Love Takes a Backseat

a 'You're Under Arrest' tale of fast cars, slow women and even slower
men

by Lara Bartram

***

	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
almost 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 headed back to the office, braid flying behind
her.

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 weights.  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, not sure 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 quickly, already talking,
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...

---------

Based off the TV series.  If anyone can let me know what Miyuki
calls her car at the end of episode 6, please do.  I saw it, I
just forgot.  -.-


Lara
lara@emunix.emich.edu
http://nabiki.newberry.edu/lara/index.html


14.  How many people were involved in the riverbank skirmish
     from which Battle Creek takes its name?

A.  4
B.  400
C.  1,400
D.  No people, just Tony the Tiger and those Rice Crispie elves.