least, it my great honor to introduce the two-time defending champions of the IG-1!" Benjamin's voice had lost none of its power and enthusiasm, even in this formal setting. "They first broke into the IG-1 as impressive rookies two years ago and it didn't take them long to move to the top of the sport. Over the past two years they've acquired a total record of 10-2-2 and wrapped up their second consecutive IG-1 title just last season."

"Now entering their third year in IG-1 competition they look to establish themselves as one of the elite teams to ever set foot in the IG-1. Here they are, the two-time defending IG-1 champions, Team Satomi!"

The spotlight was shown on the three pilots as they stood shoulder to shoulder on stage, Takeshi standing between Amy and Liz.

The whole audience applauded them as they were introduced, signifying the respect the team had earned as whole over the course of only three years.

"Takeshi, you're coming off championships the last two seasons and you're the odds-on favorites to repeat again this year. Is there any difference between how you're approaching this season compared to the others?"

"Well, we've been working awfully hard this off-season to get ready. We knew going in that every one of our competitors was going to be working equally as hard to overtake us, so we've had the mindset of staying ahead of the competition going into the season."

"What do you think the odds are of you taking an unprecedented third straight championship?"

"I think they're about the same as they were when we won the first championship," Takeshi admitted. "We know what we're up against and we're going to have to work just as hard to win again this year."

"And there you have it folks. All six teams and eighteen pilots that will be competing for the IG-1 crown this season! Don't forget, the season kicks off in three, count them, three days this Tuesday night. This is sure to be one of the greatest seasons in IGPX history and you better be sure that you're here along for the ride!"

The audience applauded again, Mark and Michiru included.

Michiru looked over at Mark; he had a grin on his face and he looked as if he was about to burst out in laughter.

"What is it, Mark?"

He looked at her and his grin only widened. "Do you see how nervous Takeshi is?"

She glanced onstage at their pilots. She noticed it then. Takeshi was sweating; although it was barely noticeable, it gave away his emotions at the time to everyone who was paying attention.

"You're right, he is nervous," she said.

"I can't figure out how he can be so calm when he's going over three hundred miles per hour in the mechs and yet when he's in this situation he's a nervous wreck," Mark added.

He heard her start to laugh beside him. He looked at her and was once again overcome by the sheer sense of her beauty. The way her hair moved as she laughed, the way her eyelashes seemed to sparkle with her makeup, the sheer whiteness of her smile. It all added to the beauty that Mark saw before him.

He couldn't stop staring at her for several seconds, the feeling inside him returning.

What's wrong with me? he asked himself again as he finally turned away and looked back at what was going on onstage.

He couldn't get Michiru out of his mind. For what reason he didn't understand until something dawned on him. Something that he had thought about nearly a week beforehand after she had dropped him off at his apartment.

He hadn't comprehended this at all, but thinking about it now made him realize just how real the possibility was.

Wow…I do have feelings for her!

He was so busy conversing with himself that he failed to notice Michiru staring at him for an extended period as well.

The banquet began as soon as the introduction ceremony concluded. All six teams and their representatives gathered in a hall that was lavishly decorated for the night's affairs. It was here that the primary business of the night would take place, with teams getting the opportunity to meet with sponsors and other beneficiaries.

Mark meanwhile, seemed more interested in the food at the moment.

"Wow. I didn't think the selection would be this huge. Is this genuine Venezuelan?" he asked, inquiring about one of the vegetables

"Yes, sir," the waiter behind the table responded kindly.

He popped one into his mouth. "Yep, that's the real thing."

Beside him, Michiru asked, "How can you tell the difference between a real one and an artificial one?"

"It takes a lot of past experience," Mark responded as he proceeded to help himself to more of the entrees.

Michiru shook her head, her expression sad. "Not only are you a gear-head, but you're also a connoisseur. You'll never cease to amaze me, Mark."

He grinned at her. "What can I say? I am a man of many talents."

"Miss Satomi!"

Michiru turned quickly and faced an elderly-looking gentlemen who was flanked by several other well-dressed men. She smiled. "Good evening, Mr. Johnson! I'm so glad you could make it, tonight."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Miss Satomi," he responded, shaking her hand. "You look absolutely wonderful tonight, dear."

She blushed, wondering why everyone seemed to be telling her this. "Thank you, sir."

"I want you to know just how excited we are for the upcoming season. We think that sponsoring Team Satomi is going to do very well for both of our companies."

"Well, I thank you for your optimism, sir."

"Where is the rest of your team, if I may ask?"

"Oh, there's someone right here. Mark?" Mark turned halfway around, now holding a different kind of vegetable in his hand. Brushing that aside, Michiru continued, "I'd like you to meet Mr. Thaddeus Johnson, the President of the Effner Corporation, one of our new sponsors this year. Mr. Johnson, allow me to introduce Mark Ramsey, our Chief Mechanic."

Mark shook his hand. "It's an honor and a privilege, sir."

The other gentleman seemed to hold Mark's hand longer than was necessary. "Ramsey…you wouldn't by any chance be related to Hans Ramsey, would you?"

Mark looked uneasy. He sighed, but smiled. "As a matter of fact, Hans Ramsey is my Father."

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" Mr. Johnson's face was beaming. "You look so much like your Father. And your Mother for that matter."

Mark turned his head to hide his embarrassment. "Thank you…I guess."

"I had no idea you had employed one of the Ramsey's, Miss Satomi. How long have you been working for the team, Mark?"

"Oh about five years," he responded. "I've been the Chief Mechanic for the past four though."

"Well, as the Chief Mechanic I would assume that you have had a great deal to do with the Team's success so far, am I right?"

Mark smiled. "Actually, you should thank Michiru here, for that." She turned to look at him, surprised. "She's the one that hired me after all."

"She did? Well thank you, then Miss Satomi. Here's yet another example of how your great leadership as head of this Team." Michiru's face was now bright red. "Tell me, was there some sort of business deal in place when you hired him?"

She laughed. "No, unfortunately not. I didn't know who Mark really was when I first hired him. The last thing to cross my mind was that he was the heir to one of the biggest companies in the world."

"Really?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I would've hired him even if I did know who he was." That surprised Mark. "He was by far the best candidate I interviewed and he was the first person I hired when I took over the Team. If I had to do it over again, I'd pick him every time because he's meant so much to as a Team."

Mark couldn't believe it. "Well, young man I think I stand for all of us when I say how glad we are to have you working for the team," Mr. Johnson continued.

Mark smiled. "I appreciate that very much, sir."

A short distance away, Liz stood by herself with her back to the wall. While she had hoped that the media glare wouldn't be as bright as she had feared, it was all false hope. This was by far one of the most stressful evenings that she had ever had to endure; with all the photographers and reporters requesting interviews with her, her head was still spinning trying to keep up.

Finally being able to be by herself in the company of those she trusted most was breathtakingly relaxing. Now, instead of concentrating on evading inquisitive paparazzi, she could concentrate on things that she wanted to concentrate on. She was particularly interested on what was happening directly in front of her.

"Hey!" She turned her head to see Takeshi standing next to her with his usual stupid grin.

"Hey, yourself," she responded.

He handed her a glass filled with a sweet-tasting drink. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "With all those reporters gone, yes. I didn't think it would be that bad, though."

"Yeah. But as far as I'm concerned you handled it very well."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Takeshi."

He took a sip from his own drink and then leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Have I told you how much I like that dress?"

Liz blushed, not for the first time tonight. Her sponsors had insisted that she wear one of their new designs to the ceremony tonight and the one she had picked out was a low-cut red dress with a black fur jacket over it. When she moved and the lights shone upon her dress right, it was like watching fire move. While it was a little more revealing than she would have liked, she had to admit that she rather liked it.

She managed to chuckle a little. "About five times, Takeshi," she answered.

"Oh. Well, I really, really do like it," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Down boy!" Liz warned. Takeshi laughed.

"So what are you doing?" he asked after a short lull in their conversation.

"Nothing really," she replied. "Just looking."

Takeshi raised an eyebrow. "And just what are we looking at?"

Liz pointed straight ahead. "Them."

Takeshi looked to where she was pointing and saw Mark and Miss Satomi speaking with several of the team's sponsors. "Mark, Miss Satomi, and bunch of sponsors. What's so special about that?"

"Haven't you been paying attention all night?" Liz inquired.

"Not really," Takeshi admitted.

She sighed. "Well, I have. And from what I can tell it looks as if the two of them are actually having quite a nice time."

Takeshi looked at her. "Doesn't everybody have a good time at this, though?"

"Yeah, but that's not what I mean. I mean, that they're really happy because they're together."

"Oh…"

"I have to admit, you were right about Mark," she added. "I've never Miss Satomi look as happy as she does now."

"How can you tell?"

"It's hard to explain. You probably wouldn't see it."

"Okay, explain."

Liz shrugged. "Well…Mark's a shy guy. You can attest to that, right?" He nodded. "See how he's always making sure that she's in front of him? It's as if he's using her as a shield to protect him from people he doesn't know."

"So? How does that explain that he likes being with her?"

"Plus, he's been staring at her practically all night," Liz added.

"Oh, that makes sense," Takeshi said. "What about, Miss Satomi then? How can you tell she's happy to be with him?"

"I've been watching them most of the night," Liz explained. "From what I've seen she hasn't been more than three feet away from him all night. When you stay that close to someone it means that you're either indebted to them, or you're really drawn to them."

"And you think it's the latter?"

Liz nodded. "To my indications it looks like both of them really enjoy each other's company."

Takeshi tilted his head slightly. "Does that mean you think they're attracted to one another?"

Liz glanced at him. "I wouldn't go that far. What makes you say that?"

Takeshi was remembering past conversations he'd had with Mark. He smiled cheekily. "Oh, nothing."

The limousine arrived back at Mark's apartment at around 11:00. After having dropped off Takeshi, Liz, and Amy, it was Mark's turn.

The driver opened the door on Mark's side and before stepping out, he looked at Michiru, who was the only other person in the limousine besides him.

"Well, I guess that's it," he said lightly.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Is…there anything else you wanted to do?" Mark asked.

She smiled. "Let me walk to you door. It's the least I can to thank you for coming with us."

Mark stepped out of the limousine and extended a hand to help Michiru out as well. She took his hand and gracefully rose up out of the backseat.

"I had a really nice time tonight," he said as they ascended the stairs to his door.

"I'm glad. I had a nice time as well," she replied. "I'm really glad you came, Mark."

"Thank you for inviting me," he responded.

She rolled her eyes. "That was nothing. You could've come even without me inviting you."

"I know, but still, it was a nice gesture." They stopped in front of his door. "I really enjoyed being with you tonight as well…" he added, his voice tailing off.

"Me too." She looked at him quizzically. "Is something wrong?"

"No…yes…I mean, no," he said, stumbling over his words.

"Mark," she said soothingly, taking him by the shoulders. "Whatever's on your mind, say it. Don't hold it back. You'll only end up hurting yourself if you don't."

He looked at her, once again lost in her sheer beauty. "Well…" he began, his voice low. "I…I just wanted to tell you much I enjoyed your company tonight."

She smiled. He was being so nice and complimentary to her; he had been like this all night. No one had ever been this complimentary to how she looked. "Thank you, Mark. I very much enjoyed your company as well."

"It's…it's been great for me to be able to…uh…spend time with you outside of work. I…I really look forward to it."

"As do I."

"And…I was…you know, wondering…if maybe…we could get together another time…you know…to get to know each other better…?"

Michiru's eyes widened when she finally realized what was happening.

Oh… Oh…!

"Mark…" she whispered. "Are…are you asking me out?"

"Uh…well…I…I guess…"

He paused again, with his hand on his head. Looking at her now, he couldn't find the urge to lie to her. Not now.

He brought his hand back down to his side. "Yes."

Michiru allowed her head to lower slightly. "Oh…" she whispered her voice barely audible.

"I-If you don't want to, I'll understand-." he said quickly, but she interrupted him.

"No!" She looked at him again, a smile slowly emerging on her face. "That's not it at all. I'd…I'd love to."

He looked shocked. "What?"

Her smile only grew in size and brightness. "I'd love to go out with you, Mark."

Now it was his turn to smile. "Wow…" he said, flabbergasted. "I…I don't know…uh forget it…when is a good time for you?"

"Well, with the season starting in all, I'm pretty busy next week. Maybe sometime after then?" she suggested.

"That sounds great," he answered. "W-Why don't we look at our schedules and then we'll get back to one another."

"I'd like that."

"Is there…anywhere specific you'd want to go?"

She shook her head. "Anywhere you decide is fine."

"Great. Well…I guess I'll see you later then," he said.

"Yeah," she responded. She started to descend the stairs, but not before turning and saying, "Goodnight, Mark."

"Goodnight, Michiru," she heard him answer.

By the time she reached the limousine, he had already disappeared into his apartment, the void he had left looming large and significant over her.

All during her ride home, the same startling and yet jubilant thought kept recurring to her.

He asked me out…he asked me out…he asked me out!