-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: Oh man, it is so hard to concentrate on doing your homework when it's so damn easy! I can't stand working on the drivel for more than half an hour at a time, especially when I can be spending my time drawing or writing!…Man…

Anyway, I think it's high time I bring in the Stan and Koji goodness! About this chapter. For the consideration of any who are Shonen-Ai/yaoi and or Stan/Koji intolerant, I have only barely implied any romance between these two, using only the simplest of gestures to convey the possible romance between them that I think is totally awesome and sweet, having loved the pairing since I very first saw the show. And believe me, it was hard; I was tempted to let the little Yaoi Fan-girl in my head run off her leash…but I resisted, for your sake. Be grateful! Rawr! It's also kinda to keep the focus on Aikka and Eva's developing relationship, so…a little consideration for the story itself, as well. But anyway, there are gestures during this chapter, so, make what you will of them, ne? ;)

Though at the same time, I gotta wonder if there's anyone at all who doesn't see these two as a couple…?

And yeah, the bit in the beginning is about Aikka and Eva…to be honest, I didn't know where else to put it, and Satis the cat had to be introduced, and the idea of Aikka meeting a fluffy Earth creature in these circumstances was simply too good to pass up, once I got it into my head. Also, there's the new outfit you guys have been waiting for! I'll get to drawing it out as well.

Crazyvegimab: I had to bring him in somewhere, now, didn't I? And, my, he seems to have a fanbase! And I'm very tempted to draw a little piece that conveys his very confusion about the odd technology…hmmm…Oo oh, which of your stories did I inadvertently copy? Haah, gomen about that….:Sweatdrop:. o.o Stan to Koji desu! Kawaii!! .:gets the sparkly eyes as well:.

Spellcaster Hikaru: I could see him coming to Earth too, really O.o kind of over protective of the prince…though I can understand that, as he is the heir…Yep, Molly would have the awesome bow and arrow skills, and the evil laugh to back it up! .:puts a 'Vote for Rick' t-shirt on:. I made t-shirts! XD lol…And I agree whole-heartedly, Jordan is a very unlucky one…It was comical during the show, but now it's very sad…Being torn away from Eva and everyone, really…That would suck! in my humble opinion.

Shrouded View: Personally, I do too…I prefer stories that work their way up to romance, and kind of tease at it a few times before the characters actually give in to each other…I guess I'm a masochist in that sense…lol…that just sounds strange Oo…and I think Rick would be amused, and or proud that the prince is teaching her…as you can tell, I'm making it so Rick has some insight to the two of them's real feelings, he's probably having a grand time watching them dance around each other and their feelings. I can totally see that happening. I was inspired when he grinned at Eva, who was at the time, beaming at Aikka for having won against Spirit in "Make Way"… I just thought that was adorable. Oh, yes, I will have to go check out DA in the near future….:glomps Rick for his mad insight skills:.

Sekai Nerah: Nope, no kissing for the happy couple yet…They still got some way to go…And as for Stan and Koji…Woot! Love these guys. The show gave them an episode to their own adventure, so I thought I'd do the same. Glad you like:heart:heart:

Yami Apprentice: Aw, thank you! .:bows:. Yes, it is my firm-standing belief that Aikka and Molly are the couple that should prevail…I accept that Jordan's got it bad for her, but throughout watching the show, Molly's led me to believe that she doesn't feel the same about him…but Aikka…I dunno, the signs are just there:heart: I love those two…

Thechickenlittle: I totally agree! I love Aikka, and Molly totally brings out his other side. I mean, before her, his life was probably rigid prince training, not much time for fun, but with Molly, he can actually let loose and laugh. It's so sweet! And, yeah, I think it's safe to say that Molly's temper isn't that elusive…this story isn't any exception. We shall see, ne? ;) Arigatou for the reviews!

Frubaforever: Oh, I know…our choice of presidents is just wonderous…Hopefully by 2083, though, we'll have better choices…Well, one can hope, right? Ack…Who wants to move to Nourasia with me?? .:starts a list:.

Star Fata: I love the plank…I was laughing my a$$ off when she tried to do that, honestly. A stick…versus a big, mean guy made of metal stronger than iron. Hmm. Good thing Aikka jumped in, though! I'm glad you liked my utilization of Molly's choice of weaponry! .:bows, then picks up her pitchfork:. Now, onward!

Molly-92: yep, he's her guardian! X3 I love how he gave his bow and sword to her in the show, but I really hate how he was pretty much unconscious for the majority of the confrontation… .:smacks Canaletto for knocking the prince out of the fight:. Bad vulture…Thank you for your review and your support!

A13Van: Not only that, but they look good together! Rawr! My gods, they're so cute… .:watches as Van hops around:. Ah, here's the update! Lol

IchigoKitsuneKoumori: In the story, or real life? …or perhaps both! I'd have to agree with the latter. .:nods:. And thanks for both your reviews, I didn't catch the one from chapter 7 in time to include it in the last shout out:)

Fushica: Arigatou! I'm really just a big, fluffy sap, it seems! Lol XD Prepare thyself for the intermission of (implied) Stan/Koji fluffiness!

Crystal Persian: Yay! Here it is! Thank you muchly for the regular reviewing!

And I completely winged it on Stan and Koji's pasts, as well as relationships to Miguel, so yeah. It just always occurred to me that Miguel and Stan looked somewhat alike(it's the tans, really), so I just utilized that:)

Let there be Stan/Koji-ness! XD

--

-Chapter 9-

The Mourning of Mechanics

--

The next morning, a Sunday, by the Earthen calendar, came just like any day, with orange light creeping steadily into the Wei household from the East. It peeked through whatever openings it could get through, all the spaces between curtains and vertical blinds. In the living room, a streak of this light gradually headed for the couch, and with time, fell on a collection of loose auburn hair, spread over a generously stuffed pillow and the armrest of the furniture.

Aikka, still dazed with sleep, brought a hand to his head, after a while of the sun shining on it, warming it upon his head. He had apparently missed the dawn of the day; he was still very muddled with sleep, now that he hadn't too much protest from his wound, nor any nightmarish situations completely fresh in his mind to hinder him from getting to sleep. Not to mention, the Earth day, he found, was a bit longer than his own. The longer day, plus all that had happened in the time since he had last slept soundly had succeeded in taking some energy out of the Nourasian.

Tugging his hand through some tangles, he gave a low sigh, finding the air escaping him quite easily. The new sensation that brought him further out of his sleep, was the feeling of something, some foreign weight on his stomach, which was in turn, putting a limit on his intake of air. Not only that, it seemed to be animate, alive, perhaps, as it thrummed in a deep vibration, one that he could also hear.

With a slight moan for his drowsiness, Aikka urged his eyes open, set on finding out what exactly was opposing his breathing. What he found, appeared to be some sort of black ball, indeed breathing, and comprised of what looked like short, fine-looking hair, the color of perfect black. His breath caught in his chest, but the black ball of fluff didn't seem to care or even notice, for the thrumming that seemed to emanate from it continued all the stronger.

Blue eyes became wider the more he looked at the thing, a creature of Earth, he could only figure, wondering what it was, and why it was situated as it was. What was it doing inside the house as well? Were the Wei's aware of it?

Easing himself onto his elbow, slowly, as not to disturb the creature too much, Aikka kept an eye on the thing. His movement, however, did not go unnoticed, and the ball revealed itself as more than just a ball of fluff; it turned a head to him, a rather curious looking thing to the Nourasian, with large, yellow eyes that were just as sleep-filled as his were, and large, upward pointing ears. Aikka froze as the little creature opened its mouth in a truly gaping yawn, revealing several pointed teeth, and a textured tongue. So, it was a carnivore, Aikka knew by the looks of those teeth.

At that, the animal rearranged itself, uncoiling itself from its ball to reveal its true shape; a four legged body with an extending tail, which was in the shape of a silky bottlebrush. Black wasn't the only color the animal sported, for the white fur that played on its nose, chest and the end of its tail. Cocking its head slightly at the prince, it wore a cute little look that would suit a child.

Aikka smiled, suddenly realizing that this creature didn't seem to mean him any harm, and lifted a hand, slowly, in attempt to stroke the creature's fur. It looked at his hand, and was instantly eager for its arrival, leaning forward to greet it with some nuzzling. Aikka couldn't help but laugh at the sensations of fur that felt softer than it looked against his hand, nor the fact that the creature was actually insisting in his attention.

"His name is Satis," a familiar voice came from behind the prince, and turning, he saw the Earth princess standing at the foot of the stairs, leaning against the wall and smiling amusedly at the prince's interaction with her cat.

"Satis?" Aikka asked quizzically, recalling just exactly who else he'd known named as such. Eva nodded, coming next to him and sitting on the coffee table, in nothing more than a t-shirt and the oversized boxer shorts she wore to bed.

"Yeah, I didn't know what to call him at first, but he seriously wouldn't leave me alone sometimes, just like the real Satis, so I decided to name him after the old squid." Eva picked Satis the cat up and off of the prince's chest, careful not to bring the creature's claws into the equation. Aikka, now relieved of the burden on his chest, pulled his blanket up and off of his legs, taking to his hair.

Eva smiled, and left Satis sitting on the table, and headed back up to the second floor to change into her own clothes. When she next came down, Aikka was already redressed, this time in the second outfit, a simple, but well-fitting top of a few shades of played-down green, long sleeved and with a collar that was wide and set on the Nourasian's shoulders. The barely visible streak of a scar was just visible with the shirt, though Aikka checked every now and then to cover the new mark with the supple material of the black shirt. This time, his pants were not of denim, but a more agile material, a well-made, khaki colored fabric that would be flexible enough to suit his purposes. Eva smiled again at the choice in clothing, before retrieving some things for them to eat for breakfast.

"So, where shall we have our first lesson, Princess?" Aikka asked, leaning on the kitchen doorway, smiling at the girl who was currently digging various things out of the refrigerator. She lifted from her stoop and returned the smile.

"Well, I'd rather have it out in the back yard, but dad wants me to stay at the garage. Wants me close by, you know?" Eva said, turning now to the stove, and setting up a skillet on a burner. "He told me to come by for the day when you woke up. We'll just have some breakfast and go, then!" she suddenly paused, her hands holding an egg in mid-air. "Uh, how do you feel about eggs?" she asked him awkwardly, suddenly realizing that she really didn't have a clue as to what to cook for him. Aikka blinked, but smiled with a slight laugh.

"I like them just fine, and I'd be glad to try Earth's version," he told her assuredly, coming up to watch the preparation process. The eggs in the pan sizzled along, while Eva prepared two slices of bread in the toaster. Soon, both parts were ready, and both the young human and Nourasian were seated at the table, while Aikka tasted Eva's creation. Chewing modestly, he then smiled at her, finding the food to be every bit as good as his own people's recipes were. True, it had a different taste, but not only was that to be expected, but it never meant that it wouldn't be as good.

"It's great," Eva was glad to hear him say this, she'd never cooked to impress anyone but her father before, much less a prince who was probably used to being treated to only the best. As Aikka took another bite, she decided to finally allow herself to eat her own breakfast. The two continued on like this in a pleasant silence, and both ended up well-fed as they headed out for the Wei's hangar.

--

"Hey, dad, we're here!" Eva's voice echoed through the hangar, which was currently busy with some mechanics working and testing some star racers. The whole Wei enterprise was doing more testing than usual, as the Grand Prix was up and coming. Eva of course would be the star pilot, however reluctant a choice that was for Don, but the chosen star racer was more difficult. She didn't really have a favorite racer when it came to the three ships in the garage, she used them all.

"H-hey, Eva," Koji said groggily, coming down from the stairs where his and Stan's bunks were. Aikka, meanwhile, wondered off momentarily to see how his mount was faring. "Don's in his office, so I don't know if he's heard you come in,"

"Thanks, Koji," Eva said, slapping her half-awake friend on the shoulder and running past him to go up the stairs, past an equally drowsy Stan.

The larger mechanic came up next to Koji, two mugs of steaming coffee in tow. Blowing off some steam off of one, he handed his companion the other.

"Well, our job should be easy today; all these guys workin' on everything, I wonder if Don'll even need us…" Stan mumbled, sticking a hand into the pocket of his blue jeans. Koji, meanwhile, scratched at a spot under his t-shirt and yawned.

"Technically, we shouldn't even be working, right? I mean we're visiting, we don't work for Mr. Wei anymore," Koji asked quizzically.

"Hmm, not right now, but you remember why else we came here, don't you?" Stan said.

"With Miguel retiring, we'll be out of work." Koji supplied with a nod. "But how do we just ask him for a job? I mean, how do we bring it up?" Stan took another swig of coffee, before catching sight of the Weis coming down the steps.

"Shouldn't be too hard," the dark eyed man said, going up to meet Don Wei, with a suddenly very nervous Koji following behind him.

"Stan, Koji," Don requested before the muscular Stan could open his mouth. Both the young mechanics stopped before the man, expectantly, and a bit surprised. Don raised his hand to give them something, and they all then became aware that he was holding an envelope. "This came for you both this morning, while you were asleep." He said professionally.

Koji made the move to take it from the manager's hand, and took a look at the thing. It looked serious, business like, even; the mailing address read 'Mr.s Stan and Koji.' But he recognized the return address.

"It's from Miguel!" he proclaimed, earning a look of shock from Stan as well. Miguel was like family to them, so why would he have formalized a letter to the two? And even then, why would he be writing to them in the first place? They were only visiting for a few days…

Tearing open the thing, Koji began reading, instantly recognizing that the neat and steady writing was not the same chicken scratch that they knew as being Miguel's writing. Stan positioned himself to better see over his partner's slim shoulder, and read down the letter.

Though, he stopped reading as he felt Koji's breath catch in his chest. Matching his eyes as much as he could to where Koji was looking, he suddenly realized why.

"Hey, Koji, you alright?" Eva asked, concerned, as Aikka joined with the group. Koji didn't look up, just stared with wide, unblinking eyes at the words before him. "Is something wrong?"

"Miguel…He's…He…" Koji struggled to produce the word that came next, partially out of not wanting to. Stan noticed his friend's struggle, and thought fast, grabbing the paper gently from his friend and setting a hand on his shoulder.

"He's retiring," Stan said, acting as if he were actually reading it from the page. Behind the paper, though, his dark eyes met with Koji's confused ones. Wordlessly, he assured his partner, as well as giving him a look as if to say 'play along.' "He's been talking about it for a while, now, but he's made it final." He indicated the paper.

Aikka and Eva exchanged looks, but apparently bought it. Don Wei, however, didn't look as sold, and gave both mechanics a slight look of skepticism. Stan caught this, and looked back at the sheet in his hands, finding the lines that were taking as much a toll on him as they were on Koji, though he didn't show it. Reading on, though, he found another bit of information, one he called Koji's attention to.

"I don't believe it…he's giving us…?" He looked with wide eyes at his friend, as if in question if he was really reading the paper correctly. Stan nodded dumbly, his eyes all the wider.

"The Phantom…" Stan's voice was quiet, but he had a slight smile on his face, albeit a bit of a sad one. Eva looked from Koji to Stan, who quickly explained. "It's our new star racer, we've been working on it for the past year, using what we learned from the races to make it better then the Arrows!"

At that, Eva suddenly became all the more interested.

"Better than the Arrow III?" she asked quietly, as if not daring to believe it. Stan folded up the paper and settled it into his pocket, but had a fond expression on his face, for the memory of both the Arrow and the new racer.

"Definitely, it's smoother, stronger, and it should be faster, though we haven't had a good enough pilot to test that out yet," Stan smiled toward Eva, who lit up at the implication of driving one of Stan and Koji's creations. "If Don will have us again, I'm sure we can get it over here, since we'll be out of work by the end of the day," Stan suggested, looking to Don Wei for an answer. The older man, in return, glanced from him, to Koji, then to Eva, who seemed to be begging him to offer them a job more than the boys themselves were.

"You boys will always have a place here in my garage," Don nodded, earning looks of joy from both of them as well as Eva. He couldn't help but think that there was more to this supposed 'retirement' of their boss, but he also sensed that they really didn't have anywhere else to go. Not to mention the business end of his reason; if he didn't agree to hire them, they would have to find some other mechanic to grace with their expert skills and a top of the line race craft. "Who knows, perhaps this new 'Phantom,' as you called it, will be our next winning racer."

"You mean, the Grand Prix?" Eva said excitedly, imagining piloting such a racer.

"If its owners are willing," Don nodded, turning and heading towards the stairway again. Turning as he touched the railing, Don caught Stan's eye in one of his fierce gazes. "Boys, do what you must do today, that's your first order." His obsidian eyes, he hoped, drilled the message in as much more meaning than the words had carried.

He had enough instinct as a racing manager to know when someone was lying to him, but he had gained enough compassion over the past year to know, that sometimes there are perfectly viable reasons for those lies. If he hadn't learned that from his experience with his daughter taking on another identity just to make them a family again, there would be no hope for him. Stan and Koji, he knew, would have to come to terms with…whatever it was, on their own. Whether they would share would be their decision and on their own time.

Stan and Koji both caught some shred of this meaning from Don's look, and exchanged glances. It was a side of Don they'd never seen before. A compassionate Don, telling them to 'do what they had to,' instead of working; Oban and Alwas had never been graced with such a sight. They could somehow tell he knew something was faulty about Stan's hurried interception of Koji's explanation.

"Do what we gotta do, eh, Koj?" Stan said quietly, after Aikka and Eva had congratulated them on being the newest members of the Wei team and wandered off. Koji reverted back into the sort of mild shock he'd been in while reading the letter. Stan pulled out the paper, and stared at it, not bothering to unfold it to find some assaulting words again, and then sighed. "Well, guess we better go get dressed…" he said, pulling the distraught Koji with an arm draped around his shoulder and his mug of coffee along towards their bunk room.

There were indeed things that had to be done.

--

Dressing had been a slow and unusually arduous task, for the both of them. Once hidden behind their door, even Stan's fake 'everything is fine' look had fallen to the floor as he himself sank onto his bed. Koji seemed to be standing dead on his feet the whole time, sifting distractedly through the small suitcase full of his clothes he'd packed for their visit to the Weis. Nothing he had seemed to fit the event though. Nothing was black, the color he so desperately needed. Black was the only color that would suit the occasion, the only color that would be respectful.

Stan had finished first, and let himself wordlessly wrap his arms around Koji from behind, who was still standing in nothing but a pair of the most untainted jeans he had brought with him and his undershirt, staring at the two shirts he'd narrowed it down to, a blue button-up, or a darker green T-shirt. While the button-up looked more formal and serious, the T-shirt was of a darker color, thus closer on the spectrum to black.

Without a word, Stan grabbed the blue article and handed it to his companion.

"You look better in this one," the larger mechanic had said, reclaiming his arms to allow Koji to dress.

Now, sitting on the bus and reflecting, Koji pondered on things. When Stan had said that, as if just in regular conversation, he wondered how he could do it. Though the sound of his voice told him, Stan was just as lost for what to do or say or think as he was. This was taking its toll on Stan, though as the characteristically tougher young man, he was doing his best to keep it out of sight, unlike Koji.

It was funny, he mused, how there were so many different ways that people dealt with tragedy, and got over their emotions.

There were those who wore them on their sleeves, that would definitely be the type that Eva was, for how expressive she was. There were people who were usually calm, but a little more drastic when it came to extreme emotion. That could be Rick; he remembered how he'd reacted when he'd been given the devastating news that he'd never race again.

Then there were those who simply couldn't show it, probably Prince Aikka was one of those, he thought; it was well known, even on Earth, that royalty had to keep their emotion out of their affairs of running their kingdom. Listening to him yesterday as he told off the president without raising his voice made that clear.

Then there were the types who simply didn't want to show their real emotions, for dignity, or to appear like they were on top of everything. It was a pride thing. Well, that was Stan, Koji knew. And Koji, well, he labeled himself as the 'shock' category, those who don't know how to react. He was dominated by his emotion right now, but it was a quiet one, one that had kept him in virtual silence the whole morning. He didn't bother hiding his sadness, and every once in a while, he'd feel a faint drop run down his cheek and not really bother to wipe it away.

Stan, though, wouldn't show anything either way. He simply stared out the window at the passing landscape, as if it were any other bus ride. He was probably the opposite of Koji, for that reason among others. He supposed opposites really did attract.

Stan suddenly shifted, bringing Koji out of his thoughts. The tanned mechanic was now leaning back on the seat, staring at the ceiling of the bus. Sighing, Koji leant back himself.

"I can't believe he's really gone," he said quietly, finally breaking his morning of silence.

"Well, he was old, Koji, and the good thing is, he went peacefully," Stan murmured, closing his eyes. "I just can't believe they waited so long to tell us, by now we've even missed the funeral. Jerks ever hear of a telephone?!"

"Stan, aren't 'they' your aunt and uncles?" Koji turned slightly to look at his partner. Stan merely crossed his arms defiantly.

"Yeah, and so was Miguel. They know how close I was to him! He was more like a father to me!" his voice was quiet, but angered. This time it was Koji's turn to put an arm around Stan.

He knew how close uncle and nephew were, Stan had lived with Miguel as his guardian for as long as he could remember knowing Stan. In fact, it was probably even before having met Koji that Stan had come to live there, when his parents died while he was such a young age.

When Koji met Stan for the first time, both of them were too young to have been able to take any big part in the garage, so the young Stan had been lonely, and thus welcomed Koji with open arms into his life.

For a few years, it had been like that; Miguel working with others in his garage while Stan and Koji played and kept each other company, usually in the form of taking things apart and figuring out how they worked, much to Miguel's joy, depending on what exactly it was they were exploring.

Then, as soon as Miguel saw them as old enough, he taught both of the boys as his own about the inner workings of a star racer, cars, anything mechanical that they could get their hands on. This series of simple teachings became apprenticeship for the both of them, and when he came of apprenticeship age, and for other reasons that he preferred to leave stored away from thought, Koji moved in with his best friend and Miguel, becoming his 'left arm,' as Miguel had put it.

Koji smiled at the thought of having been so highly revered in the garage, as he now sat with his life-long companion on the bus.

"I know. The same for me."

--

The two of them stared down at the freshly buried plot, still decorated with flowers and wreathes that had been placed there during the funeral, which had indeed been missed by Miguel's two adolescent apprentices, due to the length they had to travel by bus.

By the time they'd gotten to the garage at noon, the ceremony was over, and the family and friends of their mentor were having a gathering there in the apartment behind the shop. Not much had been said between Stan and them, he never felt that close or familial to any of them before, and the fact that the notice of his uncle's death had come two days after the fact hadn't enlightened his situation.

So, with only a minimal amount of attention being paid to their fellow mourners, the boys had turned their attention to finding the nearby flower shop, and then made it here, to have their own memorial.

It seemed like a very peaceful place to be buried, it was a very nice-looking spot in the vast cemetery, full of green and lush vegetation. The two boys couldn't have asked for better scenery for their mentor and father figure to have been laid to rest in. Setting down their offering of flowers, Koji smiled at the little placard picture of the usually vibrant Miguel. It was good of the cemetery owners to have included such an accurate portrayal of the man buried there.

"Stan, I was wondering," Koji suddenly asked his friend, who was currently squatting at the headstone, brushing off the very minimal dirt that was on it.

"Yeah?" he said, not making any visible movement.

"Do you think we did the right thing? I mean, lying to Don and the others?" Koji asked uncertainly, pressing his glasses frame back into place. "Uh, why did we lie, anyway?" Stan looked up at Koji, and smiled weakly.

"Think about it, Koj. They've got enough to deal with, especially Eva." He looked off, finding a patch of sky through the trees to stare at. "With the threats, and the president being a stubborn idiot, and Aikka turning up hurt as bad as he was, they have enough to worry about without us throwing our own problems into everything." Stan answered, taking to his feet again. Koji then realized the logic behind that.

"I see," he said, gazing back at the headstone and flowers. "I guess you're right…but I think Don suspects something…" At this, Stan laughed slightly.

"Tell me something I don't know." Stan said, coming up beside Koji and slinging his arm around his small shoulders. Turning his gaze towards Miguel's headstone, he gave a two-fingered salute. "Sorry we were late, uncle, you always said your brother was a git!"

"We'll take good care of the Phantom," Koji added, bowing his head in sort of a replication of an oriental bow.

With that, the two turned and headed back to the garage, where they'd have to deal with some legal things concerning Miguel's last will, which had, according to the letter they'd received, listed them both as the new owners of the Phantom. What they really wanted, rather than to mess with legal mumbo-jumbo, was to just get their racer prepped for transport, and head back to the Wei hangar, and go to sleep, just to get the day out of the way. It was nearing sunset now, and they were both running on low, considering their coffee run in the morning had been shattered by the late news.

So, after sitting through the reading of his will, Stan and Koji were left with, not only the Phantom, but the majority of Miguel's money. Though, being as Miguel was a modest man, their inheritance wasn't exactly dazzling. Some of it was probably still what Don had originally offered Miguel for his two mechanics in the first place. Still, it would provide them with a good plot of money to do…something with.

After all that, it was time for the two boys to pack up the rest of their things. Folding up some clothes and trying to get them all settled agreeably into a box, Stan gave a smile to Koji, who seemed to be doing better himself since paying a visit to Miguel's grave sight. It seemed paying their debts to their mentor did bring them a sort of peace.

"I'm starting a pile of boxes in the living room, so just set that one with the rest of them," Stan instructed Koji, indicating the fully packed and taped box he was carrying out. Koji nodded certainly, finding his way around some of the junk that occupied their room with them.

Stan smiled more after his friend, but his smile fell from his face when he heard his not-so-favorite relatives talking in hushed voices somewhere outside his sliding glass door. He'd left the door to the outside open, so the room wouldn't be so stuffy with Koji and him unearthing things that undoubtedly had layers of dust in and on them. And now it seemed that the rest of the mourners were conversing practically just outside it.

"…I can understand giving his money to Stan, I mean Miguel is his godfather after all, but to that Koji boy, too?" he heard one of his aunts say, "He's not even part of this family!"

"How'd he come here, anyway? Was he some orphan that Miguel picked up?" another said, causing Stan's fist to clench, almost involuntarily, at his side. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen the boy's parents!" The throaty voice he knew as his uncle laughed next.

"Miguel always did have a habit of bringing home stray animals, made mom and dad nuts," Stan had heard enough. Throwing the pair of jeans that was in his hand to the ground in a huff, he marched straight out the door.

"Don't talk so high and mighty about something you know nothing about!" Stan growled at the small group, causing their laughing faces to turn to him, their laughing to fade. "Koji was more like family to Miguel than any of you are! It doesn't matter who he is or was, or that his parents left him when he was twelve, and you have no right to say it does!" His eyes were narrowed at them, his blood still boiling from hearing his partner being compared to a stray animal, as well as the term 'orphan' being thrown around so liberally.

"Stanley, how long have you been listening?" his aunt asked, folding her arms across her chest. "You do know it's impolite to eavesdrop, don't you? Perhaps my big brother never taught you…he never did have much penchant for manners,"

"Get out." Was all Stan could manage through gritted teeth, over the light chuckle his aunt was giving at her own jab.

"Excuse me?" The woman replied, as if she'd just been insulted.

"You heard me. All of you, if you can't talk about my uncle or my partner respectfully, then just get out, now. As far as I'm concerned, this 'party' is over!" He waved a hand decisively through the air to emphasize his point, glaring them all down. The older people were silent, allowing the sound of the evening crickets to take over. "Don't look at me like you're so surprised, how would you expect me to act with all of you treating my best friend like crap?!" He was resisting the urge to yell now, though he had to admit, he was running out of reasons not to yell at them; this wasn't the first time he'd heard his family speak low of Koji, only the first he'd actually lashed out about it. He was just so tired of it. Perhaps they, instead of Don Wei, were the robots all along…the way they talked suggested that they had no hearts.

So, with looks of amazement that he'd told them off, Stan's less-revered aunts and uncles decided to find somewhere else to be. Waving to the practically steaming Stan, his aunt gave a smile and a nod to something behind Miguel's left behind godchild. Turning in a fluster, Stan saw Koji just in the sliding glass doorway, his narrow eyes looking outside curiously at the commotion. With realization that Stan noticed him, the oriental man rushed back inside. Stan was soon to follow, stumbling haphazardly over the junk that was on the floor from their packing venture.

Stan's hand wrapped easily around Koji's arm, just as the slimmer mechanic had reached the doorway to the hallway and he brought his friend back into the room. Shutting the door to their room, the stronger mechanic pressed Koji back against that door. Looking in the man's eyes, he found a sort of nostalgia; the undesirable type, the one that heralded a bad memory.

"Koj, how much did you hear…?" Stan asked, in a sober voice, suddenly very guilty.

"I came back here just in time to see you go out the door…" Koji answered quietly. Stan sighed, his grip on Koji sliding down the man's pale arms. "I heard pretty much everything…"

That was just long enough for Koji to have heard a reminder of his worst memory, and now he felt horrible for throwing it out so carelessly. He knew how the subject of his parent's abandonment affected Koji. He shut his eyes tightly, as if in hopes that he couldn't see his mistake any more if he did so, and wrapped his arms around Koji, bringing the young man to his chest.

"I'm sorry, ok?" he murmured quietly into Koji's black hair. "Those guys are class-A jerks, and I…I wasn't thinking…" Koji smiled, even giving a laugh into the other's chest.

"Thanks, Stan," Koji smiled as the two separated, letting some light glint off his glasses. "And it's alright. I gotta deal with it anyway. It happened eight years ago, I'm squaring with it," Stan smiled; he knew it was still a sore subject for Koji, but it was fun watching him try to be brave, even better to know that he was coping and trying to get past the roughest part of his life.

Ruffling his companion's hair, Stan laughed, finding himself refreshed by Koji's smile.

"C'mon, it's getting late, and we still need to get all of our stuff out of here," Stan said, dragging his partner through the mess to the boxes. This would definitely be a bit of a project, but they took comfort in the fact that they still had a time until they'd have to give up the flat and the garage.

They could easily wait until after the Grand Prix, even, to get going on the major stuff. It remained, though, that they'd need to find an apartment in the city, where they could live and put the rest of their clothes collection. They couldn't really live in Don Wei's bunker for the rest of their lives.

As for their so-called family, Stan was satisfied to notice that none of them had decided to stick around after having him reprimand them. They'd all left, and both Stan and Koji couldn't have been more content in each other's solitary company.

--

Now the night was closing in on them, but they were still working on getting the Phantom all wrapped up in protective tarp. The transport service they had used a year ago had already been called, and a pick-up was arranged for the first thing in the morning. By the time Eva would get to the hangar the next day, there would be a brand new star racer for her to try out, and hopefully the next winner of the Grand Prix.

Taking in the garage one last time after packing up all of their things, Stan and Koji prepared to say goodbye. They paid one last visit to the roof of the apartment behind the place, which had served as their home for the majority of Stan's life, and the last several years of Koji's.

They had been of course, offered the ownership of the garage, since it was a rental and would soon pass out of Miguel's possession anyway, but the two of them agreed, it was time to take their learned craft to other parts of the world, to make their own path. Miguel had always wanted big things to keep happening to them, after they came back from Oban with a well of experience and ideas.

It was time for them to move on together, and to spread their wings in the mechanic world.

"Ever get the feeling something big is going to happen, Koj?" Stan asked out of nowhere as the two of them lay on the shingled roof, contemplating their future, recalling their past.

"Yeah, I remember getting that feeling the night before Don bought us off of Miguel," Koji laughed.

"So do I…And I feel it again." Stan smiled towards the heavens, which were dotted with clouds, a sign of a cloudier day to come. "You know what it is, Koj?"

Koji responded by tipping his head to look at his companion. Stan matched the look, a look of determination in his dark eyes.

"It's the Grand Prix. Our racer's gonna win it, for Miguel. We're gonna do big things along with Eva with that ship, and it's gonna be for him." Stan said assuredly. Koji smiled and looked back at the sky as well. "And when the Crogs decide to show up, we can shoot 'em straight out of the sky, just like old times," At this, Koji laughed, with Stan soon joining in.

They could see deep into the Milky Way from their point on the roof, and not only that, but they could remember all the things that had happened to them out there in the open. All the reminiscing of the events of the great race brought up an interesting point to Stan's hopes, though.

"But we'd need a gunner for that, wouldn't we?" Koji asked, causing Stan to pause a bit in his fantasies about the Phantom blowing the Crogs to smithereens.

All he could answer with was nervous laughter.

The two of them sat for a long while up on the roof of their mentor's house, huddled close to one another for warmth, simply staring out and thinking, well, about everything. There was definitely a lot to think about. Between the possibly impending war, their new change of employment, the recent death, even reminiscing about the good old days when Jordan was shooting at Toros, or Kross, the two of them doubted that they'd have a moment's peace in their own heads.

Eventually, while draping his jacket around the smaller mechanic, Stan gave his hand to help Koji down off of the roof with him; they had a bus to catch, or they'd have to wait another forty-five minutes to get back to the city.

Had they stayed up there for any longer, however, they may have noticed a strange show of light;

A streak of golden yellow, which looked as though it were a shooting star, headed for the Earth. It came fast, but it also disappeared somewhere on the landscape as quickly as it had come.

Big things were indeed about to start.

-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: Eehee, there you have it, my first Stan/Koji fluff-fest. Augh, I made Stan's family such a bunch of evils…Though it would kinda make sense why he was always so pissed during Oban about Don's behavior. Just thoughts. And like I said, I made this chapter so they could be either really good friends, or a couple. It is open to interpretation! ;)

For the next chapter, we'll meet a new character, but what is her connection to everything? Oh, and the new star racer comes! I think we can all guess who's gonna have a race now! .:squees:. X3

Now, if the readers will excuse me, I gotta go catch the my inner Yaoi Fangirl that writing this chapter has unleashed… She has somehow chewed through her leash.. O.o