A/N
This is the modern AU, slice-of-life, no powers Sailor Moon fic that nobody asked for. It combines my favorite ships, Inner Senshi x Shitennou, plus teenage relationship drama and cars/racing because why the heck not. Rated M for language and semi-explicit sexual situations. Story art is "Usagi 2.0" by Charlie Bowater.
Chapter One: Crash
The night sky filled Usagi's vision. At least she assumed it was the sky because it wasn't completely black; she could see little pinpricks of light winking back at her in addition to red and green flashes from an airplane. 'How lovely…' she thought, her inner voice sounding distant. She closed her eyes and her head spun. If she really focused she might be able to take off and go soaring through that beautiful sea of stars. It would probably feel a lot better than lying on the concrete, which seemed to have grabbed ahold of her body and didn't want to let go. Even the slightest movement sent pain shooting through her skull. There was also something wet beneath her head, as if she lay in a puddle of water.
She must have fallen asleep there on the ground, for when she woke up it was to the sight of boring white ceiling tiles. None of the places she frequented featured them, so just where was she? It was so bright she closed her eyes again, but at least now she could move her hands and brought one of them to the base of her skull. She winced as soon as her fingers landed on what felt like thick cotton shielding a swollen spot. 'What did this come from?' she wondered, gently probing the area. The entire back of her head was covered in gauze. She felt a rough patch on her neck and picked at it, discovering dried blood beneath her fingernail. 'Why would I be bleeding?'
"Usagi-chan!"
She instantly recognized the voice belonging to her friend Ami. The typically reserved girl threw her arms around Usagi, stifling a sniffle. "Thank goodness you're awake! We were so worried!" Usagi deduced that by "we" she meant their other three friends: Rei, Minako, and Makoto. They were supposed to have gone home after hanging out at Crown Game Center because they had to study for summer exams, except for Rei since she went to a private school. Why were they all here instead of hitting the books? Where was "here" anyway?
Ami must have been able to read the questions brimming in Usagi's eyes because she answered them without any prompting. "Usagi-chan, you're in the hospital. You suffered a minor contusion and concussion." The girl only furrowed her brow. "You don't remember what happened?"
"I remember leaving the arcade, waving goodbye to you all, heading home…" She trailed off with a deeper frown, drawing a complete blank.
"You were hit by a car while crossing the road," Ami said in that calm, rational tone she used when walking her friends through difficult homework problems. "It came out of nowhere."
Usagi stared blankly. "Someone ran me over?"
"Not exactly, it was more of a glancing blow. But he was going so fast that you were flung onto the sidewalk, where you hit your head." Now it was Ami's turn to frown slightly. "You really don't remember us yelling, or the police or the ambulance? You don't remember Mako-chan threatening to send him to the hospital after you?"
Usagi smiled at that. "She totally would have. What stopped her?"
"The fact that he had to fill out a traffic incident report with the police. Even they seemed wary of Mako-chan." As they should be since she had brown belts in both judo and karate. Ami didn't get the chance to elaborate further because Minako entered the room, gasping when she saw that Usagi was awake and shouting out the door to Rei and Makoto. The three of them smothered the injured girl with hugs and are-you-okay's. She was, but she couldn't just get up and leave. A doctor came in to administer a few tests which she passed with flying colors, then the woman gave her a discharge form to sign.
After Usagi slipped into her jacket, Minako latched onto her arm. "We're walking home with you this time," she declared. "I'm not letting you go anywhere alone ever again."
"You're overreacting, Mina-chan," Rei said, giving her signature eye-roll. "Usagi probably got some sense knocked into her thick head." Normally a comment like that would have elicited a whiny response from the girl, but she remained quiet. "Usagi-chan, are you really okay?"
The five of them entered the lobby, and before Usagi could reassure Rei they collectively halted as a young man approached. Everyone glared at him and Makoto moved to stand protectively in front of the group. "What are you doing here? I thought the police would have arrested you."
The boy locked his deep blue eyes on Usagi, ignoring the other girls. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Tsukino-san. I shouldn't have been speeding around at night. I know it's not enough, but I covered the cost of your treatment." Usagi only blinked at him, so he averted his gaze to the floor. "Umm, if there's any trouble with the payment you can contact my employer. Here." She accepted the business card reading Noctis Automotive Performance followed by a phone number and address. Then the boy gave her a deep bow. "I truly am sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." With that he spun on his heel and made a hasty exit.
"What a jerk," Minako remarked. "He'll probably go right back to driving like a maniac and run over someone else."
Usagi made a noncommittal noise, allowing her friends to shepherd her from the hospital to her home in Azabujūban. She remained unusually quiet during the walk, giving each a girl a hug as they looked on worriedly. "I'm fine, guys. Thanks for being there for me. See you tomorrow?" She received confirmations from everyone and gave them a little wave before venturing inside. "I'm home!" she called, catching a muted grunt from her younger brother who was likely immersed in some video game. Her parents were on vacation and wouldn't be back for another week; the house felt very empty without them.
Normally Usagi would have stayed up late watching anime with a bowl of ice cream in hand, but getting out of the hospital left her emotionally drained. She was incredibly lucky to have only suffered a concussion and some light bleeding instead of more severe head trauma or broken bones. It was probably stupidly selfless of her to consider how his life could have been affected. Maybe he would have lost his license or even been jailed, and she didn't want that for him since he seemed like a nice guy instead of a reckless bad boy. Not to mention that he was cute… like, really cute. High cheekbones, full lips, dark hair, and those unique, gorgeous eyes she could see herself falling into. He was also a good five inches taller than her. She kind of had a thing for tall guys.
She examined the business card again, noting the Hachioji address. That wasn't terribly far from home; she could go there tomorrow and thank him properly. Except… she didn't even know his name and tomorrow was Sunday. What if he didn't work on Sunday? 'Then I'll just try again on Monday,' she thought with a smile. She'd go there as many times as it took to see him again.
Usagi stepped off the train at Hachioji Station and consulted her phone's map app, dutifully following the blue arrow guiding her west. The area was quite modest, perhaps even rustic compared to most of the Tokyo metropolis. She definitely stood out in her trendy sky-blue top and jean shorts, and if she'd known how far she had to walk she wouldn't have worn espadrilles. Comparing the destination on her map with her immediate surroundings informed her that she had to ascend a long, gradual hill, and in lieu of killing her legs she hopped on the nearest public bus that dropped her off at a shrine just down the road.
Her smile faded when she finally arrived at the business. Its major signage was in English which she wasn't very good at reading; thankfully the Sunday hours were listed as 09:00-20:00. Three large bay windows looked onto the street but they were all extremely tinted, making it impossible to see inside. 'Woman up and go on in!' she told herself. Bells on the door jingled when she pushed it open.
The first thing she saw were glass cases lining the large rectangular room, each one packed with what she assumed were car parts. Usagi knew jack shit about cars aside from the fact that the one her dad owned was very small and very fuel efficient, which he used to get to his publishing job downtown. The second thing she noticed was a shelf running parallel to the ceiling practically overflowing with certificates, awards, trophies, and photographs of men in jumpsuits beaming at the cameras.
"Can I help you?" Usagi spun toward the owner of the masculine voice and was slightly taken aback by his appearance. He didn't look old at all but he had eyes of quicksilver and wispy grey hair tied back in a small ponytail. His arms were dotted with dark stains and there were also some faint smudges on his face. Like her mystery guy this boy was tall and leanly muscled but he had narrower eyes and a hint of facial hair, giving him the appearance of a rugged samurai. "Does your boyfriend work here?" he queried.
"I don't have a boyfriend," Usagi instantly replied.
"Are you shopping for parts, then? I bet you drive a cute little S2000."
She had no idea what that was and shook her head. "I'm only sixteen, I don't even have a license." She slapped the business card on the counter. "Look, I was in the hospital yesterday because I got hit by a car, and the guy who hit me gave me this."
The boy's eyes widened significantly. "You're not here to press charges, are you?"
"No, I just want to talk to him."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "What's your name? I'll tell him you're here."
"Tsukino Usagi." He nodded and disappeared through a door, temporarily flooding the lobby with noises one would expect to hear at an auto repair shop: jumbled conversation, colorful swearing, pneumatic tools and air compressors, and idling or revving engines. 'It didn't seem this busy from the outside,' Usagi thought. She hadn't even seen an entrance for cars to get into the shop. Maybe it was on the other side?
The silver-haired boy returned with her mystery guy in tow. He looked even cuter with a bandanna tied around his head to keep sweat off his brow, though his cuteness was offset by mild panic. "Tsukino-san, what are you doing here? The hospital shouldn't have billed you, I made sure everything was squared away."
She shook her head, smiling kindly. "It's not that. I came because I wanted to thank you, but I don't even know your name."
He stared for a moment before giving her the most adorably sheepish grin at having forgotten such a simple courtesy. "It's Chiba Mamoru."
Usagi bowed to him. "Thank you for paying my medical bills, Chiba-san, and I appreciate you being there to make sure I was all right. You didn't have to do that."
"Actually he did," the silver boy put in, earning a scowl from Mamoru. "If you had been seriously injured it would have dealt a huge blow to our reputation, and then we'd have to organize a community event or something to raise money for you. So thanks for sparing me from that."
"Wow Kyo, could you be more heartless?" Mamoru scoffed, pulling his gloves off. "It was kind of your fault that I was even in that neighborhood."
"I didn't force you to take a shortcut through Azabu," he returned.
"You threatened me with shop duty if I didn't beat you back here!"
Usagi interrupted their argument by asking, "So I got injured because you two were street racing?" They both looked at her guiltily and she raised her chin. "In that case, you owe me big time."
Mamoru gulped. "What do you want, Tsukino-san?"
"First, I want you to promise never to speed through residential areas again." They nodded several times. "Second, I want you to drive me home today so I don't have to pay for another train ticket. And third…" She faltered, making the boys lean forward expectantly. "Never mind. Just do those two things and I'll let you off the hook."
"If you don't tell us the third thing we won't let you off the hook," Kyo teased.
The girl looked down while knotting her fingers. "Summer vacation is coming up and my friend has a beach house down in Izu. We were trying to figure out how the five of us could get there without any of our parents knowing. They think we'll just be drinking and getting into trouble." She rolled her eyes as Mamoru and Kyo shared a glance.
"Do you want us to take you to Izu?" the former asked.
Usagi unintentionally batted her eyelashes at him. "Would you?"
"It's the least I can do for you," he replied in earnest, "and I've never driven the coastal roads. It sounds fun."
"Count me in, too," Kyo added. "I could use the opportunity to get away from this place for a day."
"Oh wow, thank you guys so much!" Usagi would have hugged them had the counter not prevented it. She ran a hand through her bangs, her eyes sweeping around the store again before returning to them. "So what kind of work do you do here?"
Mamoru grinned, pleased that she was interested. "Why don't you come on back and we'll give you a tour." He unlocked the little gate leading behind the counter, motioning for her to follow. When Usagi stepped through the door she was impressed by how expansive the complex was; it really hadn't seemed so large from the street. Each of the six garage bays was occupied by a sleek, sporty car and at least two men working on it. Facing east were two more enormous bays housing transport trucks, and on the northern hill sat a quaint home overlooking the shop.
Noctis Performance was established by Kyo's father, Kitano Tatsuo, after he withdrew from the racing scene in 1997, the year he lost his wife during the birth of his son. In 2007 Tatsuo was approached by one Nishino Koji, the owner of an automotive shipping company. West End Transport became Noctis' biggest sponsor and Tatsuo returned to racing before officially retiring in 2012, entrusting his legacy to his son. Currently Team Noctis only competed in three national events: the Nipponia GT Series, the Red Sun Rally, and the Urban Action Grand Prix. Mamoru and Kyosuke dominated NGT's amateur division for three years straight, but now that they were almost-eighteen and nineteen respectively they could enter the professional series next spring.
"So you guys are racecar drivers," Usagi deduced after the tour ended. The three of them had migrated to the clubroom, a place for employees to drink booze, watch TV or shoot pool. Kyosuke let Mamoru do most of the talking, leaning against the bar while the boy and girl sat in leather armchairs. "If you're so good why would you engage in a pointless street race?"
"We seldom get the chance to challenge each other since we're on the same team," Mamoru explained. "Sometimes you just want to see if you have the skills to dominate the streets instead of the track. Right, Kyo?" He nodded once, smiling faintly. "Are you about ready to head home, Tsuki-chan?"
Usagi giggled at her new nickname. "Yeah, I have some studying to do. It was nice getting to know you, though."
Mamoru's eyes lit up. "In that case I'm glad you came by. Give me a minute to change out of these rags." As he went to take off his dirty jumpsuit, Usagi followed Kyo to a door at the far side of the room where he pushed a series of buttons on a numeric lock. Upon stepping inside the ceiling lights turned on, illuminating two exotic vehicles.
"Wow…" the girl breathed, "I've never seen anything like these before. Which one is yours, Kitano-san?"
"You don't have to call me that, Kyo's fine." He skirted the nearer black car and placed his hand on the hood of a metallic blue one, which was slightly shorter and featured more angular body lines. There wasn't a speck of dirt on it, not even the tires, and Usagi walked around it carefully, leaning down to admire the futuristic interior. "This is a new Acura NSX, one of the first prototypes. It'll be available to the general public next year."
"How can you race it if it's still being developed?"
"Nishino negotiated a deal with Acura after we won the amateur GT series. Basically we're one of a few teams testing its track capabilities for them. The modifications my dad has made to this car will likely be integrated into an improved performance edition NSX in a couple years or so."
"Kyo, that's amazing. You get to work with a major automotive corporation! I know some guys at school who would kill for a chance like that!" The boy shrugged it off as no big deal, turning to Mamoru when he arrived.
"What do you think, Tsuki-chan?" he asked, sitting on the fender of the black car.
"I feel like they belong in a museum of modern art or something."
He laughed amicably. "These cars are made to be driven all across the world, not stuck inside gathering dust. Come on, hop in." He held the passenger door open for Usagi. She couldn't believe the interior belonged to a simple vehicle and not some space-age ride at Disneyland, although she regretted calling it simple as soon as she sat down because she had no idea how the seatbelt even functioned. Mamoru reached over, locking multiple straps into a central hub. "Five-point harness," he explained. "These things will save your life."
"Have you ever crashed?" Usagi asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, once when my rear axle went out and once when another driver clipped me on a turn. I didn't roll though, which is what really matters. I'm not sure if Tatsuo would want to build another one of these." She gave him a questioning look. "This is Noctis' flagship car, the one Tatsuo retired with. He and Koji have invested a lot of money into it. Just over one-third of the body is malleable aluminum and the rest is a polymer reinforced with carbon fiber, so if I get into a serious wreck and it suffers frame damage we'd have to buy a whole new car. It's been out of production for four years, though."
Usagi tilted her head. "Then why does Tatsuo keep risking it?"
"It endures because every aspect of this car was designed for the track," Mamoru answered. His adrenaline started flowing before he even put the key in the ignition. "It's perfect in every way, and I'm not the only person who thinks it provides one of the best driving experiences of all time. Let me show you."
'I'm riding in a racecar with a pro at the wheel. This is crazy!' That was the last thought Usagi was capable of forming for a while, for they blasted away from Hachioji and entered the metro at a speed that was almost frightening, darting between traffic on the freeway with the agility of a ninja. Usagi gripped her shoulder straps tightly as G-force pushed her into the bucket seat, preventing her from turning her head. When the traffic became too thick to work through Mamoru coaxed the vehicle down a couple gears and released a satisfied sigh. "How fast were we going?" she breathlessly inquired.
"I think we hit about 210 kilometers on that empty stretch. Top speed is over 320, though." He flashed a devious smile. "Did you like it?" His blood was certainly rushing to lower parts of his body. A little voice shouted in the back of his mind that he was making a huge mistake driving Usagi home. The car was a finely-tuned racing machine worth over 40 million yen, not a damn taxi. But Mamoru ignored it, savoring every second he spent with her instead.
As Mamoru pulled up to the Tsukino residence it only took about thirty seconds for Usagi's little brother to be drawn outside by the deep, rumbling exhaust. "Hey Shingo," she greeted, stifling a laugh as his jaw hit the ground. Mamoru lowered the window to give him a friendly smile. Usagi waved goodbye and watched him head off down the road, Shingo falling to his knees and gaping in utter amazement. His fourteen year-old brain could not comprehend what he just witnessed and he gazed at his sister bug-eyed. "Want some lunch?" she glibly inquired.
Shingo snapped to his feet, snatching up her hands with a ferocity that made her squeak in surprise. "Usagi, please please please for the love of all that is good and righteous in the world tell me that guy is your boyfriend!"
'I wish!' "Of course he's not, I just met him."
"That doesn't mean you're not madly in love with each other!" His grip tightened. "Please get me the opportunity to ride with Chiba Mamoru, please. I will do literally anything you want for the rest of your life if I can sit in that car with him, even if it's not moving. Please sis, I'm begging you. Even better, make him fall in love with you so you get married and he can become my brother-in-law!"
"Shingo, you're kinda freaking me out." She pulled away and went inside, the boy at her heels.
"I'm the one freaking out! You do know Chiba is a prodigy, right?" He followed her into the kitchen, grabbing his hair to prevent himself from really losing it.
"I didn't even know you idolized him. You've never mentioned being interested in the Nipponia GT Series." Shingo fled the kitchen at that. Usagi heard him rummaging around upstairs before he came back and shoved a video game case in her face. She crossed her eyes and managed to read the title, Midnight Club: Revival.
"This is the first new release of this game in eight years, Usagi. They were letting the series die until Chiba-sama arrived on the GT scene. You know that car he drove you here in, the Lexus LFA? That car is in this game. It's top-tier and it took me months to unlock. I can't believe I just saw it in person. I can't believe Chiba-sama looked at me." He sat on a stool and slumped against the kitchen counter, staring straight ahead in wonderment.
Usagi softly cleared her throat. "Shingo, do you even know how we met?" His eyes darted to her. "I left Crown Game Center last night and he hit me with that car while I was crossing the road. He gave me this." She turned around and lifted the hair off her neck, showing him the scar and bruising. "He paid for my treatment so I tracked him down to thank him. We talked for a while, he showed me the garage, and then he drove me home. That's the only interaction we've had." She wasn't about to inform her brother that Mamoru would be driving her to Izu, lord knowing he might actually die of jealousy.
"God, you got to see the Noctis garage too?" He sounded so pained. "I must be being punished for something. Why you and not me?"
The girl rolled her eyes at his melodrama. "If you're so in love with Chiba the least I can do is start saving up my allowance to take you to Nishioka Speedway when the season begins next spring, that way you can see him race in person. In return I don't want you to harass me about him anymore. Deal?"
Shingo released the most resigned sigh she'd ever heard. "Deal," he agreed, shaking her hand. A partial smile turned his lips. "At least I can tell all my friends that my sister got to meet Chiba Mamoru."
"There you go!" she laughed while tying an apron around her waist. "I'm going to make gyoza for lunch if that's okay with you."
"As long as you don't burn them." Just like that, everything was back to normal.
The remainder of the day passed without incident as Usagi focused on her homework, snickering when occasional cries of frustration or anger echoed down the hall from Shingo's game room. After their father's promotion to a cushy management position at the publishing company, Shingo pleaded for his parents to let him turn the office into a place where he could study video game development, but since he was only fourteen that basically amounted to playing a lot of them until he could go to college for it. A couple of his nerdy friends ran a gaming blog, and although Usagi would never admit it to his face, she'd visited it to read some of his articles and was surprised by how scholarly they were.
Usagi would also never admit that Shingo's passion for gaming was something she envied since she had no idea what to do about her own future. It hadn't been an issue until this year, her first year of high school, because she had horrendous test scores in junior high and assumed she'd never make it into university. But then Minako began talking about wanting to go to Juilliard in New York so she could become a Broadway star. Ami mentioned trying for MIT or Caltech so she could study computer science, and Rei planned on attending Todai to study politics so she could work with her father. That left Usagi and Makoto who were totally clueless as to which paths to follow, but they studied dutifully on the off chance they suddenly made up their minds.
She finished her problem set and put it in her schoolbag with a sigh, sitting on the bed as she scanned her room for something to do. There were still several hours until she had to meet her friends at their favorite café for dinner. Shingo did all the chores the day before, including the laundry which he normally shirked, so Usagi couldn't think of anything to occupy her time. She practically jumped on her phone when it trilled, eyes glittering as she found a text from Mamoru.
Thanks for letting Kyo and I show off today. Cute girls don't often come by the garage.
Oh no, he thought she was cute. It was one thing to have an unrequited crush on Mamoru, which was safe and non-embarrassing for everyone, but she hadn't considered he might like her back.
I'm glad I did, it was really cool! But why didn't you tell me your car is famous? My brother practically had a meltdown when you dropped me off!
The LFA isn't actually mine, it's Tatsuo's. I'm just the current designated driver; Kyo had it before Noctis acquired the NSX. We argue that he should still be the one racing it since it's part of his dad's legacy, but he says he likes the NSX better.
I'm sorry you guys fight, but on a happier note you said you were about to turn eighteen? When is your birthday?
Next month, August 3. Yours?
June 30.
Sorry I missed it.
You didn't know me back then.
I wish I did. That single line made Usagi's heart flutter. She was falling hard and fast for this guy. You said you have four friends that need rides to Izu, right? That works perfectly with me, Kyo, my brother and the two new guys.
You have a brother?
Not biological, he's the son of the man who adopted me. Usagi began typing a reply but stopped when another message came in. Before you ask, yes, I was an orphan. My parents died in a car crash when I was six. I don't remember anything before then, but it's okay because racing has given me a new family.
Mamoru, that's so sad! But I'm glad you have such a caring family and that you all have something in common. She wished she could say that about her own family; sometimes it was hard to see how she and Shingo were even related! But of course they loved each other despite their differences.
Her phone remained silent for several minutes and Usagi wondered if she'd made Mamoru upset by sounding like she pitied him. She should tell him it was the complete opposite: she thought he was a strong person and she admired his passion. But would that come off as too sentimental? With a groan she left her phone on the bed and began organizing her closet since her shoes and accessories were strewn all over the place. Then it jingled and she tentatively picked it up.
You're too nice, Usagi. Did you forget I'm the guy who almost ran you over? I really wasn't expecting you to thank me for anything. I thought you'd never want to see my face again. Isn't there some part of you that hates me even a little bit?
No, there isn't, because I know you didn't do it on purpose. You were just having fun with Kyo and I happened to get in the way at the wrong time. If I'd turned back to say something to my friends you would've blown right past me, but I chose that exact moment to cross the road. I should have heard your car but I didn't, I was off in my own little world. You could've hit me and kept on going, no one would have caught you. But you stopped. You made sure I was okay. You came to the hospital and paid my bills. That's more than what most people would've done, so that's why I thanked you. She thought for a minute. You shouldn't feel guilty because of what happened to your parents, Mamoru. I'm sorry they aren't here now, but I am and I'm fine. I won't resent you.
The boy at the other end released a long, pent-up sigh. He'd never met anyone as forgiving as Tsukino Usagi; she had every right to resent him. Did it even occur to her that he could have crippled her for life? All because he and Kyo decided to disobey Tatsuo and take their cars into the city to show off, because Mamoru wanted to feed his ego since he had to wait almost a year until race season. There were no adoring fans on the practice track, no media snapping his photo, no journalists asking for his life story. And how fucking morbid was it that he drove Usagi to her house in the car that almost killed her? Her little brother had looked at him as if he were a god, his idol. Imagine Shingo's expression if he had found out Chiba Mamoru was the one responsible for taking away his sister forever.
He wasn't mad when Tatsuo took the keys to the LFA and placed him on a three-month suspension because of his stupid stunt that morning. Now it fell to Kyo to master the NSX and prove to the world that Team Noctis wasn't reliant on his father's past glories. Tatsuo stepped off the track so he could give his son and other bright-eyed, adrenaline-fueled youngsters a chance to wear the crowns in their chosen fields of motorsport just as he once had. There were a lot of people who didn't share the same mindset, who wanted to remain on top until their bodies couldn't handle the physical stress, but Tatsuo firmly believed that youthful ambition would keep the sport alive for decades to come. Youthful ambition gave designers and engineers a reason to keep building cars. Youthful ambition was what Tatsuo saw in a ten year-old Mamoru, what made him take a chance on the boy with amnesia and mold him into a champion. And how had he thanked Tatsuo? By hijacking the LFA and parading it around the city as if he'd built the thing with his own two hands.
"You don't seem as pissed as I thought you'd be," Kyo remarked upon entering Mamoru's small apartment above the clubroom. He dropped into a beanbag chair and fixated the boy with his sagely gaze.
"I'm thankful I only got suspended. I deserve to be kicked off the team, but your dad said he needs me since Zen still refuses to sign a contract."
"I haven't seen that kid in a couple years. Is he still good?"
"Yeah, better than his dad." Kyo hummed approvingly. "But Zen doesn't want to get involved. He says Koji ruined everything by putting so much pressure on him."
"Like you and I have none of that to deal with," Kyo scoffed.
The blue-eyed boy shrugged. "He's just sensitive. There were times I wanted to quit but you two wouldn't let me. If your dad was that hard on Zen he'd probably threaten to go live with his mom. Koji would do anything to prevent that from happening, including pull his sponsorship if it's what Zen wanted."
"If Nishino really did that I'd set all his ships on fire with the cars loaded." The intense look on Kyo's face meant he was being completely serious. "Watch him try to recover his contracts after that catastrophe. He'd never be able to operate in Japan again."
Mamoru grimaced. "That seems a bit harsh, Kyo."
"It'd be what he deserves for betraying my dad," the boy countered. "If Nishino destroys our life, I'll destroy his. Eye for an eye." He stood up and amiably bopped Mamoru on the foot. "If your brother doesn't want to join the team I'll tell my dad to stop pressing him. He sounds like a punk, anyway."
"Well that punk is going to lead the way when we drive to Izu after exams." Kyo opened his mouth to protest. "I don't want you doing anything stupid on the road, no showing him up or anything. We have to get the girls there in one piece." Mamoru lowered his gaze. "I don't want to traumatize any more of them."
"You said Tsuki-chan said she was fine. She seems sincere– if she says she's okay then she is. Stop beating yourself up." One silver eyebrow arched high. "Or are you so worried about what she thinks because you like her?" Mamoru's blush answered for him and Kyo half smiled, half groaned in exasperation. "We don't have the time or energy for girlfriends, Mamoru. You know that. Eat, sleep, race. That's our life."
He smirked. "You might change your mind after you see the rest of Usagi's friends. And a car can't kiss you."
"Hmm, fair point. But a car will never lie, cheat, deceive me or break my heart. If you want to subject yourself to those things then go for it, I won't stop you." Kyo managed to mimic the same disparaging look as his father. "I want us to win the series next year, Mamoru. If your performance suffers because you're distracted by some girl, I will hold it over your head until the day I die."
