"I'm going for a drive now. Would you like to come along?" Keisuke looked up as his brother entered the study room. "Nah, he said, with a tinge of regret. "I've got this important exam tomorrow to study for." "Need help?" "It's mostly memorising. I've learnt this before, and it's /boring/." "Well then, if mother or father ask, I've gone driving and I'm not sure when I'll be back." "kay." Keisuke tried to return to his notes, but the familiar sound of a car engine starting in the garage made it impossible for him to concentrate on them, especially since it was his big brother out for a practice session. It was rare that Ryousuke went out at night without any specific aim in mind- in fact, almost unheard of. Ryousuke had always been the most focused, most organised person Keisuke knew, barring their parents. Then again, Ryousuke had also been the unbeatable "White Comet of Akagi", but the night before, he had lost. Keisuke didn't know what had transpired between the two hashiriya after the race -unlike the other races he had observed the 86 at, it seemed that Fujiwara Takumi had stayed to talk for a while- but Ryousuke had looked so thoughtful, Keisuke had been almost afraid to ask. After the shock of losing the race last night, could his brother have snapped? Alarmed, Keisuke started to rise from his seat, only to sink back with a rueful sigh. What am I thinking? Aniki would never do anything foolish.. ---- It had been very long since he had last gone driving purely for the sake of driving itself, Ryousuke mused, watching as outside, the roads seemed to almost fly past him. He had almost forgotten how enjoyable it could be. Then again, he couldn't remember the last time he had found an opponent who could bring such exhileration into the race. Ryousuke turned a corner. At this time of the night, there were no other hashiriya on Akagi, leaving the roads dark and quiet. In the distance, he could just make out the lights of Akagi City, a familiar sight from his earliest days in racing. Briefly, he closed his eyes, thinking of late nights, whole nights spent tearing up and down the mountain in pursuit of perfection. It was something he rarely did anymore, as busy with his studies as he was. He had thought the skills aqquired from that time sufficient, preferring to put his energies into understanding and outwitting his opponent. Knowing how and why everything worked, and how to make things work to their fullest capacity was key, he believed, because the world was governed by the laws of logic and reasoning. But what of those who were outside of those laws he knew? The reasons why he had lost the race last night were few, and Ryousuke had thought through them all. Fujiwara Takumi- the driver of the AE86- had been lucky, but he had also something more, something Ryousuke couldn't quite name. Intuition? Talent? In any case, the man- no, boy, really, possessed one of the finest techniques Ryousuke had ever seen. And he was a fast learner, too. For the first time, Ryousuke underestimated an opponent- and he had lost, his first loss in over four years of racing. Strangely, he found that he didn't begrudge that loss. He felt no aminosity towards the driver, only a curious sort of gratitude. It had been a good race. They'd both clocked times much faster than ---- Takumi accepted the cup of water from his father and placed it in the cupholder, careful not to spill any of the liquid. Once on the road, he rested his head on his hands, staring at the road in front of him disinterestedly. Yesterday night, he had raced Takahashi Ryousuke. Oyaji hadn't cut him any slack with the deliveries, even though he'd come home late and had been unable to sleep afterwards. But the old man had never cut him any slack for as long as he could remember. He let his thoughts drift over to the events of the past night, reliving each moment as he passed the place where it had happened. Last night had been like a dream, Takumi thought, eyes flickering to the rear-view mirror, half-expecting a Mazda RX-7 Savannah to appear. The mirror showed only empty road, of course, and he swallowed a sigh. Baka! He scolded himself, feeling both slightly ashamed and disappointed. Such a car- and such a driver, one who had been more than capable of matching him move for move on almost every turn. With a sigh, he let his eyes drift back to the rear-view mirror, even though only the scenery would have changed. A smile. A half-laugh, only uttered in that dark, velvet voice. "Fujiwara Takumi, annata wa haiyai ka." He had said. "Mata ou." "Mata ou," Takumi spoke aloud, the words sounding foreign on his tongue. He couldn't quite say it the way Ryousuke had. But as he spoke, his eyes opened wide. Behind him was a white FC. ---- When a person runs into something unexpected, he can do any of three things- he can continue doing whatever he happens to be doing, he can do something smart, or he can do something stupid. Takumi braked. Time itself seemed to slow down for the events that followed, but Takumi found himself unable to react rationally. Braking at such a high speed, the 86 lurched forward violently, taking its driver with it. A flash of white, as the FC swerved and passed the 86 in an effort to avoid collision. A startled face- Then the car jerked back, and Takumi was thrown back violently in his seat. Ahead, the FC skidded to a stop, metres from their almost-collision. From that angle, a single decal could be clearly seen. Takumi froze, stunned where he sat. Red Suns. Only one driver drove like that, felt like that- Takahashi Ryousuke emerged from the driver's seat and headed for the 86 at a long-legged, lope. Hands shaking, Takumi unbuckled his seatbelt. He found the handle of the door and opened it, but the moment his feet touched the ground they folded under him, and he found himself falling into a pair of strong warm arms. Takumi let himself be guided to a grassy spot off the road, where he sat down. "Here," Came a voice, accompanied by a flask of liquid thrust into his hands. Takumi accepted the flask and simply sat, staring into it. Takahashi Ryousuke's precious car.. the 86.. and he had almost destroyed them both! He was brought out of his reverie by an arm stroking his back comfortingly, and a warm presence near him. "Oi," Takahashi Ryousuke said, smiling somewhat concernedly into Takumi's face. "Are you okay?" Takumi tried to answer, but found that he couldn't. "Nevermind. Silly of me to even ask- stay here for a moment, will you?" Ryousuke left Takumi for the FC, emerging a moment later with a white jacket tucked over one arm. "Here," he ordered, folding it neatly and placing it on the ground. "Lie down." Takumi started, almost spilling the contents of the flask. Had Takahashi Ryousuke just told him to lie down? A million thoughts accompanied the sudden rush of blood to his face, and Takumi looked down, not moving. He hoped that Ryousuke wouldn't see his face- "Lie down." Gentle but firm hands pushed Takumi to the ground such that his head was pillowed on the jacket. Then he felt his legs being lifted up, only to be set down on a most unexpected place- Ryousuke's lap. Takumi felt the redness on his face replace itself with an equally red blush of mortification. Shock treatment. He should have known, had known, ever since Itsuki dragged him along for that extra-credit talk in junior high. "It's for treating shock," Ryousuke said, echoing his thoughts. "You're not injured, but even going around all of Akina at race speeds every morning doesn't mean that you have nerves of steel," He added, noticing Takumi's blush. At that, Takumi twitched and tried to sit up, but Ryousuke pushed him back gently. "Relax," He chided firmly. "Lie down until you feel better." "But.." Takumi managed "Lie down." Takumi subsided, quelled by the gentle yet firm authority in the other's voice. Heart beating rapidly, he laid there, staring straight up into the sky because he was afraid that if he looked at the other man, his body would betray him by blushing again. Then Ryousuke spoke. "I've never been on Akina san at this time before," He said. "And never for anything other than a battle. It's a very beautiful hill though, isn't it? And quiet too. Probably the sort of hill where lovers might drive to, just to watch the sunset or sunrise together." Upon hearing that Takumi felt his world stop. He could feel his heart, which had just begun to calm down, speed up again. Gathering all his control, he sat up, lifting his feet carefully off Ryousuke's lap. This time, the older man let him. "Feeling better?" Ryousuke said, turning around to smile at him. Under the weight of midnight blue eyes, Takumi could only fidget and say, "Aah," all the while feeling more jumpy than he ever had in his life. "Sort of better," He added, when the silence around the two of them closed in. Ryousuke smiled and said only, "that's good," before turning back. Takumi followed his gaze to the view from the mountain, where splashes of red and gold painted the dark canvas of the Akina night sky. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he was alone with Takahashi Ryousuke, sitting side by side, close enough to touch, with him in a place where they could have been the only two people left in the world. He realised that he liked that feeling. But only if it was Ryousuke. Only.. Ryousuke. Takumi turned around nervously. What should he say? "Anou, Ryousuke-san," "Hmm?" The older man turned, and Takumi half-froze again. Ryousuke's eyes were half closed, and the button-down shirt he wore had begun to slip open at the chest, exposing quite a bit more than Takumi had ever dreamed of seeing. "T-thank you!" The words came out half a squeak and half an sneeze.