fandom: Initial D
title: Invincible.
pairing: Ryousuke + Takumi
rating: pg-13 (we hope for now)

description: Ryousuke suddenly appears at Takumi 's house to ask him a favor, but is there something underlying his request? (Note: Shounen-ai)

Disclaimer: Sure, Initial D isn't mine, but I admit I'm quite addicted to it.

Invincible.

by miyamoto yui

Chapter 1 – No one touches legends.

His back.

The thing I remembered most whenever I stared out of my car window was his perfectly poised back. He was always holding his arms together, constantly analyzing whatever was before him and beyond. So if he opened his mouth, it was sure to be important.

But listening was difficult sometimes because his voice was kind of distracting, especially if I felt sleepy. I'd catch myself before I yawned so that Fumihiro wouldn't clear his throat and eye me. He was a little scarier than Ryousuke when it came to the team.

So what were you doing in front of me? In the middle of my own living room?

I couldn't even step through the threshold of my own house as he stood tall with his white jacket. Then, the house creaked under my foot and he turned around to look at me. It wasn't until that moment that I really saw him under the lamp light and realized…

You look so out of place in my world.

"Fujiwara."

His face softened.

"Hi…" I gestured for him to sit down at the table and went to the kitchen for some tea to buy some time.

He's so confusing. Why was someone who supposedly had everything doing street racing? What could he possibly need from someone like me? Project D was already over…

And I didn't ever see that guy smile. He was always observing everything.

If he wasn't watching what was going on, he'd be on his laptop typing. The clicking replaced talking. I got used to hearing him continuously type and that would mean that he hadn't found his answer so we were extra careful not to disturb him. Or if he was 'struggling', then we had a fifty-fifty chance that he'd be okay to approach for a question or other. Maybe eating...something I knew he didn't do much of because he was always working. Studying…reading…

Thinking all the time. I don't even remember him sleeping very much.

Since the beginning, I really admired him. I thought he was so much better than me because I drifted off all the time, thinking about what should I say to the girls I liked, what I'd do when I'd get home, what time my part-time jobs were…

…and worrying about what would I do when all this was over.

Now, that time had come. After constantly practicing and caring for the '86, I had finally chosen to become a professional.

Why did you have to show up now that I've decided?

I came back into the room to find him looking at his phone. When he glanced up at me with the tray, I got even more nervous. I knew he always watched everything, but I felt he was truly staring at me. His eyes even looked at my hands as I handed over a cup.

Sitting across him, I clenched my hands under the table.

"I'm sorry to bother you as you were packing." He took a sip from his cup and put it down on the table. He held the cup in between his hands.

"Oh, so you heard from Keisuke? Yeah, I decided to move to Aichi and start from there."

Then, for the first time, he smiled. "Yes, because you are a Trueno owner."

"That would mean you'd have to move to Hiroshima if it were you." I joked back.

"Yes…if it were me…" He looked at the table.

I wasn't sure if he meant to answer me or if he was thinking aloud.

I wanted to ask him why. Why wasn't he satisfied when he seemed so perfect? But I wasn't the type to ask things like that though. And no matter how much time we've spent around one another, I had no confidence to.

I didn't even do that with my old man. Who knows what that guy had done before I was born? After that race where he tricked me to join for him, I had had no idea my boring dad with his tofu was pretty much THE legend of these streets.

That guy. The one who got peeved if the bean curd broke when he wasn't careful?

My hands began to throb as I found myself watching his face so intently.

What would you and my father have in common anyway?

"I know you're wondering why. I can tell by your face." His eyes rose until he looked straight at me. "Just because others tell you that you're a genius, does that mean you really are?"

I blinked at him.

"I didn't race to prove it to anyone else. It was only for myself. But after that day, I knew I was wrong." He stopped holding onto his cup and calmly put his hands into his lap.

"From the day I saw you, I came face to face that my reasons were superficial."

My mind went blank. What was he-

"From the way you drove, I could tell…" And without warning, his right hand reached out for my chin. "You never sought after anyone's approval."

I could feel my face burning the instant he touched me. I was embarrassed, but I couldn't turn away, moved by the weight of his words.

I was even more puzzled by them the more that they sank in. Was he praising me for my indifference? But now, I understood that it wasn't apathy on my part. I didn't really care until he challenged me. He had been the one to say I had 'talent'.

Before or after, no matter who I raced, deep inside, I was always battling your shadow. I felt that if I failed, I wouldn't be able to race you again.

In the back of my mind, I feared when I'd lose the one thing that connected us together.

"But…" I stammered.

"Your talent…Natural or earned, if combined," he leaned in a bit further. "It becomes invincible. That's what you now possess."

Why are you telling me this now?

Nothing came out of my mouth.

Ryousuke let go of my chin and sat down again. My heartbeats were on edge.

"I have to ask you a favor."

"I don't understand why you'd want anything from me."

You have status, a family name, and the intelligence.

The only thing I have is my car. I'm very proud of what we've done and I wear Project D as my pride, but I never know what you're thinking.

I don't know if I ever became the image you thought I'd be through this project.

Looking at him now, I'd felt more and more numb.

"There is a course I want you to test."

I gave him a curious look.

"Why me?"

"Because I want you to beat my record."

Those ever persistent eyes…

No matter how many times I'd seen them, for a split second, they still made me forget where I was, and erase any doubt I'd had of myself. "Your record? You can't mean…"

"Yes, the one in Hakone," he finished.

My eyebrows rose. Was he being serious? It was like I was picking my own grave if I did something like that. There was arrogance all over that move.

"I want you to beat it. Without my aid, can you beat my record, Fujiwara?"

It was as if he was telling me, "THIS is what I truly trained you for."

Did you set this up from the very beginning?

From the time you gave me those flowers?

I thought of Wataru, and how he'd called me the only freak who would do that crazy stunt when those imposters appeared.

Am I the only one stupid enough to do these things?

No one touches legends.

And you never betray someone on your own team. Even at their own request.

It's a guy's code.

"It's undisputed. You're my team leader. I don't understand why-"

"Then you'll fail everything from here with your own doubt."
I looked at him and breathed in deeply. I didn't want to sigh and confirm to him that he knew where to always hit me.

Somehow, he could always see right through me.

He got up and stood up in front of me.

"Two weeks."

"Two?"

Without waiting for an answer, he put his hand on my right cheek.

"Thank you."

Then, just like that he nodded his head politely and left as if it was the most natural thing.

I opened my mouth to protest and then closed it again.

It was okay as a team, but even if I held titles too, it was still not the same.

His one legendary race after how many years, I even called Keisuke about it because I was so worried. I couldn't tell anyone how I lost sleep over it.

I'm…

What is he…

We both know that I…

…am still no comparison to him. How much experience did he have? And the more he knew, he could connect it all together. Was I there yet? Talent was a word that floated around me but I never understood. Who…what could I compare myself to? I couldn't even ask my old man how he met my mom and that was related directly to me, so how could I ask this person to explain it if he understood everything from any view?

I know I'm not there yet!

My eyes wandered to his empty tea cup.

There was a part of me that crumbled when I thought of him beyond being Project D's leader.

That was the 'me' I couldn't handle.

Tsuzuku…(To be continued…)

Author's note: It's been quite a while since I've written and to tell the truth, the only reason I started here (Initial D) is because it is a place that I know will get my blood boiling. Many things have happened so I hope that through this fic I'll be able to find the answers and tell the truths I have found with this life. (And I miss going to Gunma.)

I hope that you enjoy it!

Until next read…

Love,

Yui

5/28/2016 2:03 AM – LA

5/29/2016 6:03 PM - Tokyo