"Give me the bad news, Ichi."

Mark could almost feel Ichi take a step back, even though they were miles apart. "What are you talking about, boy?" the aging mechanic responded via the head-set in Mark's ear.

"What did you find when you looked at the stabilizer we recovered from the track after the Velshtein race?" Mark said.

"Were you expecting me to find a faulty part that would have implicated you or the other mechanics?"

Mark paused. "I guess."

"Well, you're out of luck. It wasn't your fault." Mark sighed in relief. "But I did find out what caused it to fail and you're probably not going to like it."

"It wasn't the racetrack then?"

"Nope."

Mark sighed again, but this time relief wasn't the source of it. "I knew it would be something. Okay, tell me."

"You know how these stabilizers are constructed, right?"

"They're movable parts made of steel composites designed to stabilize the mechs at the fastest points on the track and the places where the g-forces are at their highest. It keeps the mechs upright and reduces the likelihood of a crash."

"Exactly. The steel composites they're made of are created by melting down used steel and reforming it into a new design at high temperatures. However, the heating and formation process has to be done perfectly to a standard or else there will be serious problems."

Mark frowned. He placed a hand on his forehead and groaned. "Oh…don't tell me the steel had rivets in it!"

"That's exactly what I found," Ichi answered. "The stabilizer wasn't forged to that standard and there were tiny rivets running alone the main connector."

"And with the temperature what it was during the race, when Takeshi's mech got hot enough the steel warped, right?"

"Uh-huh. It warped to such an extent that it failed completely and broke off of the mech."

"Great," Mark said. "That's just wonderful."

"When did you get the stabilizer?" Ichi asked.

"At the start of the season," Mark answered.

"And this was one of an order?"

"Yes."

"If I were you, I'd check each one of the stabilizers that came with that order to make sure there aren't any other ones with rivets in them. You were lucky the last time that the stabilizer failed at a relatively safe point on the track. If it had failed in the loop or the spiral, an accident would have been unavoidable."

"I know. If I find any we're going to have to order brand new ones."

"And I'm going to assume that you're going to want me to forge you some new ones, right?"

Mark managed to smile. "I didn't say that Ichi."

"But you were about to."

"Well, now that you've brought it up…"

"I'm already working on it. I'll have three new ones ready by the end of the week. Just tell your pilots not to break them."

"I'll be sure to. Thanks, Ichi." Mark heard a familiar sound approaching from behind him. The simple but persistent clicking against the ground was enough of a give away to let him know who was coming. He smiled. "I've got to go. I'll talk to you later, Ichi."

"Alright. I'll have them for you by the end of the week."

"Thanks." The conversation ended there. Mark wasn't too disappointed though for some reason.

"Who was that?"

Mark kept the smile on his face as he glanced over his shoulder at Michiru. "And when did you suddenly decide to start hanging around here, Michiru?"

"Mark…" she said narrowing her gray eyes.

"I'm kidding," he laughed. "You're more than welcome down here now."

She smiled. "Thank you, Mark. Who were you talking to?" she repeated.

"That was Ichi. He found out what went wrong with the stabilizer on Takeshi's mech in the Velshtein race."

Michiru's smile disappeared. "I'm going to assume I'm not going to like the answer, am I?"

"Nope. Turns out the stabilizers we ordered at the start of the season may be defective. Ichi found rivets in the one that broke and there may be rivets in the ones we still have."

"Including the ones on the mechs right now?"

"Yep."

Her mouth dropped slightly. "Good God. Then it's a miracle we haven't had another incident already."

"Tell me about it." Mark stepped closer to Takeshi's mech. "I was just about to check the ones we have on the mechs right now to make sure that they're okay. But just in case, Ichi is going to forge us new ones for the final race."

"If they're all defective, I'm surprised that one of them didn't fail during the White Snow race," Michiru added. "Though now that I think about, there really wasn't much battling going on during the race itself."

Mark nodded. "Takeshi's strategy emphasized speed over strength. I think he may have been thinking about the Velshtein race as well. That's why he was focused on getting a lead and maintaining it so he, Amy, and Liz didn't have to engage in combat so much. He's become as good a strategist as Andrei."

Michiru smiled again. "He really has, hasn't he?" She stepped up beside Mark and there was a period of silence that followed.

Mark noticed the silence too. He glanced at her and saw her staring up at the mech, with a dreamy expression on her face. "Michiru?" he asked in a whisper.

"Hm? Oh…sorry," she said, noticing her pause.

"No, it's okay," Mark answered quickly. "I was just…wondering what was up?"

"Oh…it's nothing."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "It didn't look like it was nothing."

She grinned slyly at him. "Okay…if you want to know…and you're probably going to think I'm stupid because of this-."

"I would never think that about you, Michiru," Mark interrupted.

She blinked. "I know, Mark. I was thinking about the Team…how far we've come in such a short amount of time."

He nodded. "I know what you mean."

"Just think about it," she continued. "Since you and I have been here, we've gone from the IG-3 champions one year, to the IG-2, and two years after that to the IG-1 and we've won the championship the last two years. It normally would take a Team that long just to make it out of the IG-3!"

"With the people we have in this Team, it doesn't surprise me one bit," Mark answered.

"What?"

"With pilots like Takeshi, Liz, and Amy, a coach like Andrei, and someone as smart and as dedicated as you running the Team, how could we not have success?"

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Are you flattering me, Mark?"

He smirked. "And if I am?" She laughed. "Of course, I could stop it."

"I'm not complaining at all, Mark," she answered. "I came down here just to make sure that everything was going according to plan for the championship race in a few days."

"It's taken care of," he reassured her. "Once I finish checking the stabilizers, I'll give the mechs a final tune up and then we can concentrate on race strategy. I'm meeting with Andrei this evening to go over some stuff and then we'll meet with Takeshi and the others on Friday to formulate our strategy."

"Good. I'm going to be meeting with Liz' and Amy's sponsors for most of the week, so if I don't get the chance to see you all that much, I apologize."

"Aww…now you made me sad." He made an attempt to make himself look pitiful.

She shook her head, her expression sad. "Speaking of which," she said after another pause. "When can I expect us to spend some time together again?"

Mark froze. His expression remained calm however. "Oh…you mean you were expecting follow-up?"

She smiled and his heart jumped. "After our first date, how could I not?" she whispered.

He snorted. He turned back to the mech. "Well…like you said we're pretty booked for the rest of the week and part of next. It'd probably take a little more incentive for us to make some time for something like that…"

His voice and composure evaporated when he felt her cool lips pressed against his cheek. It was so gentle that Mark would've easily mistaken it for a feather or a lock of hair if it hadn't been so obvious as to what it was.

When she pulled back to look at him, it looked as if he had been hit by a bus. "Is that enough incentive for you, Mark?"

"Uh-huh…" he breathed. "Next weekend. Not this one, but the one after," he said quickly. "Dinner? Maybe a movie?"

"I'd like that." She pressed her hand against his cheek over the spot where she had kissed him. "Until then, keep up the good work, Mark."

He smiled. "I will certainly do that, Michiru."

"I'll see you later then."

She took her leave and Mark watched her go. Only a few weeks before he would have thought nothing of watching her leave; if he had he would be wondering why. But now, he couldn't help himself. She was so beautiful that he couldn't not stare at her.

What've you gotten yourself into, Ramsey? he asked himself as he turned back to his work.

Whatever it is, he thought, answering his own question, I like it.

"Yes, that's right. I understand." Several hours later, Michiru was seated behind her desk, engaged in another one of her daily phone calls with the Team's business associates. In her typical fashion she was able to answer almost every single one of the questions that were posed in simple phrases. "No, I'm afraid not. I understand that as well. Yes. That's what it's going to be then. Okay…thank you."

She hung up the phone leaned back in her comfortable chair to relax for a brief moment. Unlike the IG-1 season, the barrage of calls would never end.

Only a few more days until the end of the season and then I'll be back to doing this all day. Oh, that's going to be wonderful.

She found herself thinking about Mark again, and not for the first time today. Ever since that night together last week, she couldn't stop thinking about him and harkening back to how wonderful it felt to be with him in that moment. It was etched into her memory like a cave painting, the images and feelings still resonating vividly within her.

She had never felt like that before; not even in her dream were her feelings and emotions that powerful. In that one moment, with him, everything else in her life had taken a back seat. Nothing else mattered.

Whoa…I really do have feelings for him.

Of course you do…why else would have kissed him?

Michiru felt her cheeks warm at that thought and she brought her hand up to cover her growing smile. Although she was embarrassed at the realization that she had never kissed anyone like that before, even if it was just on the cheek, she wasn't too overwhelmed by it.

It was Mark after all.

The sound of her phone ringing made her sigh, although she managed to control it enough so that it didn't pass the level of annoyance.

"Hello, this Michiru Satomi speaking."

"Hello, Miss Satomi." The voice on the other end of the line was a woman. "Did I catch at a good moment?"

"Yes. Who might I be speaking to?"

"I'm Misaki Ramsey."

Michiru's eyes widened somewhat. "The Chief Legal Advisor for the Hiratake Conglomerate?" And isn't she also…?

"That would be me," the other woman cheerfully replied. "And I also believe my son Mark is employed with you."

"Yes, he is. And he's a good employee as a matter of fact," she added without hesitation.

"Oh, that's wonderful to hear, especially from you. You may not know it, but the Team's success has done wonders for your reputation as a business executive to those outside the IGPX, Miss Satomi."

Michiru blushed again at the compliment. "Well…thank you, ma'am."

"I know this may sound like something that should be saved for another time, but how is Mark doing?"

"Oh…well, he's been alright, I guess," Michiru answered nonchalantly, trying not to sound as if she had just been on a date with him. She didn't know if Mark had told his parents about them yet; they'd only gone on one date and Michiru hadn't even bothered to tell her own family about it. "He's been working really hard getting our Team's mechs ready for the championship race next week, so he's mostly been in the shop. I really only see him when I go down there."

"That sounds just like Mark. Always dedicated to his work."

"He really is," Michiru added.

"Oh dear, I've gone off-track haven't I?" Mrs. Ramsey said. "Well, that's a Mother's maternal instinct, I guess; always wanting to make sure her son is alright."

"That's entirely alright, Mrs. Ramsey."

"Thank you, Miss Satomi. As a matter of fact, the reason I called you this afternoon was specifically regarding Mark."

"Really?"

"As you probably know, our family's company is one of the largest banking corporations in the world. Mark's Father serves as the company's CEO, much like your Grandfather did with your family's own company."

"I've heard about that."

"Then you also must know that Mark has been in line to take over for his Father when his Father elects to retire, which means he'll have to come back to the company eventually."

Michiru frowned. So that's what this was about. Mark had told her about his relationship with his parents a few weeks earlier when she had driven him home, but he hadn't gone into much detail about it and they hadn't spoken about the subject since. But from what she could tell, his relationship with his parents was uneasy at best and this was likely the reason why.

"I understand that," Michiru responded.

"Mark's Father and I have been discussing this issue and we feel that it may be time for him to come back and work for the company for a while."

"You mean you want me to release him from the Team?" Michiru asked, more forcefully than she had meant to.

"No! Not at all," was the response. "He would still work for you and the Team, but during the off-season when he has relatively little to do, it may be the perfect time for him to come work with us."

"Oh…well…I don't know if I should be the one you should talk to. Mark's the one that has to make the decision-."

"Oh, he already has."

Michiru's breath caught in her throat. "Excuse me?"

"I spoke to Mark a rather recently and he said that he would be able to come back and work for the company once the season ended. Once his work died down, he said he would have enough time to come work for us at the company headquarters."

Michiru didn't know how to respond. She made it sound like Mark had told her this only a few days before. That would mean that he…

"Of course, I had to call you and make sure that you were okay with him doing this. He is still currently employed with you after all."

Michiru regained her composure enough to respond. "Oh…yes. Do you think I could have a word with him about that?"

"Absolutely! As a matter of fact, we, that is Mark's Father and myself, were hoping to discuss it with both of you at some point in the near future. Perhaps tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow…um…it will have to be over conference call, but I think we can manage that. I'll speak with him about it."

"I'm very grateful to you, Miss Satomi," she answered. "We'll look forward to it. Good day."

"Yes…good day."

Michiru hung up the phone softly, her insides still feeling numb over the new revelation. She couldn't believe that Mark would do something like this. The Hiratake Conglomerate was headquartered over one hundred miles away from here; that meant that Mark himself would be relocating to a completely different city. Everything that he had told her recently indicated that he had no interest in working for his parents. But now…it turned out that he himself had suggested it.

I have to confirm it…she thought. This couldn't be true. Mark wouldn't just agree to leave her like this.

Her…? Why was she thinking about the two of them right now? It should be the Team that she was thinking about in this situation.

She dialed up the hanger and waited nervously for Mark to respond. Finally, she heard his voice, "Hello?", and her heart nearly skipped a beat.

"Mark?"

"Michiru? What is it?"

"Mark…I just got a call…from your Mother…"

There was a distinct pause. She could almost see his reaction to those words. "What did she want?" he asked at last.

"She…" Michiru herself paused, trying to find the right words, and trying to make it seem as if they weren't affecting her as much as they really were. "She told me that you told her that you would be able to go work for your family's company once the season ended. Is this true?"

Another pause. "Oh…yeah. Yes, I did."

She swallowed uneasily, the feeling inside her stomach dropping to unreachable fathoms. "Oh…" was all she could say in response.

"Why? Did she call to ask about that?"

"Yes, she did. She said that she wanted to discuss that with both of us tomorrow morning, if that was possible. Do you have time?"

"Yeah. I should be free tomorrow morning. Are…are you okay?" he asked.

Michiru stiffened. "Yes," she answered seriously. "I'm fine, Mark. I'll…give you the details when I receive them."

"Okay…thank you." She hung up the phone before he could say anything else.

She didn't understand why she was feeling like this; it was as if every emotional fiber within her had suddenly all changed to unaltered sadness. Perhaps it was because that she now realized that the man she had just admitted having feelings for had in fact agreed to take a position with another company a long distance away without even telling her. To make matters worse, it was his parents, who he didn't have the best relationship with, that he was agreeing to work with.

It was as if he had stabbed her in the back, even though she knew that wasn't that case. Mark would never do something like that, especially not after the beautiful evening they'd shared together the week previous. Nevertheless, it didn't mean that she wasn't greatly hurt by these developments.

Honestly, she felt worse about him possibly leaving her altogether, rather than him merely having taken a job with another company.

It felt as if her heart was tearing itself in half inside of her, but she didn't understand why.