[Scene: Mamoru's apartment. Zoi and Mamoru come in carrying bags of auto supplies. Mamoru apartment is rather clean and decorated with pictures of Mamoru and his family, along with numerous plaques and awards. Mamoru's aunt, a sharp faced avionics engineer with short black hair is working at her computer with her back to them. Mamoru's carrying most of the heavy stuff, so Zoi get the door for him.]

Mamoru: [Whispering an instant before Zoi yanks the door closed] You'll want to be really quiet since Aunt Sue is usually on a telecon with NASA.

[The door bangs shut, Zoi and Mamoru wince, and Aunt Sue mutes the line and turns around.]

Aunt Sue: [gently but firmly] Mamoru, how many times have I told you-

[Mamoru's aunt lowers her reading glasses and give Zoi a warm smile.]

Aunt Sue: [unmutes] Marty, I'll call you back. Something came up...[takes off her headset and turns her chair]...Well, what do you know? How good of you to drop by, Zoi. I haven't seen you since you were a toddler, but Mamoru talks about you all the time. What brings you out here? Everything ok with your dad?

[Zoi doesn't know how much Mamoru's aunt knows about the bikes, so he decides not to bring them up]

Zoi: Yeah, absolutely, I just came here to hang out with Mamoru.

Aunt Sue: [estatic] Oh, that's great. Mamoru, you should have told me you were having Zoi over. I would have freshened up the apartment and fixed you some snacks.

[Zoi looks around. The place is almost pathologically tidy already.]

Mamoru: That's not necessary. Zoi is not like that.

Zoi: Really, I'm not.

Aunt Sue: Want a beer, Zoi? I have beer. Mamoru doesn't drink, but if you want one, I promise I won't tell your father.

Mamoru: [mortified] Aunt Sue-

Zoi: No, I seriously don't.

Aunt Sue: Will you be staying for dinner?

[Zoi gets the sense she really wants him to say yes.]

Zoi: I'd like to, but I've got to feed my dad, you know.

Aunt Sue: I'll send him a pizza. Your dad and I go way back. We still go fishing together from time to time. [pulls her headset back on] I'll call him now and tell him you're staying over.

Zoi: No, I can't. Really. I have way too much homework. [giggles] It's not like you'll never see me again. I promise I'll be back soon-so much you'll get sick of me.

Mamoru: We'll be in the garage, Aunt Sue. Zoi and I are heading out to work on my car. We just stopped in to get some bottles of drinking water out of the fridge.

Aunt Sue: Another time then. You're always welcome... And feel free to stay overnight...I'm a very heavy sleeper... in fact, I have some errands I have to run, so you boys just let me know whenever you want me out of the house for a few hours.

Mamoru: [beyond mortified] Aunt Sue. Stop it.

Zoi: [waves to Aunt Sue] See you later.

Aunt Sue: [waves back] Bye-bye.

[They leave]

Zoi: She's awfully friendly.

Mamoru: [sighs] Not always.

Zoi: Does she know I already have a boyfriend?

Mamoru: [smiles a half smile] Don't worry, it's nothing personal. It so much that she likes you, as she hates Usagi. She really wants to see me break up with her.

Zoi: [taken aback] Your aunt doesn't like Usagi?

Mamoru: Not at all.

Zoi: How could anyone not like Usagi?

Mamoru: Where do I begin...

[Zoi shoots him a dirty look]

Mamoru: Don't get me wrong, Usagi's the love of my life, but she is certainly not living up to her potential.

[He unlocks and tilts up the garage door of a carport. Inside is a weight bench, and two motorcycles, which have been completely disassembled.]

[Mamoru dusts off the weight bench so Zoi can have a seat.]

Mamoru: Usagi has it within her to do great things, but she's incredibly lazy. The only thing that seems to motivate her is ridicule...I think that's why she likes Rei so much...and me... Still... I never seem to find the right things to say to her, so everything always comes out harsher than I intended.

[pulling parts out of the bag as he gets to work on the bikes]

Mamoru: Someday, after I'm admitted into medical school, I'm going to ask her to marry me. But I'll be working double shifts as a resident, and for the sake of my patients and my sanity, I can't deal with someone who is that high maintenance.

Zoi: Usagi doesn't strike me as someone who is high maintenance.

Mamoru: Just wait until we have our first child.

[As much as Zoi loves Usagi, he can sort of see Mamoru's point. If the Usagi he knows had to take care of a baby, she would be in a constant state of panic. Still he doesn't think bullying her is the answer.]

Zoi: Does your aunt know about the bikes?

Mamoru: [grins] We'll have to be sneaky.

Zoi: Where is your car?

Mamoru: It's parked a few blocks down in a parking structure. That's the great thing about driving an old car. I don't have to worry about anyone stealing it.

Zoi: [looking around] It's great that you get your own garage.

Mamoru: Actually this one belongs to a shut-in a few apartments down. She lets me use it, since I bring her groceries.

Zoi: That's nice of you.

Mamoru: Not really, I work as a delivery driver for one of the restaurants next to the store, so it's on my way.

[Zoi is starting to feel like a slacker.]

Zoi: Where do you find the time to do all this and still keep your grades up enough for a Johns Hopkins scholarship?

Mamoru: [shrugs] It's nothing, really. I like to keep busy.

Zoi: Wait a sec, you have a delivery job? That must mean you have your driver's license. When is your birthday?

Mamoru: You missed it. I'm sixteen. So that makes me legal.

Zoi: Not that your age stopped you before. Sorry about your birthday.

Mamoru: Don't worry about it. I've probably missed yours too. What are you, forty?

Zoi: [giggles] Close. And my birthday isn't until next month.

Mamoru: [grins] Any plans?

Zoi: My mom is flying in, so my parents will take me to dinner in some fancy restaurant.

Mamoru: That sounds nice.

Zoi: "Nice"? No. I believe the correct pronunciation is "excruciating". You've met my folks. Divorcing each other was the smartest thing they've ever done. Care to take bets on which parent will be the first to stop being the "bigger person" for my sake, before it descends into a vicious snarlfest while everyone in the restaurant starts giving us ugly stares? [shakes his head sadly] I can't believe I'll have to put on a tie for that.

Mamoru: A month, huh? [grins at Zoi] That's about when the bikes will be finished. We'll have to have to go somewhere really nice to make up for it.

Zoi: [narrows his eyes at him] That sounds like a date.

[Mamoru's eyes sparkle. If he's picked up on Zoi's accusatory tone, he shows no sign of it. He works in silence. After a while, Mamoru pauses and shudders]

Zoi: What's wrong?

Mamoru: [wideeyed] I don't know, really. I just felt this sudden wave of dread. [Looks at Zoi] You ever get the feeling you've forgotten about something, and you won't remember what it is until it is too late?