{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Kosuke Fujishima, so don't try any funny stuff!}
A Normal Day at Bokuto Station...
Miyuki headed down to the garage. If there was one thing she couldn't forgive herself for, it was skimping on her scheduled maintenance of her beloved police standard Honda Today.
Well, not completely police standard, but... close enough.
She smiled at the little vehicle and ran her hand over the hood, following the contour of the intake vent. It was a project done out of her love of vehicles. And of driving really fast.
But if there was one thing she loved more than her car, it was...
"Kobayakawa, I'm having a little trouble with my bike."
Cheeks flushing, she spun at the sound of the voice. "Nakajima. What's the problem?" She quickly recovered from her moment of awkwardness, a look of intent concentration on her face. None of the girlish dreaminess remained.
"Well, I..." Ken swallowed. There was something... strange about Miyu... Kobayakawa. She had an odd blush to her cheeks, and it looked like there was a small smile threatening to break through her serious exterior. "Uh... I'm not..."
Miyuki smiled then. "Let's take a look then." She brushed past him, her arm against his, a gust of wind sending her long braid trailing over his shoulder.
Trying to slow the rapid beating of his heart, Ken followed Miyuki at a safe distance, wiping his forehead with his handkerchief.
Later...
"I don't know. I'd _like_ to... go forward with things, but..." Miyuki emerged from underneath the hood of her closest companion. She closed the hood and slid into the driver's seat.
She paused with her hand on the key. "But I don't know if I can. Being a part of the police force is important to me. I don't want to lose... you..."
Running her hand across the dashboard, Miyuki sighed. Things at Bokuto Station were getting more and more confused, and it was getting difficult to balance her personal life and work life.
There was one thing that kept invading her thoughts and distracting her during work and at other times. She started the car, listening to the purr of the engine instead of the rumbling of her thoughts and feelings.
Smooth, just like it should have been. Just like it always was.
Miyuki cut the engine and sighed heavily. Maybe if she were a little more like Natsumi, it wouldn't be such a big deal. Natsumi had an effortless way of dealing with things, to the point she was downright dangerous.
For once, Miyuki wished she could be a little dangerous, a little... wild and more... forward. Or if _he_ was a little more forward, she wouldn't be in her current predicament.
That Night...
"What do you think?"
Miyuki looked at her partner and gasped. "Don't you think that's a bit too..."
Natsumi turned to look at herself in the mirror. "Nah. It's a little shorter than my uniform, and there's nothing wrong with that." She winked at her partner. "Don't worry, Mom. Maybe if you wore something like this, you'd have a little better luck."
"Luck at what?"
For a second, Natsumi stared, then shook her head. "On second thought, yours would have to be shorter. Don't wait up!"
She headed out, leaving Miyuki to frown after her.
"Shorter? Why would I need to wear something that short?"
"Kobayakawa."
"Yes, Nakajima?" When she turned, he was standing right behind her, almost against her. Reflexively, she flattened herself against the car, putting as much distance between them as she could manage. "Nakajima!"
"Miyuki." When he spoke, his voice was strong and smooth, not how he usually talked to her. One hand rose, still gloved, and brushed gently against her cheek.
Heat bloomed from the touch, and Miyuki's face flushed, feeling the warmth crawl down her neck. "Nakajima, what are you doing?" she asked, flustered to the point she was trying to stall.
"Miyuki," he repeated and stood closer, still not quite touching.
With one quivering hand, she took hold of the sunglasses that covered his eyes, and pulled them off slowly.
The look she saw there, something she hadn't seen before, almost made her legs collapse.
Nakajima was there, though, to support her. One leg to the outside of her body, he looped his arm around her waist and pulled her forward. She rose and fell against him, like a reed bending delicately in the wind.
Eyes fluttering, she dropped the sunglasses and reached up to his neck. Hooking her finger under the material of his scarf, Miyuki pulled it away and let it flutter to the garage floor.
"Miyuki..."
"Put your hands on me, Ken."
Miyuki's eyes opened slowly to see Natsumi slouching drunkenly at the other end of the couch, staring at the television. "Hey, Miyuki, whydjoo always fall asleep watchin' 'Titanic'?" she asked.
Looking blearily at the screen, Miyuki groaned and buried her head under a pillow.
The Next Day...
The sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Looking at her patrol car no longer made her feel... excited about her job. Her little Today just didn't rouse the same feelings of anticipation to be sitting behind the wheel, testing its limits, to see how she could push it further.
She slid into the driver's seat as she had done a thousand times before and let her hands rest on the steering wheel. Not once did her hand stray to the key.
The seat hugged her frame, like a lover, but there was no comfort to be found in it. The Today was, maybe, her closest companion, along with Natsumi, but it was quickly becoming a distant relationship.
The Today was only a car. She was flesh and blood, and was starting to realize she needed something more than what she could get from an automobile.
Not just wanted, but needed.
Again she sighed, and then she realized she was tracing his name on the dashboard with her finger. Things were getting out of control; no more nightly 'Titanic' viewings for her.
She got out of the car and shut the door. Resting one hand on the hood, she gave a silent goodbye. Breaking up with a close friend, even just a car, was harder than she thought it would be.
The Next Day...
"Nakajima."
"Kobayakawa?"
Natsumi watched the scene unfold surreptitiously. She didn't want to spoil it.
"I... made some... modifications to your bike. Would you like to come to the garage so I can tell you about them?" Her voice didn't falter even once. Miyuki was quite proud of herself for that.
"Of course."
Miyuki walked down to the garage, very conscious of Ken following behind her. She couldn't help but wonder if he was noticing her. How could he not be noticing her? She was right in front of him.
But was he _noticing_ her?
The walk to the garage was too long and too short at the same time. Too short because she wanted to go through with things, but too long because... she wasn't sure she could.
"Kobayakawa..."
"Yes, Nakajima?" Miyuki stopped and turned suddenly so Ken walked right into her.
They each ended up taking a step back, apologizing in stuttering fits to one another.
That did it. Miyuki's bravery and resolve disappeared suddenly, leaving her blushing and barely able to speak in light of what she had been trying to do. "Um... I think I hear Natsumi calling! I have to go!"
She pushed past Ken and hurried back to the office, braid flying behind her, trying not to look like there was anything wrong.
Ken watched her go, scratching his head.
That Afternoon...
Miyuki sat in her car again, forehead leaning against the steering wheel. She had really blown that chance, running away like that. It was perfect, but she was still... not forward enough.
If Ken had been the least little bit direct with her...
Maybe he wasn't interested.
Miyuki hugged the steering wheel, the prospect that he didn't like her weighing on her like lead. She wouldn't cry though, not when she didn't even know.
No. She would confront him before she jumped to conclusions. She wasn't going to torture herself over maybes when she was soooo close.
But... What if she never told him? What if she could never make herself do it? And then he never said anything... She'd be utterly miserable!
"Oh, Yoa-kun, what will I do?" she asked forlornly.
"Go for it, Miyuki-chan."
Miyuki lifted her head and looked around. "What? Who said that?"
"I did, silly. And I say go for it. If you don't, he'll never know."
Looking left and right out the windows and in the back seat of her car, Miyuki was flabbergasted. "Natsumi, this isn't funny. Stop teasing me like this."
"Natsumi's not here. It's just me, and I'm telling you, you need to give him a sign. Preferably in neon that says 'I'm interested in you, dummy'."
"Yoa-kun?" Miyuki blinked rapidly. "It must be exhaust... I'm hearing things."
"Come on, Miyuki-chan. You know I'm right. I've listened to you go on and on about him, and I'm getting sick of it. Just go up to him and say it."
"It?" She stared at the dashboard with trepidation, unsure if she should really be listening to any advice her car might give her.
"Yeah. How much you like him. Show some guts. It's not that big of a deal. Besides, you know he likes you, so it's not like you need to worry about rejection..."
"But what if he doesn't?"
"What?"
"What if he doesn't like me? What if he's just... avoiding saying that he's not interested? What if..."
"What if you're tossing everything away? Miyuki-chan, are you always going to let Natsumi have all the fun? Do all the things you want to do? Or are you going to take control of something that's not mechanical?"
"But it's hard. What if he..."
"Miyuki-chan. He's not going to. And if you're that worried that he might, just get him in a situation where he has to give you a straight answer. No hemming or hawing, no dodging the subject... Yes or no. And I know he'll say yes."
Miyuki chewed on her fingernail.
"Here, if you're not sure how to do it, you can just..."
The Next Week...
There was conveniently no one else around. "Nakajima?" Miyuki asked quietly, not wanting to draw anyone to their conversation.
"Yes, Kobayakawa?"
He didn't notice anything strange. Good. "I was wondering..." Just say what Yoa-kun had told her to. He wouldn't refuse out of courtesy, whether he liked her or not. "Well, I was having a little trouble, and I was wondering if you would... Well, could you follow me just in case something happens?"
That was odd. There wasn't any problem that Kobayakawa couldn't handle, so why she wanted him to follow her was out of the ordinary. But he couldn't turn her down since she asked. "Of course."
Miyuki's stomach lurched a little. Just a little. "Thank you, Nakajima." She turned away and went to her desk to hide the proof of embarrassment on her cheeks.
She had the rest of the day to worry about it, so throwing herself into paper work was sounding very appealing.
That Afternoon...
She slid behind the wheel of her Today and started it, hand shaking lightly on the key. Glancing over, Ken was there, putting on his helmet, and Miyuki almost lost her nerve.
"What am I doing?" she said quietly, hands gripping the wheel tightly and staring out the front window.
"Don't back out now, Miyuki-chan. You can do it."
Sweating now, Miyuki nodded and tried to pull out of the garage as she normally did.
With the sound of squealing tires deafening everyone within ear-shot, Miyuki laid down an inch of rubber and tore out onto the street.
Miyuki drove with her eyes nearly glued to the rear-view mirror. Ken was always there, following her faithfully. That should have made her feel better, but the butterflies just continued to get more and more restless in her stomach.
The sun was just about to dip below the horizon when she finally made her move. Driving near a more secluded spot, near a park, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Yoa-kun."
She let her foot off the gas and put it in neutral. Immediately, the car began to lose speed as they mounted an incline. She gave it a little gas to rev the engine up to 3,000 RPMs.
As the final touch, she put it into third gear then slowly let her foot off the clutch. The car jerked and sputtered, shaking Miyuki, and making her cringe at what she was doing to the car.
Timing things just right, Miyuki allowed the car to stall and coast a ways before she pulled it to the side of the road, recklessly on the curb and conveniently behind a stand of bushes.
She had scouted this spot out specifically.
Before Ken could stop his bike, Miyuki jerked the steering wheel to one side to lock it.
She was unbelted and getting out of the car, already talking quickly, when Ken removed his helmet. "It's been doing that, and I don't know why. Everything I've checked has looked okay."
Her head was under the hood, poking at the engine, as Ken came up behind her and watched what she was doing. "What can I do to help?"
"I'm not sure... quite... yet..." Miyuki's mind was churning. She needed to make something up quick!
"Tell him there's something in the glovebox that you need."
"Uh, there's a pair of channel locks in the glove compartment. Could you get them for me?" she blurted out without thinking. It still seemed weird to do what her car was telling her, but it was working so far.
Miyuki peered around the edge of the hood at Ken getting in the car. She waited until he finally admitted, "I can't find them."
"Oh, let me look," she answered quickly, her voice maybe a little too chipper considering the conversation.
She went to his side first and leaned in to look in the glove compartment. "Hmm. I really thought they were here," Miyuki mumbled.
"Oh, very subtle. Very sneaky."
"Shut up, Yoa-kun," she hissed in reply, feeling the heat coming from Ken's body while she was so close to him.
"What was that, Kobayakawa?"
"Nothing. I just can't find them. They might be in the back..." Removing herself, Miyuki swallowed thickly as she walked around the front of the car.
Getting in the driver's side, she reached back between the two seats and began to rummage around the completely spotless back seat.
"Keep going."
Miyuki reached back a little farther and turned. Still not "finding" anything, she actually managed to wedge her body part-way between the seats, her rear half sitting there, everything smooth and visible through her taut clothing, for Ken to see.
"He's a lucky guy, Miyuki-chan."
"Well I can't find it like this." Miyuki pulled herself free and looked over at Ken. There was sweat visible on his forehead as he nodded absently, the barest trickle of blood visible in one nostril.
"Let me just look from the back for a minute. I'm sure they're here someplace." She flashed him a quick smile and slid out of the seat.
In her chest, Miyuki's heart was beating about six hundred times a minute, and there was still a little bit of herself that doubted she could go through with the plan.
In the back, Miyuki shut the door and made a show of looking on the floor. "Nakajima?" she asked absently.
"Yes?"
"Say it, Miyuki-chan!"
"What do you think of me?" Not quite, but almost. Almost!
"Kobayakawa, what do you..." He turned around to look in the back only to find himself nose to nose with her.
"Nakajima... Ken," she said quietly, using his paralysis to remove his sunglasses. The look in his eyes was all frightened deer, but that didn't deter her. "I like you, Ken. A lot."
"All right! It's about time!"
Miyuki wasn't done. She leaned forward slowly until there was finally some non-professional contact between the two.
"Miyuki-chan... you're growing up. I'm so proud."
The kiss ended too soon, but Miyuki wasn't quite done yet. "Shut up, Yoa-kun," she said before grabbing Ken by the shoulder and physically yanking him into the backseat with her.
The Morning After...
Miyuki sat up slowly, vowing never to sleep in the backseat of a Honda Today again. That thought stuck in her mind for about a second before her eyes opened wide.
Clustered around her Today and Ken's bike were a host of other police vehicles.
Ducking down, she quickly struggled into her clothing the best she could, trying to rouse Ken in the meantime. "Ken, wake up! Get your clothes on!" she whispered heatedly. "Hurry!"
With her clothes in place, Miyuki slunk out of her car, leaving Ken to manage for himself.
"Kobayakawa."
Instantly standing up straight and at attention, Miyuki spun around and saluted. "Yes, sir!"
"What exactly is going on here?" the chief asked, gesturing to the other police vehicles gathered there.
Looking guiltily around, Miyuki tried to think of something to say, but her mind was absolutely blank. "I... uh..."
"Chief, I can explain." One of the other motorcycle officers from Bokuto Station jogged up. "Last night on patrol, I spotted Kobayakawa's and Nakajima's vehicles. Both were dark and I assumed they were on a stakeout." He shrugged and looked politely embarrassed. "I stopped to join in the stakeout, even though I know I really shouldn't have."
Miyuki just stared, amazed, and wondering just what the other officers had been watching during this "stakeout".
"A stakeout? Of what?"
"A suspicious phone booth, sir. Several suspicious characters made their way to the phone booth over the night. We have logs if you'd like to look them over." The officer was standing up straight, and looked completely serious, and even a little proud.
"Suspicious characters? Well, maybe I will have a look at those logs. But..." He gestured at the other vehicles.
"Well, sir." He laughed a bit. "Everyone wanted to be part of the stakeout." He shrugged.
"I think that's enough for this operation. I'd like the full report, as per usual, and get these men back on duty, or wherever they're supposed to be." The chief looked at them with one twitching eyebrow before heading back to his car.
"Hey, Miyuki! Great job!"
Wincing, Miyuki tried her hardest not to make eye contact with her partner. "Thanks, Natsumi."
Natsumi beamed proudly as she looked at the scene. "Yep, a real nice change of pace." It had practically been a barbecue the previous night. An impromptu potluck, coolers full of soft drinks, someone brought a bucket of chicken...
She looked at her slightly disheveled partner. Details she hadn't noticed the five seconds before were suddenly announcing themselves to her eyes. Rumpled shirt, unbuttoned coat, loose hairs, bags under the eyes...
This was not the Miyuki Natsumi was used to. "Hey, Miyuki..."
"Sir! We were just..."
All heads turned to the booming voice, and all activity stopped. Time seemed to halt just so everyone could get a good look at Officer Nakajima Ken, White Hawk of Bokuto Station.
"Wow. He's got gorgeous eyes," Natsumi volunteered.
Miyuki eeped and rushed to dress him in his familiar glasses. At least he had gotten his pants, shirt and jacket on. She glanced down quickly. Mostly.
*Zip*
End...
Notes:
1: No, the car didn't really talk. It was simply Miyuki's imagination or hormones or something...
2: No, the other officers didn't stakeout the back of the car. They honestly thought there was a stakeout going on. This _is_ Bokuto station after all...
3: The Honday Today is the the type of car the police force uses. This was a point of some confusion with some readers.
4: If anyone knows what Miyuki called her car (especially at the end of episode 6), I'd be happy if you let me know. I totally forgot and can't find it anywhere.
5: Channel locks are a tool with a wrench-like head and a knob at one end that allows the position of the teeth to be changed. They're fairly useful in engine work for... various reasons.