Last Angel: The Zone Complex [Part 5A]
A/N: Before writing: So I don't really know where to go at this point in the story. This is literally a midpoint yet there's still a lot of new things opening up. I'm confused and conflicted about it all, but I hope more than anything, that it turns out alright. I want to keep the action and the comedy going and don't want this to end up to dark or sad like EDC ( Even Destiny Changes) T.T
I hope this turns out alright.
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The Next morning Nemi, Zoe, and Koda actually have the pleasure of having a day off. it's a cold Saturday and the three are sitting in a small semi-circle of pillows and blankets in front of the NIM [National Informatioin Monitor...television]. All three of them are enjoying hot beverages, yet this time, there's no sloshing of them on one another between sisters in a fit of rage.
They're actually watching a car model screening, showcasing the newest and most cutting edge model vehicles scheduled to hit the air early within the next year. All three of them give comments on ones they like best, weather they be compact, hybrid, four-wheeled vehicles, or forms of hover bikes. Suddenly, after a few dozens vehicles, the 2050 AirNinja Bike pops up on screen and Zoe groans out in agitation.
Nemi ignores her and only asks, "When is his fuel shipment coming in anyway?"
"Should be by the end of this week!" Zoe says, some relief in her tone.
"Aww, I'm going to miss Mr. Ikemen [cool dude] when he's gone!" Koda says with a pout crossing her delicate face.
"Changmin, Koda! His name is Changmin!" Nemi barks.
"Wakatta, wakatta. [Whatever.]" Is Koda's only deadpan reply as she slips her GMD [General Media Displayer] from the pocket in her pajama pants and brings up a scan of the newest ViVi magazine.
There's a moment's silence when suddenly Zoe's earpiece begins to chime. She reaches over from her place on the floor and snatches it off of the coffee table. Popping it in her ear and taking down the tiny wire microphone, she taps the side answering the call, "Hello?"
"Hello?" a familiar voice answers and Zoe's breath hitches in annoyance.
Even knowing who it is she still says icily, "Who is this?"
"If you brought up your caller I.D before actually answering you would know." the smart mouth reply is all she gets in return.
"Changmin, how did you possibly get this number?" she asks angrily.
He's only laughing now, "Well I have it now, so that's all that matters."
"Changmin!" she doesn't realize she basically started whining like a girl.
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Changmin can't help but love the girly tone in the girl's voice right now, so he doesn't bother to hold back his laughing at her.
"Shut up!" he hears her suddenly warn sharply.
He says nothing else but still continues to laugh at her.
Before they carry on with anymore conversation he hears familiar voices inquire anxiously in the background, "He's calling you?" he recognizes the voice to be one of the employees....Zoe's sister was it? Then, "Omo! It's Mr. Bishounen?!!" he's sure it came from the other peppy mechanic. He never really liked her at first, yet now knowing she refers to him as 'the good looking guy' he feels himself warming up to her. Suddenly he hears Zoe's voice again, muffled as she's got her hand over the super small microphone, "Which one of you gave him my number?!" Changmin decides to answer for her, "The small one gave it to me, with the short blond hair...Koda I think."
He hears zoe's voice again directed back to him, "Wait, what?! Why??"
He laughs at the urgency in her tone and can almost envision her glaring at Koda. "Well I came by yesterday, around closing I guess, and you weren't there. I asked Koda if she knew a specific date for when my fuel was coming in yet she said you'd be the one to know that information and she insisted on giving me your number, since you all wouldn't be at the shop today to answer the phone there, ne?"
There's a moment's silence as he awaits her reply.
He hear her taking a breath before she replies, "Yeah, well it should be coming at the end of this week."
"Excellent." he can't really hide his enthusiasm.
"Tired of taking the bus, huh, pretty boy?" he hears her jab.
"Har, har. You're not funny."
"Well then I must be if you say I'm not."
"Very funny."
"See!"
"What?"
"I'm hanging up now, Changmin." is the only warning he recieves before she does just that.
He in turn has to do the same. 'How rude.' he thinks snootily. 'She is something else.'
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In turn for her betrayal, Koda receives forty lashes. {KIDDING!}
In the end Zoe only yells at her friend who only ends up snickering and remarking, "Gomen [sorry], I was only trying to help." trying to look angelic. It works this time and she can't stay mad with her.
It's around five o'clock when Zoe declares, "I haven't been out of the house all day, so I'm going to run down to the shop and print up Changmin's receipts so I can have them ready for tomorrow."
"Are you sure you want to go out now?" Nemi asks. "You seem to be prey to very aggressive men lately."
"Nemi...shut up."
"Nani?" Koda suddenly looks up. "Since when??"
"Since she almost got raped by a tall, sexy man at the rave we went to with you a couple of days ago."
"Nani?!!" Koda nearly screeches.
"Nemi, you're making it sound terrible! Gawd! What is wrong with you?!"
"Well it's true!" Nemi says, not caring.
"Nani!?" Koda screams again.
"Oh for love of-" Zoe throws her hands in the air. "You can tell her what happened while I'm gone since you've already decided to open that can of worms tonight!" Zoe concludes, now zipping up her jacket.
"Okay!" Nemi says delighted. "I'll tell her all about it."
"You have fun with that." Zoe says flatly before slamming the door behind her.
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The repair shop is a short distance away and it's only dusk, so Zoe decides to walk. She's grateful she wore long, white, baggy pants as usual and a long-sleeved, black shirt to keep her warm underneath her jacket. A wind blows and the pale sky look as if it's threatening light snow so she pulls her Chococat hat down farther over her ears, nearing the shop within minutes.
Walking in she can't deny that it's eerily quiet, but knowing that she knows the place so well, she decides to ignore it. She steps behind the counter, signs into the PDA, pulls up customer files, finding Changmin's and hits 'print'.
The compact printer sitting on a shelf beneath the counter makes a nearly soundless buzz and begins slowly printing out a few sheets.
As she waits, Zoe leans her elbows on the counter and lets her head tilt sideways as she lazily closes her eyes for a moment.
Suddenly, she's snapped out of her ease at the sound of loud, rapid pounding on the garage style door. The thundering booms echo ominously off of the ceiling and their sounds die on the concrete floor.
She freezes at the sudden and certainly commanding noise yet suddenly shakes off her fear and runs to the employee door, squinting through the peephole to see who's out front, yet she sees nothing as it's fogged up from the cold. Finally she yells, "Just key in the customer code! Don't knock!"
Suddenly, the knocking ceases, and that very direction is taken. She backs up as she hears the door hum before it begins to rise. And once it does, she sees a pair of long legs.
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"Omo!! I can't believe that happened to her! That's so kowai [scary]!" Koda shrieks.
"Believe it." is Nemi's only response.
"I shouldn't have left her!" She says nearly tearing.
"Correction: you left both of us."
"Yeah, well you're the one who, in the end, left your own sister, baka!!"
"Sue me." she says absently, then taking a long swig from a root beer.
"You're terrible, you know that?"
"So I've been told Koda, so I've been told." suddenly, "Hey do you have your GMD with you?"
"Duh."
"Let's watch music videos."
"Okay!"
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Zoe's pupils dilate in shock as the rest of the door rises up to his abdomen, 'It can't be.'
Before the rest of the door rises granting him entry, Zoe turns quickly around on her heels and swiftly flies behind the counter. She looks down at the PDA in front of her trying to act as if she's deeply engrossed in lengthy calculations.
Even though she begins to brace herself mentally she is still not prepared for his entry and can't help but flinch every time she hears his shoes hit the concrete and come another step closer to her.
It seems an eternity before his long legs stop at the counter. Zoe's brow is nearly showing visible signs of presperation once he's there.
Standing before her, once again, his scent and aura are overwhelming
Looking down, Zoe desperately wants to say nothing to him but forces out in a choked voice, "How can I help you?"
The man says nothing. Zoe says nothing. Words are not exchanged for a few minutes and Zoe feels like she might permanantly damage her eyes if she stares down, unblinking, at the PDA monitor any longer. She hasn't breathed. She nearly turns blue by the time he finally says, "It would help if you looked at me."
Zoe doesn't move for a moment, yet when she does, it takes every fiber of her being to do as he asks, and look at him. From his masculine-shaped jawline, to his small nose, and finally to his entrancing eyes.
He seems satisfied with this as he states, "Much better."
Not only does Zoe look at his small face, but over his whole outfit. He's dressed in a head to toe black suit and looks amazing. His flawless attire is almost as sharp as his air. She can't help but nearly gawk at him. She's instantly entwined in the gaze he's giving her. His hands are placed inside each of his pockets and his broad shoulders are thrown back confidently. Everytime she tries to look away from his gaze, his eyes follow hers and there's an ever-present demand behind them that tells her she cannot.
The realization that nothing has been said for several minutes dawns on her when the man finally decides to speak, "Come with me."
"No!" she instinctively snaps, almost regretful as soon as it passes her lips.
He nearly smirks when he asks, "And why not?"
"Because..." Zoe wanted to continue on to say, 'Because I don't know you, you creep! so get away from me!' Yet her voice hides in her throat when she meets the very solid gaze he's giving her.
His eyes are strong but his voice is gentle when he says, "I'm not going to hurt you." Zoe freezes as he continues, "I would never hurt a pretty thing like you." looking away from her for the first time and somewhat over her.
She wants to sound much stronger but fails when she says, "Look, I don't know what you think you're going to get from me by telling me these things, but I don't want to go anywhere with you!" her voice is shaky and cracking by the end of the sentence.
She's overwhelmed just by the thought of trying to talk back to this very authoritative man.
"Is that so?" he says flatly, yet with his eyes shining. "I think you want otherwise." And with that, he slowly reaches out his hand. "Come with me." again he beckons. "All I want is your company."
Zoe instinctively backs up away from his hand and narrows her eyes at him, yet she suddenly looks to his features. He is so handsome. So audacious. So dignified. The gallant magnificence before her is most definitely firm but ultimately...harmless.
Her mind is screaming escape plans and her instincts throwing up smoke signals of 'SOS' yet her soul is screaming "Yes. Go."
So she feels her face soften, as does his, and she finally, with great caution, reaches out to take his hand.
The heat radiating between their hands feels like literal sparks. His hold is unyielding-but what did she expect?
Zoe walks slowly around the counter, her eyes never breaking from his, as he still holds firmly onto her hand.
Once she takes her final step around, they are for the first time, side by side, and she can now really see the significant height difference.
He looks down and asks her, "Are you ready?"
"Yes." is all she gets out quietly.
The minute she approves he begins his long strides towards door, yet slows down as not to drag her.
Before they walk out of the door, he looks over to her once more cautioning, "It's cold outside. Do you have a hat?"
Zoe pulls it out of her back pocket with her free hand. He lets go of her hand for a moment to take the hat from her and gently places it on her head. When it's on he bends down to lightly move a lock of hair out of her face. Standing erect again he concludes, "Cute." With a small but warm smile, gracing his cheeks.
Before she can reply he states, "We're going to the far side of PO-210 by land travel and taking an underground route. My driver will take us."
He looks down to her for what seems like approval as she says, "Okay."
And with that, they're off.
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A/N: shinee_sarang , I wanted to make this perfect for you, love! Hope you liked and that it was as intriguing as the other entries to this series!