Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Swim of Things ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )

The Swim of Things

By

Ret Nuh

 

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On Sunday Rei said goodbye to Misato and the others as she saw them off from the airport. She was definitely going to miss them all and she did want to go with but the opportunity just wasn't right at this time. Misato did say she was going to make it up to the girl though as next winter she was planning on setting up another vacation as well. She promised Rei that it would be someplace tropical and warm. Rei had to smile at that, Misato really did know her well.

 

Rei also got to do something that made Asuka totally jealous of her. Misato didn't want to leave her car in the airport parking lot when the airport was only a matter of twenty miles from their apartment complex so she gave the keys to her car to Rei. All the teens had their driver's license so they could drive but they rarely got the chance. Maybe once in a while Misato would let one of them drive her car to and from a store but that was always with her sitting right next to them. And they weren't even allowed to think about driving Kaji's car, that was his baby and there was no way they were going to touch it.

 

But now because of the situation Rei was going to be able to drive Misato's car without a parental chaperone. She may have also jingled the keys a bit more than she needed to when she got them as a way to tease Asuka. A rather subversive yet effective taunt as she did get the girl to react with a look of jealousy.

 

But any of those bragging rights she had accumulated flew out the window when she actually drove the car home from the airport. Driving Misato's car by herself was a nerve-wracking experience. She had to be very careful and was worried the whole way about doing something that would damage the car. By the time she got home she was glad she was getting a scooter and not a car. There would be a whole lot less stress involved. And speaking of stress she had the perfect way to take any away that she had right now. A nice long sit in her vibrating chair. With no one to bug her and there being several hours before she had to go to work this was the best way for her to relax. And maybe also a tin of gingersnaps and a good book would be nice also.

 

And she needed this relaxation time as even though school was finished she had a busy schedule ahead of her this week. She was working her normal hours tonight. And tomorrow, while having it off, was going to be busy too. Kensuke had already switched over to working forty hours a week and the only days he had off now were Monday and Tuesday as he worked a full eight-hour shift the other days. And since her training was to start on Tuesday and run till Friday the day that worked best for the both of them was Monday.

 

Even though she didn't show it she was very excited about getting her scooter. She had never thought about getting one till a couple months ago when she overheard Kensuke talking about them to another kid. She always assumed Kensuke had one because his job demanded it but when he was talking about what he liked about them he never once mentioned anything about his job. In fact the word he used the most was freedom. That was a word Rei was rather fond of and it caused a quick thought or two about getting her own scooter.

 

But she quickly dismissed those thoughts as she didn't need a toy like that. That would just be a senseless waste of money. Kensuke may have not been mentioning his work but she was sure that was the real reason behind him having one. Any other explanation she told herself just didn't make any sense. But her mind didn't cooperate with her as much as it used to. She kept having little fantasies of her being able to go anywhere she wanted when she wanted and not having to rely on anyone but herself.

 

Eventually after enough time she surrendered to these thoughts and asked Kensuke about what kind of scooters were out there. She told him she had no interest in getting one, she was just curious as people really seemed to like them. The next thing she knew she was trying to decide between a Vespa Granturismo or a GTS. Both were really cool and came in the colors she liked, white or blue. In fact that is exactly what she was thinking about as she sat in her chair. And as she let those nodules worked their magic on her back she kept thinking about her upcoming choice.

 

This was all very exciting to her, she was about to own something that was a bit extravagant and unlike her chair she was going to be able to buy it with her own money. Or at least put a down payment on it as such was the case, those Vespa's were pricey little buggers. Somewhere along the line the senseless waste of money made sense.

 

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It was about ten in the morning when Rei knocked on Kensuke's door. He had told her to come over to his place as he had some information for her before they went down to the bike shop along with something else. He didn't tell her what as it was supposed to be a surprise. The fact that he had a surprise for her was more surprising than anything else. “Hello Kensuke.”

 

“Hey Rei. Come on in.” Kensuke said opening his door. But he only partially opened it as he said over his shoulder “Don't even think of it Dai.”

 

But the cat was just like his owner, inquisitive. And soon Rei had a tabby cat rubbing against her leg. She just smiled as the kitty was cute and only being nice. Dai's owner on the other hand picked him up and carried the affable feline inside and gave him a little lecture. “How do you expect to stay a secret if you keep greeting everyone at the front door? Now stop that or you will have to leave.”

 

“Would you really be forced to get rid of him if your neighbors found out?” Rei asked as that sounded kind of harsh to her.

 

“Depends on the neighbor” Kensuke answered. “Neither of the ones on either side of me really care but the lady two doors down would try to get me kicked out of here.”

 

“Why? He seems nice to me” Rei asked as the second she sat down on the couch the cat jumped up on her lap with its motor going full-bore. “Is she allergic to them?”

 

“No. It's just the complex community's rules, no pets allowed, and she's one of the community board members so she's anal about them” Kensuke explained.

 

While Rei knew that rules where important she did have a bit of teenager in her as she disagreed with the establishment's rule. How could anyone kick out such a nice kitty? He was cute and cuddly and he really seemed to like the scratches she was giving him. “Where did you find him?”

 

“While I was at work” Kensuke answered. “I used to deliver to this one house all the time but one day I noticed a moving van there. I didn't think anything of it at the time as people always seem to be moving around in this town but a couple days later I delivered to the house next to it. When I walked back to my bike I saw him pawing at the box I keep the food in. Normally the stray cats take off when I get close to my bike but he just sat there on my seat and cried. I was actually about to try and pick out a piece of meat from one of the dishes I was delivering because I felt bad for the poor little guy when I recognized him. He used to always be at the door when I delivered food to that other house. At first I thought maybe he got lost in the move but then I noticed the lack of collar. They probably took it off him when they left him behind.”

 

Kensuke was interrupted by a “How cruel!” from Rei. How could any one leave behind such a nice kitty? It was absolutely a reprehensible thought to her.

 

Kensuke only shrugged his shoulders and said “I know. It's very cruel but it happens a lot. Some people just don't know what responsibility means.”

 

“If you're going to have a pet you have to take care of it. You can't just throw it aside if you are unable to take care of it anymore.” Obviously this action struck a chord with Rei as she had uncharacteristically interrupted Kensuke again.

 

Kensuke could understand the outburst though. What surprised him the most about it was that it was essentially the same thing both Hikari and Asuka said when he told them the story. Rei was also doing something else similar to Asuka and Hikari after he told her that. She picked up the kitty and was holding it closely now, almost in a protective nature. The cat didn't seem to mind it too much so Kensuke continued on. “I didn't want to just leave him there so I picked him up and put him in my helmet bag. After I made the rest of my deliveries for that trip and was back at the restaurant I asked Li Mei if we had any orders that would take me close to the pound. When she asked why I showed her Dai. She ended up giving him some fish and warm milk and told me not to bring him to the pound.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Apparently there are so many stray animals around they can't take care of them all so if an animal isn't adopted out in six months they put it to sleep.” A somber look appeared on Rei's face as she was told the sad truth and Kensuke couldn't blame her for that. After all he felt the same way. “I wasn't going to let that happen to Dai so I decided I would take care of him until I found him a good home.”

 

Rei responded to that with “You have had him for quite a while now. Is it really that hard to find a good home?”

 

Kensuke just let off a small laugh at that. “I haven't been very good at the looking part.”

 

That pretty much told Rei that the boy had grown attached to the little cutey that was purring away in her arms right now. She could easily understand why because of that too.

 

“In the beginning I did ask a couple people but none of them could take him.”

 

Rei looked over at him “Who did you ask?”

 

“First I asked Hikari because she likes animals. But technically they already have a cat as her older sister got lonely by herself at college and adopted one. Since she brings it home with her during the summer and on break it probably wouldn't work out. Touji's grandpa is allergic to cats so he's out too and the only other person I asked was Asuka.”

 

“Asuka said no?” Rei said surprised. Asuka loved cats and had told her many times she wished she had one.

 

“Actually Asuka loves Dai” Kensuke told her. “Whenever Shinji comes over all she does is play with him, it's just that while she says yes Misato says no. Apparently PenPen isn't good with other animals.”

 

Rei had to giggle at that. It wasn't so much that PenPen didn't like other animals, he just didn't want to share the attention. While nice she knew he was a bit territorial and bringing Dai into the family might ruffle some feathers in more ways than one. “Misato's right about that.”

 

“Speaking of Misato” Kensuke started and carried a medium sized box that was on his table over to Rei and set it down in front of her. “I got this box the other day and a note on it said I was to give this to you when you came over to shop for your scooter.” Kensuke then smirked as he added on “I know this is supposed to be an anonymous gift and all but tell that woman to at least disguise her handwriting a bit. She isn't fooling anyone.”

 

Rei just silently chuckled at that while she opened the box. She would have expected a gift out of the blue to be from Misato anyway. Once the box was open though she pulled out a blue helmet. It was a rather pretty blue at that and even had Ayanami written in fancy white letters across the back.

 

What Kensuke noticed was the brand name on the helmet, Vespa. “And she even got you the optional smoke colored visor and carry bag to go with it. That must have cost a pretty penny.”

 

“I know” Rei said humbly. “I shouldn't let her spoil me like this.”

 

“Actually in this case I agree with her” Kensuke said. “Trust me on this. The last thing you want to do while driving down the road is run into a bug without a visor.”

 

Rei let out a little “ewww” as that didn't sound good at all. But then she let out a little “cute” as Dai jumped into the empty box and started to playfully swat at her from it.

 

Kensuke had never noticed it before but behind that proper aura that Rei had was a bit of a typical girl. Because of that and since they were in no big rush today Kensuke just flipped on the TV and watched it until Rei was done playing with his cat before they left.

 

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When Rei and Kensuke got to the bike store Rei was a bit surprised. Considering the owner of the store was called Snake she figured the store would be some hole in the wall joint in a back alley teaming with biker ruffians. But the store turned out to be huge and pretty well maintained. And it had every kind of bike she could imagine in there along with a couple she couldn't. One part of the store had traditional bicycles with your normal ten and twelve speeds along with an assortment of kid's bikes. Another part of the store had many different brands of scooters and mopeds. Including a beautiful sky blue Vespa Granturismo that really caught her eye. In a different part of the store was the biggest collection of bikes. These were the sleek and stylish Japanese motorbikes that Kensuke always called crotch rockets. They were definitely the popular motorbikes among the young set and Rei had seen many around town and at school.

 

But interestingly enough Kensuke didn't like those things. He always showed great disdain for those bikes and even though his moped couldn't go nearly as fast as those things or looked as sleek he sort of ragged on the kids who owned them. They of course ragged back but Kensuke usually knew more about bikes and could pin the other kid down under a mountain of technical jargon, or just leave the kid flat out confused. But if you really wanted to set Kensuke off all you had to do was call those motorbikes motorcycles. Rei had heard him say many times that “Crotch rockets are just posers to what a true motorcycle is. If it doesn't say Harley or Victory on the side then it's not a motorcycle.”

 

While at the time Rei never understood what she overheard she sort of realized what he was talking about now. Off in a small corner of the store was a collection of motorcycles with those names on the side of them. They looked bigger, badder, and much more powerful. In Rei's opinion those motorcycles made the other more popular ones look like toys. But then she saw an even bigger motorcycle over there that wasn't well a motorcycle in shape. She pointed at it and asked “What is that?”

 

Kensuke eyes sort of lit up as he said “That bad boy is a Trike.” And knowing that Rei would have no clue what that meant he added on “Basically a motorcycle with three wheels.”

 

“So is it technically a motorcycle then?”

 

“Yes and no depending on who you ask” Kensuke answered. “Personally I say they are but some other people think they should have their own classification. But considering how much power that baby has it doesn't matter. That's probably the toughest hog here…. Well that one or the classic Harley fatboy over there.”

 

Kensuke had pretty much lost Rei again with that. But it didn't matter to her as if that was what he was interested in it was perfectly fine. She could easily understand the allure and she didn't mind that instead of walking over to the scooters they headed over to the motorcycles first. She knew nothing would come of looking at those things as she could see their cost. It was much higher than anything else in the store.

 

While they walked over there a salesman walked up to them. “Can I help you?”

 

But from a door leading back to a garage came a gruff voice. “Nah Hiro. I'll take care of Kenny-boy and his gal pal myself.” The other salesman just nodded his head and went off to help someone else.

 

While Snake's bike shop wasn't what she expected Snake himself was. He was a scruffy looking dude with a skullcap bandana, wearing beat up blue jeans and leather, and supporting a gamut of tattoos on his body. The most prominent being a snake. There was no doubt in her mind who this guy was. He was intimidating because of that too, plus she sort of wanted to stay away from him for another reason. He smelled like a garage and had to wipe oil off of his hands before he could even greet Kensuke with a handshake.

 

But his looks and demeanor did not match as he said hi to Kensuke. “How's it hanging there Kenny-boy?”

 

“Not bad old man” Kensuke replied. “My friend here's looking for some transportation and I thought you could hook her up.”

 

Snake looked over at Rei. “Wow, has it really been that long since third impact? You've really grown up since I last saw you Miss Ayanami. Very nicely too.” He then bowed his head politely.

 

Like always Rei blushed a little bit when someone from Nerv recognized her and said something flattering. She also returned the polite greeting with a nod of her head and then asked him “Would it be possible to look at the blue Vespa over there please?”

 

“Sure” Snake replied. But he didn't take them over there himself, instead he called out for someone named Rachel.

 

Rachel turned out to be a tall curvy blonde who was tending the cash register. She was obviously an American like Snake as on one arm she had an American flag tattoo. And the other arm told you who she was married to as she had a tattoo with the word Snake written out in fancy letters. This corresponded nicely with the Rachel tattoo on Snake's arm. You could also tell she was a biker chic but unlike her husband she may have grown up a little more. While she was wearing denim and leather too it was a very stylish version and wasn't all grubby and worn out. “Well hello there Miss Ayanami. I was wondering when you were going to stop by.”

 

“You knew I would be coming here?” Rei questioned as she didn't see how this stranger could know something like that.

 

“I did the stenciling on your helmet so I knew it would only be a matter of time before you came in” Rachel told her smiling at the young girl. “Plus a raven-haired birdie told me to be expecting you.”

 

Rei was not surprised by the Misato connection. “So did you work with her at Nerv?”

 

“Nope, I was a number cruncher. But we used to run into each other all the time in the cafeteria back in the day. It still blows my mind that she's a Mom now.”

 

“She gets that a lot” Rei replied as she and Rachel walked over to the scooter area. Misato was still Misato in many ways but she had grown up and changed since third impact and people who knew her from before were often surprised at the woman she had become since.

 

“I bet she does” Rachel said back. She then noticed Rei looking back as Kensuke had not followed her, in fact Kensuke was getting on one of the big motorcycles. “There those two go again. You might want to cover your ears.”

 

Since Rachel was taking her own advice Rei followed suit. And it was a good thing to as no more than a second later Kensuke revved up the motorcycle he was on causing most of the customers in the shop to jump. That bike was loud. But after the initial startup it quieted down some and the two girls could talk some more. “All bikes aren't as loud as that are they?”

 

“Oh heavens no” Rachel answered her. “That loud revving noise is a trademark of the Harleys. Most of the bikes now days are whisper quiet thanks to their electric engines. But it would be a sin to silence those bikes.”

 

“It seems rather intimidating” Rei remarked.

 

“That's the whole point” Rachel told her. “With most bikes it's all about speed but with the real motorcycles it is about power and image. People know when a Harley's coming up on them and they get out of the way.”

 

Rei could see how a guy would be drawn to that image easily enough. But what she wanted was much simpler and she told that saleswoman “I like this one” as she pointed to the blue Vespa.

 

“I like your tastes” Rachel told her and then whispered “Don't tell my husband but I like these little Vespas more than I do the hogs. They're so much easier to operate and can go so many more places in the city.” After she said that she then asked Rei the golden question. “Do you want a test drive?”

 

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About an hour later Rei was sitting on the opposite side of a desk from Rachel filling out various forms. She would have chided herself for being such an easy mark if she wasn't so happy about buying her Vespa. Plus Rachel had cut her a great deal on the payment plan. She had called it the special Nerv bonus payment plan but in essence it was special treatment. This was very typical of the Nerv personnel around town, most had moved on into different aspects of life but what had happened sort of drew them all closer and they watched out for one another. Her payment plan wasn't because she was Rei Ayanami but because she was ex-Nerv personnel. This meant the cost of the scooter to her was closer to factory cost than normal people would get and she got an extension on the 0% financing rate from the standard year to two whole years. By then she would have it paid off.

 

Right now though she was sitting around talking to Rachel. The forms had been faxed to Rei's bank and they were simply waiting for the final approval from them before Rei finished the transaction by signing on the dotted line. As for Kensuke, he was in the garage with Snake. He knew Rei could handle herself in this matter and she didn't need a second voice telling her what to do. If this meant it gave him and Snake some time to work on his moped in back then that was all the better.

 

“From the first moment I saw him come into this shop I knew that kid was a gearhead” Rachel explained to Rei. “Most teenage boys when they first come in here go directly to the motorbikes.” She was pointing over to the crotch rockets. “They get all big eyed and start talking about how fast they could go and how cool the bikes look but not Kensuke. He came in and walked right past them, not even giving them a second look. I've seen it before and it was the same with him, the boy fell in love with those big hogs at first sight.”

 

That wasn't too hard for Rei to believe considering this was Kensuke they were talking about. “So does only the United Sates make those kind of motorcycles then?” She was kind of confused as she had seen some other bikes that she would have called motorcycles in other areas of the shop and she didn't understand why they were kept separate from the ones that had the names of Harley Davidson or Victory.

 

“Not really, it's more an image thing than anything. You can find just about any style of bike you want if you pick from the European or Japanese brands. It's just that those motorcycles don't have the same mystique as the American ones” Rachel explained. “Before second impact there were many more brands of American motorcycles out there but afterwards only the big two endured. The rest of the companies just couldn't survive the financial hardships that followed.”

 

“So those that survived were thought to be better than the rest?”

 

“They were pretty much better than the rest to start with. That's probably why they survived. Plus Harleys have always been `The Motorcycle.' There isn't a place on this planet where they aren't the King of the road. They just have that image.” Rachel then pointed over at a motorcycle that sort of looked like a tradition one. “Take those bikes for example. They're your standard Honda brand motorcycle. All fine and dandy, work like a charm, and can get you from point A to point B just as easily as a Harley. Yet you could buy two of those for the price of a Harley. So you would think that would make them more popular among the bikers but nope, it doesn't. A true biker wouldn't get caught dead riding one of those.”

 

“Then who buys them?” Rei asked as if they were out on the floor someone must buy them.

“Most of the European and Japanese brands are bought by people who want to look like a tough guy but don't quite get the image or are weekend warriors who think they are bikers.”

 

“Weekend warriors?” Rei asked confused as that was a term she had never heard before.

 

“Usually suburbanites with lots of extra money who play dress up and ride down the road with their fancy bikes on the weekends” Rachel explained. But her explanation wasn't very good as Rei still sat their confused so she explained it another way. “Think of it as and expensive form of what you guys over here call cosplay.”

 

“Oh” Rei responded with a little chuckle. Basically Rachel had just described Kaji, only replace a motorcycle with his Mustang. “I think I understand now. They want you to think they're something they are not.”

 

“Yup, but don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking those guys and gals as some type of poser. It's just that they have a romanticized image of what a biker is. Real bikers like Snake generally look down on them but they're damn good business.”

 

“So his image isn't just for show. He really is a biker?” Rei asked.

 

“Was” Rachel corrected. “That Hell's Angels tattoo on his arm isn't fake. At one point in his life he really did belong to that gang and wasn't a nice guy at all. But then second impact struck, changing everything. Back in the US there was mass chaos afterwards and the government acted swiftly to quell it. All our military might was turned inwards and they went after those who tried to take advantage of the situation. Gangs like the Hell's Angels didn't last long and one day Snake and his pack met up with an Apache helicopter.”

 

Rei closed her eyes when Rachel said that. The end result of that confrontation could not have been good and the fact that Snake was still alive was probably a miracle. “Was he the only one that survived?”

 

Rachel nodded yes. “A man changes when he has to bury twelve friends along side a road that were so close to him they were family. He was so broken he didn't even resist when some soldiers came to pick him up. He just let them drag him off and throw him in jail.”

 

“Then how did he become a member of Nerv?” Rei asked as someone like that would most likely have been locked away for a very long time so it was hard to understand how he was able to get employed.

 

“Snake has always been mechanically inclined and could fix anything. He sort of made a name for himself in the prison motor pool and got the attention of some key personnel in that prison. Apparently some of the things Nerv was making out in Arizona required people of low standards and few scruples. Considering his past they figured Snake fit the bill. Eventually the project he was working on was moved over here and since he had no family or friends back in the states he followed it.”

 

That was something Rei could easily believe. Nerv had a very nasty side to it that was kept secret. They had no problems hiring criminals as long as those criminals did things that would benefit Nerv in the long run. This fact was emphasized as Rachel then told Rei her story of how she became part of Nerv. Apparently Rachel was no angel herself. She was playing fancy games with the accounting at the company she worked for when she got out of college. While the company she worked at never found out the company was actually a subsidiary of Nerv. It didn't take Nerv long to track down who was siphoning money from them but instead of ratting her out to the authorities they gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. Work for them or go to jail.

 

“So what exactly did you do?”

 

“I was part of a team responsible for acquiring money for special projects” Rachel answered. “Well at least I was until I started finding out we were taking money away from third world countries and grew a conscience. When I voiced my concerns I was quickly transferred over to the normal accounting department, unfortunately that department was located in Japan. I didn't really have a choice in the matter considering my past so that's how I ended up over here.”

 

“So you and Snake didn't meet each other until you were both over here?”

 

“Nope” Rachel answered. “We actually met at Japanese language classes. I always had a thing for bad boys when I was young and the next thing I knew I was his biker chic.”

 

Sort of a sorted story but it had a happy ending none the less. And truthfully their pasts were nothing compared to the two people Rei considered her parents now. And if she wanted to think about it even more she was sure she could find former Nerv employees with even more scrupulous pasts.

 

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When the bank sent back their approval and the transaction was finally complete Rei signed on the dotted line. Now she was the proud owner of her very own scooter. But while she was very happy about that she was missing the person who got her interested in them in the first place. Apparently Kensuke's quick little adjustment wasn't being so quick. Rei wandered into the garage with Rachel to see what was going on. What she saw though was two guys pounding on and bending the frame to Kensuke's moped.

 

Rachel was standing beside her and asked “What are you guys doing? I thought you were just going to install a new seat on that moped and that was it.”

 

“What do you think we're doing?” Snake said back.

 

“Since when do you have to take a bike apart and adjust the frame just to put on a new seat?” Rachel questioned. She was no idiot when it came to bike repairs so she knew better.

 

This time it was Kensuke who answered her. “Well the seat I got wasn't for this bike so we had to adjust it a little. Unfortunately the bike frame and the seat frame are completely incompatible so we had to take the frame out of the new seat I got and replace it with the old frame from my original seat. But we made some minor alterations to the frame in the process so we need to make corresponding changes to my bike's frame. That's all.”

 

Rachel just rolled her eyes at the two. Such major work for something so minor. “Just hurry it up, ok.”

 

Rei though didn't mind waiting a tad longer but she did have a question as the seat that was being discarded looked perfectly fine to her. “Why did you have to get a new seat for your moped?”

 

“Because the warming box I carry my food around in wobbles a little if I don't strap it down” Kensuke answered her.

 

Rei then said something that got both guys working on the moped to look up at her like she was some kind of being from another planet. “Then just strap it down.”

 

That caused Rachel to laugh out loud. “Sorry there honey but that would be common sense. Don't ever expect guys like them to understand that.”

 

There were two insulted types of “Hey!” thrown out at Rachel for that but she didn't pay any mind to them as she just told them to hurry it up again. It was sort of bad business to make Rei wait like they were doing.

 

Rachel then suggested to Rei that they leave and let the boys get back to work. They probably would get done faster that way.

 

They ended up walking out back onto the main show floor of the shop. Rei though stopped at the motorcycle that Kensuke was on before. “Kensuke said this was the most powerful machine in the store.”

 

“Of course he would” Rachel smirked. “That's his bike.”

 

“It is?” Rei asked confused as there was no way he could afford something like it.

 

“Someday it will be at least” Rachel clarified. “Snake's saving that one for him.”

 

“He would really do that?”

 

“For a kid like Kenny-boy, sure” Rachel told her and then added. “And it's no big deal actually. If someone comes in and is interested in a bike like this one Snake can always put in an order to the States to get another one just like it. The originality in these bikes usually lies in the paintjobs and customizations they get after their bought as the bikes themselves are mass produced.”

 

Considering the bike in question already had a pretty unique paint job, complete with some rather cool looking flames, she had to ask “So is this what Kensuke wanted his motorcycle to look like then?”

 

“Yup. And I can tell you that job wasn't easy” Rachel added on as she could still remember how many times her hand cramp up trying to get those flames just right.

 

“You did that?” Rei asked surprised as if Rachel did she was a pretty talented artist.

 

“Yeah. That's probably one of my better detailing jobs” Rachel answered her.

 

“It's very impressive” Rei told her.

 

“Thank you” Rachel said. “While my main job here is to crunch the numbers and run the shop I like to dabble in the arts as well.”

 

“Do you do anything else other than detailing and stenciling?” Rei asked. Normally Rei never asked people this many questions but she was trying to be sociable. It was going to be some time before Kensuke was finished and Rachel was a pretty nice person so pleasant conversation was the polite thing to do.

 

“Mostly my work's stuff like your helmet and motorcycles but I can also do body parts.”

 

“Body parts?”

 

“Tattoos” Rachel clarified. “Don't worry, I'm fully licensed and everything. I even have a room in back that I set up a parlor in.”

 

“So what kind of tattoos do you give people?” Rei asked. Rei was actually not as put off as you would think about tattoos. She knew several people who had them and it was just a form of expressing oneself. While she herself was not fond of them as she thought she was unique enough as it was she could understand how other people could like them.

 

“I can do a lot of different things” Rachel told her. “But I draw the line at the big giant ones that take up a whole back or something. Mostly it's just names or small pictures on various body parts.”

 

“So are any of the ones on Snake yours?”

 

“The Rachel one on his arm is mine. The rest of them he got before he met me.” Rachel then said something that blew Rei's mind. “I also did the one on Kensuke's arm.”

 

“Kensuke's got a tattoo???”

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

After Kensuke was finished with his repairs he left with Rei and just drove around certain parts of the city with her. Basically he was showing her the ins and outs of driving a scooter. He also gave her a couple maps of the city as it was very easy to get lost in if you weren't familiar with the all the different roads. With all the reconstruction projects and everything the city was a bit of a labyrinth.

 

After a while Rei seemed to be getting a good grip on operating her Vespa. She even was brave enough to take the scooter out onto some of the main roads. What she found funny though was that Kensuke was able to keep up with her out there. She was going sixty kilometers an hour (kph) and he was right there beside her. Technically this shouldn't have been possible as while in the store Rachel had shown her what Kensuke's bike originally looked like. It was the cheapest moped in the store. It also only had a top speed of around 35 kph but here she was going 60 and it looked like his bike had no problems matching her speed. In fact not only did he match her speed but he passed her as he wanted to take an exit off the road and stop somewhere to eat.

 

“Hope you don't mind me turning off like that” Kensuke told her once they had slowed down and were on one of the side streets again. “I'm getting hungry. You want to get something to eat?”

 

“I suppose” Rei said but added “It needs to be somewhere cheap though. I don't have much money to spend anymore.”

 

“How about free then?” Kensuke asked as he turned onto a different street that led to where they worked.

 

After how much she just spent on her Vespa free sounded very good to her. “Ok.”

 

After they got to Shin Seiki's Rei asked “Is any part of that moped of yours original?”

 

“Well of course” Kensuke quickly answered. Then he thought about that for a second longer “Umm??? Hmmm… shoot, maybe not.” The kid then started looking at his bike, going over in his mind what he had replaced or upgraded. After about a minute he asked Rei “Does modifying but not changing a part still count as original?”

 

Rei shook her head no at that while she and Kensuke headed into the restaurant through the employee entrance.

 

“Damn. I was going to say the frame but I have modified that so many times I don't even remember what shape it was originally in.”

 

“That's what I thought” Rei smirked. The only brand name that belonged on that bike of his was his own name. Which was odd as he actually had about four different decals marking what kind of bike it was. But Rei recognized that was probably just to screw with people who saw his bike and thought they could buy something like it.

 

If you worked at Shin Seiki's you could always get a free meal as long as you weren't picky. There was always mix-ups or they made too much of some particular dish so there was usually extra food around. At the end of the night the food that was left sitting there would just be thrown away anyway so it was better if some hungry workers took care of it.

 

Li Mei was quick to spot the two as they came into the kitchen. “What're you guys doing here today?”

 

“Just thought we would mooch off of you” Kensuke kidded.

 

“Take some of the chicken and shrimp tempura special then” Li Mei told the two. “For some reason it isn't selling very good today.”

 

Both kids nodded their head at that and grabbed a plate. They then walked out to the counter so they would be out of the way of the kitchen staff and found two open stools to sit at. A little bit later though Li Mei walked up to them again. “Is there something wrong with that dish? Usually it's a big seller.”

 

Kensuke answered with a full mouth. “Tastes fine to me.”

 

This didn't satisfy Li Mei all that much as she could probably serve him an old worn out shoe soaked in oyster sauce and he would eat it. She was looking more for Rei's opinion as she liked it that the girl was so honest with her. “It doesn't taste any different” Rei started out. “But I think because it is rather hot out today people most likely do not want to be eating fried foods as much.”

 

Li Mei let out a little “Hmm?” as Rei had a point there. But then again it is really hard to predict what people want on days that you have no idea what the weather will be like on. When it came to specials and the such you have to place orders to your supplier long ahead of time. “Not much I can do about the weather. I will just push the dish tomorrow too then. That should use up the extras.”

 

“Speaking of food you eat in the summer” Kensuke interrupted as he was finishing off his plate “you got any extra hiyashi chuka?”

 

“You know better than to ask that question” Li Mei laughed at him. “Even though it seems cooler this summer than last we can barely keep up with the orders for those dishes.”

 

“Shoot. I really like that spicy mustard and pickled red peppers you serve with it” Kensuke said.

 

“Here then” Li Mei told him while taking away his empty plate. She then walked back into the kitchen and got some more of the special that wasn't selling but she also threw on top a pickled pepper and scooped some spicy mustard on the side.

 

“You're the best” Kensuke said as he dived into his food.

 

“And you obviously didn't eat any breakfast again” Li Mei said back as she watched the young man chow down.

 

“Didn't have time” Kensuke responded. “I helped Rei get her scooter today.”

 

“You did?” Li Mei said and she looked over at Rei “What kind did you decide to get?”

 

“A sky blue Vespa Granturismo” Rei answered with a big smile she just couldn't hide.

 

“Did you drive it here?” Li Mei asked curiously.

 

“Yes” Rei answered and then asked something she already knew the answer to. “Do you want to go see it?”

 

No more did Rei ask that than the two women were out in front of the shop admiring it. Li Mei needed a break from the kitchen anyway and she knew Rei was really excited about getting one. For the last couple of weeks whenever they talked Rei seemed to steer towards that issue so that was a good clue to Li Mei that this was something important to the blue haired girl. What Li Mei found sort of funny though was when Rei told her all about her scooter she almost sounded like Kensuke for a split second. But Li Mei could easily recognize this more as a girl and her fancy sort of thing rather than what she could tell Kensuke was into. She had known Kensuke for some time now and it wasn't his moped that was important to him, it was that he could improve upon what he got to make what he had even better.

 

But after talking to Rei for about ten minutes Li Mei learned something about Kensuke that she didn't know. Something that surprised her as much as it did Rei. While she knew Rei's scooter was very important to the girl this was something that she just had to check out. And as for Rei, she could hide it all she wanted to but she was just as curious about this topic as Li Mei.

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

Kensuke had stayed inside to finish his dinner while the girls went outside to look at Rei's scooter. Rei seemed to be very knowledgeable about what she bought so she didn't need his help explaining all the things it could do to Li Mei. Plus he had good food in front of him and he wasn't going to pass that up. Truthfully the only time he actually ever got a fresh meal was when he ate at the restaurant. He rarely went to any other ones and if he didn't eat at Shin Seiki's it was leftovers out of his fridge. He sort of knew how to cook but his skills were very rudimentary at best. Boiling some noodles and adding a flavor packet was his version of home cooking so that pretty much explains why he preferred leftovers from the restaurant. Plus eating things cold, or if he really felt like a hot meal the microwave, was so much faster than normal cooking.

 

As he was sitting there eating a girl walked up and sat down beside him. “I thought you weren't working today?”

 

“I'm not” Kensuke told her. “I was helping out Ayanami and we got hungry.”

 

“You mooch” the girl laughed.

 

“So how's business today?” Kensuke asked. The girl in question just happened to be another one of the delivery people so they knew each other pretty well.

 

“Not bad” she replied. “But I think the heat is making people stingy. My tips are really down right now.”

 

“Tell me about it” Kensuke griped back. “I make more in five hours during the winter than I make in eight in the summer.”

 

“Why in the world would you want to work eight hours straight in the summer?” The girl replied looking at him like he was nuts. It was summer time now and there was no school. This was the season to play, not work.

 

“I make good money in the summer” Kensuke said back in his defense.

 

The girl just looked at him and shook her head. “Please tell me you're not working forty hours a week this summer… again?”

 

Kensuke sort of looked back at his plate as he answered “Umm.. yeah.” He could tell what was coming.

 

“Get a life Kensuke.”

 

“Hey, that was harsh” Kensuke smirked. He knew she was just joking around with him but she still didn't need to remind him of the fact.

 

“Just telling you like it is” she smirked back. She then had to get up and leave as one of the cooks from the back told her the delivery orders were ready. “See ya later.”

 

“Bye” Kensuke said and went back to eating. But no more did he get one bite down than two women approached him with extreme amounts of query on their faces. It was almost intimidating they way they were looking at him.

 

The query was due to something Rei had mentioned to Li Mei while she was talking about what happened at the bike store. Ever since Rei had left that shop her curiosity level had been rising. This was definitely a case of prying into another person's business and she knew she had no right to do this but well, she was curious. Rachel had told her Kensuke had a tattoo on his arm and ever since she had been try to get a peak at it. She had seen Kensuke with a short sleeve shirt on plenty of times so she knew it must be on his upper arm. But she didn't know which arm so she had been trying to peak at both of them when he wasn't looking. She also knew he must have got the tattoo somewhat recently as he didn't have a tattoo at the pool party during the fall. And while Rei would never openly come out and ask to see it she knew Li Mei would if she didn't know about it already. That is exactly why Rei mentioned it while they were talking.

 

Li Mei in fact knew absolutely nothing about this tattoo. The boy hadn't even mentioned he was interested in getting one let alone already having one. So when Kensuke looked up at her wondering what was going on she immediately asked “Can I see your tattoo?”

 

“How did you know I had a tattoo?” Kensuke asked right back. This wasn't exactly knowledge he shared. But he got his answerer as Rei looked down while starting to blush a little. The blue haired girl looked rather guilty about what she had just done. So guilty that Kensuke almost felt bad for the girl. But this wasn't as big of a thing as Rei's apparent nervousness was saying it was. “Let me guess, Rachel told you about it?”

 

Rei nodded a blushed yes.

 

“She's going to get me in real trouble one of these days” Kensuke said offhandedly. He then rolled up his left sleeve and let them look at his tattoo. It wasn't anything all that complicated but rather just a small heart with a name written in kanji inside of it.

 

This was completely different from what Rei expected. She figured the tattoo would have been something tough and rugged much like most of Snake's. And at the same time she recognized the name. This was one of those memories that she wished she didn't have. She not only knew who all the Marduk children were, she knew the names of the original candidates for that project that made those children involved in the program in the first place. And right now she was staring at one of those names, Amelia Aida. Or otherwise known as Kensuke's mother.

 

Just from the last name Li Mei could guess who this woman's name on Kensuke's arm was. It wasn't all that unusual of thing actually with all the loss of life due to Second Impact, the following conflicts and turmoil, and Third Impact. Lot's of people had names of loved ones tattooed onto them. “That's very sweet Kensuke.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever” Kensuke responded trying to blow that comment off. Yes the sentiment behind it was sweet and yes it was a loving tribute to his mom but he didn't need to be told that by Li Mei. It made him look like some sort of wuss.

 

“So when did you get it?” Li Mei asked.

 

“Last spring” Kensuke answered. “During all that Spring Festival crap.”

 

Li Mei knew Kensuke wasn't big on all that renewal of the human race stuff as he was one of the unfortunate ones to not have their loved ones come back. “Didn't feel much like celebrating again did you?”

 

Kensuke shook his head no. “The person who I'm supposed to remember on that day doesn't deserve it so I decided to do something in remembrance of the person who did instead.”

 

Li Mei really wanted to say something about that but she didn't. Kensuke's father was a very touchy subject with the kid and something better left alone for now so she just smiled at him again and repeated herself about it being sweet even though she knew he didn't want to hear it. Then she went back to her work.

 

Because he was talking to Li Mei Kensuke didn't notice how quiet Rei had become. Technically Rei was usually quiet as that was just the type of girl she was but this was a very different type of quiet. She didn't say anything because she was feeling horribly guilty again. And this time it wasn't the girly type of guilty because she was curious, it was due to the fact that if you really wanted to you could spin the truth to say she was responsible in some ways for Kensuke loosing his mother. What she was before and what she was now were two completely different things but she still blamed herself for what happened sometimes. Very quietly she told him she was going to go home now as she had to get up early for her class tomorrow and she left.

 

Kensuke did find it odd how Rei was acting when she left but he figured it was for a very different reason than the truth of the matter. He figured she just wanted to be by herself right now. Rei was one of the girls he knew that definitely needed their space to be comfortable around him. So he just waived a bye back at her and told her to have a good time with her scooter.

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

When Rei woke up the next morning she was feeling a little better. She had overreacted to the situation last night and that was all. Those pesky emotions of hers had an odd way of influencing her life a little too much sometimes. But right now that wasn't important as she had to get cleaned up, dressed, and then take off for work. She had a full day ahead of her in that aspect as her class was a long one. While most of the other girls only had to take about 20 hours of training she, along with one other girl, were set up for 40 over a four day period. Basically either one of these girls or Li Mei would be the one in charge of the group that would be serving the customers.

 

The group they would be in charge of would consist of five girls. One girl would be the lead hostess. She was in charge of making sure everything went smoothly and that the patrons got what they wanted. Behind the lead hostess were three service girls who helped with the tea ceremonies, served the food when it came, and also were in charge of pouring everyone's drinks. The final girl in this group was the go between. The go between's job was to sit outside the room and act like a secretary for the people inside. They would leave their cell phones with her as it would be rude to interrupt the very formal setting with a modern device like that. But at the same time life didn't stand still so while the patrons were in the room the girl outside would take any messages and then give them to the lead hostess inside the room who in turn would give the message to the proper client. A pretty nice setup that Li Mei was sure people were going to appreciate. And that was the whole name of the game in this type of industry.

As for the classes themselves, Li Mei had rented out a room at a local preparatory school. The part of the restaurant that all this was going to be staged in was still under construction so she had to find another location. And right now Rei was looking for this place. She had purposely left a little early just in case she got lost but since Kensuke had given her a map of the city the real reason was probably because she wanted to drive around on her scooter. It was simply quite fun to her and gave her a sense of freedom. Plus now she didn't have to deal with all the pervy people on buses and trains. She was learning that her uniqueness didn't necessarily drive these people off but more often than not drew attention to herself.

 

When Rei finally got to the building she parked her bike out front and took the elevator up to the correct floor. She then knocked on the door to the room politely.

 

Li Mei was there waiting for everyone. “Hello Rei. You're the first one here.”

 

That was no surprise to Rei. She was always the first one around when it came to being at work. She bowed politely as she said “Good morning Li Mei.”

 

“So did you ride over here on your scooter?”

 

“Yes” Rei answered. She was still unable to completely hide her smile as she was still rather excited about her purchase. “It took much less time than it normally would.”

 

“That's why I have a car” Li Mei answered her. “I really do like Japan and consider it my home now but I just can't get used to all the different trains. They're always going every which way and the times keep changing depending on the day.”

 

Li Mei did have a minor point there. If you weren't used to it, the public transportation system in the city could be sort of intimidating. “It is rather nice to be able to go by my own schedule.”

 

Li Mei nodded her head in agreement to that while also telling her “If you're hungry I brought over some food.”

 

Considering she hadn't eaten anything for breakfast she took Li Mei up on that offer. The first thing Rei noticed is that Li Mei brought all sorts of goodies. But swimming season was only two short months away so she shied away from the good treats and instead grabbed an apple. She was still in pretty good shape but she knew Asuka was in better. Part of being in baseball meant Shinji had to hit the gym, and where Shinji went so did Asuka. Both Rei and Hikari were a little bit wary of that fact. Asuka was in good enough shape already, if she got anymore that first week of practice might be on the brutal side.

 

But as Rei was munching on her apple one of the other girls showed up, Hatoko Misaki. She was the other girl that was going to be in charge. She was also a college student and had very good manners much like Rei. She was very dependable and someone Li Mei liked very much. Which is why she was offered the job, plus on a little side note Li Mei knew that while she was a good college student she was also a struggling one. Finances were tight for the girl so this extra job would help the girl out tremendously. “Hello Misaki.”

 

The girl smiled at Rei. “Hello Ayanami. I figured you would beat me here since you got that new scooter and all.”

 

“You already know about that?” Rei asked sort of surprised.

 

“Little hint about Shin Seiki's” Hatoko giggled. “It's run by the biggest gossip around.”

 

Rei giggled back at that. Especially when Li Mei said “I am not!” in an embarrassed way. The bad thing about that was Li Mei had told Hatoko about Rei's new bike herself so she didn't have much of a leg to stand on. And anyway she was the boss of the restaurant, she considered it part of her job to know everything.

 

“It is ok” Rei told her friend and boss. “I have noticed things don't stay a secret very long at the restaurant.” And just to prove that point she said “I heard a very curious rumor yesterday about Tao being at your place the other day rather late at night.”

 

Now that was something Li Mei didn't know about and her eyes got a bit wide. Hatoko though looked at Li Mei surprised “You mean that rat hasn't told you about him catching us together yet?”

 

Li Mei shook her head no.

 

“Wow. Usually you're the first person he tells everything.” Hatoko commented.

 

Rei herself was a little surprised. She only mentioned it because she figured Kensuke had already told everybody else. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was the only one he told.”

 

“That's ok” Hatoko told her. “It was bound to come out sooner than later.” The girl then looked over the snacks laid out in front of her. “You went all out Li Mei.”

 

“Only the best for my girls” Li Mei told the both of them.

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

While the classes and assignments weren't too difficult there was a good amount of strain involved with them. The little history lesson that dictated how they were supposed to act was one all the girls already knew, it was the actual act that was hard. Even Rei had trouble staying still while kneeling for a couple hours. It was much harder than she expected. The rules on how to serve food, pour drinks, and serve tea were complex but not really a problem for her to learn. But that kneeling bit would be a challenge as her legs kept falling asleep on her. On the plus side though she knew this effort would be rewarded come swimming season. As hard as it was to kneel for such a long time it was nothing compared to the way her legs felt after that first week of swimming. After a while though Li Mei gave all the girls a break to stretch, Rei used this chance to ask her a favor from a friend who was currently looking for a job.

 

“Li Mei, I was wondering if you had any openings for summer employment left?”

 

“A couple” Li Mei answered. “You know someone who's interested?” Whether Rei knew it or not a lot of hires were actually done in this way. Word of mouth was a good way to get dependable employees.

 

“My friend Hikari Horaki is looking for a job.” When Rei had shown up she had brought her book bag with her. Inside the bag she pulled out an application form. “I have already given her a job application and she filled it out. I highly recommend her.”

 

Actually that was all Rei had to say to convince Li Mei to give this girl a try. Li Mei respected Rei's opinion a lot more than the girl knew. But she did have some questions as she looked over the paperwork. “According to this she worked as a waitress at another restaurant last summer. Any particular reason she isn't going back there?”

 

Rei shook her head no, Hikari hadn't told her anything like that. “I have talked about how much I like my job here to her in the past. Maybe that is why.” That was the best answer Rei could think up on the spot.

 

Li Mei accepted that answer with a smile as it was a nice compliment to her and then asked another. “How is her people skills?”

 

“Incomparable” Rei answered. “She has been the class rep for my class for as long as I can remember.” And knowing that Li Mei knew whom Asuka was she added on “And she is Asuka's best friend and has demonstrated on many occasions that she knows how to deal with the girl. Even when Asuka is being difficult.”

 

“That kind of talent could come in handy in the future” Li Mei said out loud but also to herself mainly.

 

That got Rei to look very oddly at her boss. “Why?”

 

“Oh no reason” Li Mei smirked. “Just forget what I said. And why don't you get a hold of your friend and have her drop by the restaurant tonight for an interview, say around eightish.”

 

“Yes ma'am” Rei replied politely but still wondering what was going on. Li Mei just looked like she had something up her sleeve right now. And for some reason while she thought about that Misato's face flashed in her mind. She just shook it off though with a lost little sigh and then called Hikari with the good news.

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

Hikari was very pleased to hear she had gotten an interview. But there was a person that was more pleased by this news, Touji. It seems the reason why Hikari wanted to switch places of employment had more to do with her boyfriend than anything else. Touji's father scored the winning bid for a new high school that was being built. His masonry business was going to be responsible for the substructure and the outside brickwork. This was a big project that was going to take a good amount of time and even now Touji knew he would be working some weekends and after school for a bit once school started back up at the end of the summer. Touji really didn't mind this though as he was trying to earn a little extra money this year anyway. But the best part of this job was it's location, the worksite was all of three blocks from Shin Seiki's restaurant. A wee bit of teenage shenanigans was involved in all of this.

 

But after Hikari told Touji the good news he had to get back to work so she let him off the phone. He was already working for his dad so he was quite busy. As for Hikari she was spending the little bit of free time she had at the mall. Granted her usual mall buddy was over in Germany right now but that wasn't going to stop the girl. Hikari could always find another friend to go shopping with and right now she was with two girls.

 

One was Mari, who would surprise you a little bit. Being raised by and living with big burly guys all her life you would think she was a tomboy. But you would be wrong. She liked all things cute frilly and girly. And most of all she liked to go shopping, especially with Hikari. Hikari was pretty much already her sister in her eyes and along with that she was the central female figure in her life. Mari looked up to Hikari very much and loved spending time with her. Hikari was very good about returning this affection and spent some time with the girl on a pretty regular basis just hanging out with her or talking with the young girl. This was very beneficial as Mari was almost 12 now and going from the age of guys having cooties to guys being cuties. Plus other biological changes were or soon would be happening to the girl. Having another girl around to help her through this difficult time was a godsend for the family mainly made up of guys.

 

The other person that was shopping with them was Yuma. Yuma worked in the summer too but at one of her friend's parents business. It was a nice little bakery that also had an ice cream parlor in it during the summer time. She had already been working at the place for several years now as it was where her friends and her used to always hang out all the time during the summer. And when she and her friends were thirteen they were put to work since they were there so often. But today though she had off and when Hikari called to ask if she wanted to go shopping with her the answer was a very quick yes.

 

“So how long is Asuka going to be over in Germany?” Yuma asked.

 

“She said she's coming back some time early Sunday morning” Hikari answered. “So is your family planning on going to anywhere special this summer?”

 

Yuma shook her head no. “We're staying close to home this year. I got swimming camp in August though.”

 

“That sounds like it could be fun. Which one are you going to?” Hikari herself once thought about going to one of these training camps and the coach highly coerced her girls to do it but it never happened in her case. Last year when she should have gone she was too busy shopping and hanging out with Asuka and since Asuka wasn't going to go to one neither was she.

 

“It's the one in Nishitama Prefecture.”

 

“I hear that's a good one” Hikari said and then wandered off the path of training as she added “plus the mountains are so pretty in August.” Like last year having fun in the summer was much more important than swimming to her.

 

“Actually according to my big sister I won't get to see the mountains all that much while I'm there” Yuma told her. “She said they are pretty strict about their training.”

 

“You sure you want to go then?” Hikari asked.

 

Yuma nodded her head yes. “My sister pulled some strings to get me in so I don't want to disappoint her.”

 

After Yuma said that Mari interrupted the two older teens with “Let's go in there Hikari-oneechan. Those skirts are so cute” while pointing at a store down the street.

 

“Ok Mari” Hikari said and they steered themselves towards a pre-teen type of store. What always surprised Hikari was Yuma's sister. Yuma never made a big deal about it but her sister was a nationally ranked swimmer. The girl even went to a private school on a full scholarship because of it. She suspected that since Yuma was so good of a swimmer herself that she was supposed to join her sister at that school but it never happened. Yuma had made too many friends and didn't want to leave. And all her friends were going to go to Tokyo-4 high next year so she was too. And curiously enough the biggest supporter of that was Yuma's big sister.

 

Actually Hikari and Asuka had met Yuma's big sister a couple months ago when the girl was home during a break. She was the same age as them and Hikari figured out why Yuma was so quick to latch onto Asuka as an idol. The brash red head was very much like Yuma's big sister, especially when it came to competition and wanting to be the best. But the one big difference was that while being the best was important to Asuka it wasn't the most important thing. Being the best was just a goal, not a requirement. Because of Yuma's big sister's unique situation being the best had turned into a requirement, her scholarship hung in the balance of that. And that is exactly why Yuma's big sister didn't want her little sister following down the same path as her. Plus she knew her little sister would never be able to survive in an all girl's school like her. She was too cute and too interested in boys.

 

That was proven as after the three girls walked out of the pre-teen store they passed by a group of boys that were Yuma's age. Her head sort of dropped and she let her bangs fall in front of her face. Some of those boys were cute so she got very quiet and only nodded a hi at them as they walked by. Yuma was Yuma so she was still shy around the boys.

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

Wednesday and Thursday went by the same for Rei as Tuesday did. She got up, went for training, and then retired to her apartment for the night when she got home. It was rather peaceful and a nice break from what her life was just like with school and all. Although she was craving company a wee little bit. Maybe the cute giggle of Keiko or the funny ramblings of Asuka as the girl went way off tangent about something that didn't really matter might have been something she missed. What she definitely knew she missed right now though were the kind words and nice little talks that came from Misato. They just made her feel better. And while quiet was nice, overwhelming quiet was boring. She was actually happy when she woke up on Friday morning faced with a day full of training. Not because it was the last day of training but because she knew she would have someone to talk to there.

 

And that is what she was doing as a couple other girls and Hatoko were there waiting for Li Mei to show up and begin the training. Their boss was running a little bit late due to an incorrect order delivery the night before so they were killing some time by chatting. “So when exactly are we going to see the room?” one of the girls asked.

 

“Either the week of the 15th or the week of the 22nd” Hatoko answered. “It depends on when the construction crews finish up their work.”

 

“It would be best if it was the 15th” Rei said. “Our first reservation for the room is on the 22nd. I would like it if we had time to look over the area first.”

 

Several girls nodded their heads yes to that. There was a bit of worry that their first sight of what they were going to be doing was going to be while they were doing it. They wanted to be allowed to jump through the hoop a few times before someone lit it on fire so to speak. “So is it going to be a wedding party or something like that?”

 

“No” Rei answered. “I believe the first wedding won't be till the 27th. The banquet on the 22nd is going to be a formal banquet for a business deal.”

 

“Shoot” the girl said. “I wanted to work a wedding.”

 

“Don't worry, you'll get your chance” Hatoko told her. “Just about every Saturday and most of the Sundays this summer have already been booked.”

 

She got a general “Really???” from the girls around her. Hatoko nodded her head yes with Rei adding on “Li Mei has told me there is a big need for this kind of service. Due to the loss of many shrines the ability to have a traditional wedding is severely limited.”

 

“Tell me about it” one of the girls said with a roll of her eyes. “Last year when my husband and I went looking for a place to get married we had to settle on somewhere outside of the Kanto region. All the shrines around here were either booked or still rebuilding.”

 

“My fiancé and I are doing that right now” another girl said.

 

“Have you asked Li Mei yet?”

 

“Yes, but she's waiting till she knows for sure whether these banquets will turn a profit for her and Zukav before she takes anymore dates for next year.” The girl currently planning her wedding then looked around the room and with a touch of authority stated “But if she does, the first week in June next year is Mine!”

 

There was a little bit of giggling in the room for that. But what that conversation demonstrated was the age set of most of the girls there. Rei was actually the youngest girl on the team as most of the other girls were in their twenties. When Li Mei went looking for her most respectable and trustworthy girls she quickly noticed the teenagers were not them. The slightly older and more mature girls got the nod. Except for Rei of course, which didn't surprise anyone. The girl was very mature for her age and even some of the girls that were in their mid twenties thought she was more mature than them.

 

It was a little intimidating at first and combined with the way she looked many of the girls were put off by her. But all you had to do was get passed that outer shell of hers, that coincidentally was growing thinner and thinner, and you found yourself talking to a very nice young woman. Well that was if you were a girl at least. If you were a boy you would have to get passed that outer shell and a rather thick shyness shell right under that. That was sort of proof that while Rei acted very mature she still had a ways to go.

 

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The girl's conversation was interrupted a little bit later as Li Mei showed up. Unlike the other days she didn't show up with any food and also wasn't in the best of moods. She very much had the appearance of a woman that was worn out. She would probably have started out the training in a very grumpy mood if not for her girls. They were all talking to each other but they had taken it upon themselves to do so while in their kneeling positions. They were practicing even without her telling them to. She could only collapse down on the mat the girls were on and breathe out “Thank you girls.”

 

“Is something wrong?” Hatoko asked concerned.

 

“Not anymore” Li Mei answered. “But there's a reason I hire a company to buy my fish for me. That Tsukiji Market is a madhouse, even at 3:00 am. Then I had to deal with all those auctioneers, those people are completely nuts. Why I had half a mind to just close down the sushi bar for the day and tell everyone to go take a hike.” But Li Mei was a trooper and got the job done. But it did cost her a lot of energy and she didn't really want to run the class right now.

 

But she didn't have to as Hatoko clapped her hands and said “Lets go over the routine again while we let Li Mei rest, ok everyone?” There was a general consensus and everyone nodded yes.

 

While sitting there exhausted on the map Li Mei breathed out another “Thank you girls” and added on to that “When the restaurant opens I will call Boris and have some food delivered.” There was a reason she chose these particular girls and right now they were proving it to her in a big way.

 

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Li Mei actually had ordered food for her girls twice. Once around 11:00 am for a light snack and then again at the end of class around 5 in the evening. And to reward the girls for their hard work she let them order anything they wanted off the menu. And by happen's chance it was Kensuke who delivered the food. It was sort of a set-up but for reasons important to Li Mei, not the other girls.

 

Kensuke had just passed out all but one of the orders when he read the label on the last container. “Ok, who ordered the hiyashi chukka with extra red peppers and spicy mustard?”

 

“You did” Li Mei said back. “Now sit down and eat.”

 

“But…” Kensuke tried to argue before getting scolded.

 

“No buts! I know for a fact that you haven't eaten anything since you showed up for work today. So don't try to argue with me.” Li Mei then pointed at the floor while the other girls giggled at what was happening. “Now sit down and eat.”

 

Kensuke responded with an embarrassed “yes ma'am” and sat down. As he sat down though he grumbled to himself “Sometimes she's as pushy as Misato.”

 

He got an answer to that from the girl he sat next to. “Have you ever thought that's why you are working for her in the first place?”

 

“Trust me Rei, that thought has occurred to me many, many times” Kensuke half grinned and half groused.

 

“They are only doing what's best for you” was Rei's simple reply.

 

“Maybe I know what's best for me and the pushy women should just mind their own business.”

 

Li Mei looked up from her meal. “You're a boy so the answer to that is no on both counts.”

 

Kensuke really wanted to reply to that slight but he kept his mouth shut. He was the only guy in a room full of girls, anything he said would get shot down and destroyed in an instant. And considering the odds were greatly stacked against him it was better that he just kept his mouth shut right now and eat.

 

Of course even though Kensuke had waived the white flag that didn't mean the attack was over. Another girl had some beef with him and decided kicking him while he was down was an appropriate thing. She gave him a nudge in his side with a sharp elbow and said “You need to keep your big mouth shut, you know that Kensuke?”

 

“What” Kensuke said back. “I only told Rei about you and Tao. No one else.”

 

Hatoko called him out on that “That's a lie and you know it. Li Mei was with us all of Tuesday morning and afternoon, yet everyone knew about us by the time she got to work in the evening.”

 

“Maybe she called people up while she was training you girls” Kensuke answered.

 

You could tell Kensuke was lying through his teeth right now and messing with Hatoko by the sly grin on his face. But that excuse was refuted by Li Mei herself. “No I didn't.”

 

“See, I knew it was you that spread it all around.”

 

“You know I don't have time to spread rumors like that around Hatoko. I'm much too busy” Kensuke said slyly.

 

Like the previous statement this one to got refuted, this time by Rei. “But you are not to busy to tell one key person and let them spread it around.”

 

“So who did you get to do your dirty work this time?” Hatoko asked him directly.

 

With the cat out of the bag on his preferred method of spreading around juicy gossip Kensuke told the girls the truth. “Ok, so maybe I told Zukav too. But how was I to know that he would tell everyone else?”

 

Hatoko only sat there and blinked at him once. Li Mei may have been the biggest gossip in the restaurant but her husband was a close second. “You are such a putz.”

 

Kensuke only laughed at that. He knew he had that coming from the start of this conversation. But in his defense if she didn't want everyone to know about it she should have told him not to say anything from the start.

 

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Before the girls left they helped Li Mei clean up the mess from the classes and dinner. Kensuke stuck around a couple seconds longer to help out too. While doing this though he had to put something back up on a shelf. He was only wearing a short sleeve shirt right now as it was hot outside and as he stretched you could see the bottom part of his tattoo stick out from under his shirt sleeve.

 

Rei really thought she had gotten past this but the second she saw even a glimpse of that tattoo a horrible sense of guilt overwhelmed her again. It was almost unbearable and she knew she had to do something about it that she should severely not do. If she didn't tell him something she knew she wouldn't ever be able to look at Kensuke again without having these feelings come up. She waited till he was about to leave and followed him out into the hall, asking him to hold up for a second as what she wanted to say needed to be in private.

 

Kensuke was a bit surprised at Rei's next action, she stepped up very close to him. It was very unusual for Rei to intrude into anyone's personal space.

 

Rei even went a step further and raised one of her arms and placed it over the tattoo on his arm. “Please don't ask me to say anything more but.. I'm sorry.”

 

“For what?” Kensuke asked her completely confused by what was going on.

 

“In some ways I am responsible for you losing your mother.” Rei couldn't even look him in the eye when she told him that.

 

Kensuke stood there for a second looking at Rei. The girl looked so sad and guilty. But to him there was no reason why, and for a very different reasons than most would suspect. The first thing Kensuke did was raise Rei's head back up as he wanted her to be looking him in the eyes so she would believe that what he was about to say was the truth. Then he placed both his hands on her shoulders and clearly told her with a hint of a smile “No you're not.”

 

“But….” Rei tried to argue but got cut off by the shake of a head no.

 

“Listen Rei, you don't have to say anything. I know exactly who is responsible for my mother's death and you're not them.”

 

“But I was not who I am” Rei responded.

 

Kensuke completely surprised her with a “I know that. What you were before third impact and who you are now is completely different. But even if that wasn't the case it still wouldn't matter. If I don't blame Lilith for what happened, why would I blame you?” And after he said that he let go of Rei and walked off. “I really got to get going now so have a good night.”

 

Rei could only stand there in the hallway absolutely stunned. Kensuke was not among the people who were supposed to know the name Lilith. Yes he knew more about some things than others but not that much more.

 

(A/N: Uh oh, Kensuke knows something he should not. If you read back in the story you will notice that even before they were friends Kensuke always treated Rei with a good amount of respect. Quite an odd quirk if you ask me. Maybe there was a reason for all that. And maybe, just possibly maybe this is all related. You will have to wait to find out though as this is where Chapter 17 ends. I Re-re-edited. Changed a few words around. Fixed some grammar. Broke up some of the bigger blocks of text. And expounded on some parts to make them clearer. Basically gave this a good once over to improve its quality.)