"Are you really going home now?" Naruko hurried along as Arakita continued to drag Sakamichi and his mamachari back to where he had parked his road racer. "Wait! I just moved to Chiba from Osaka. I thought I'd go sightseeing here, but I have no idea where I'm going, so you could help me look around!" he nudged Sakamichi with his elbow. "What's your name, anyway?"

As Sakamichi didn't react immediately, Arakita replied,

"Oonoda…"

"Nice to meet you, Oonoda-kun, and Oonoda-san!" grinned Naruko. "I'm looking forward to exploring Akiba together!" he added with a wink.

"Huh..?" Arakita and Sakamichi turned to him confused.

"It's so nice to see brothers supporting each other!" Naruko went on, oblivious of his faux pas. "Normally you'd never see athletes and otakus hanging out, but what's family for, am I right?"

But we look nothing alike… Arakita and Sakamichi grimaced at each other.

"Ka-ka-ka!" Naruko squeezed between them, flinging an arm around each. "Alright! In the spirit of brotherhood, let's get my little brothers some souvenirs!"

Arakita and Sakamichi sighed.

At any other time, Sakamichi would have been more than happy to prolong his stay in Akihabara. Naruko, however, soon proved to be rather troublesome…

"Woah! There are so many!" he romped around the figure displays. "It's huge! This model's box is huge!"

"Oi, lower your voice.." Arakita hissed at him, but Naruko paid no attention.

"Which one should I get? Which one's real popular?" he careened his head. Sakamichi smiled.

"Well, different models come in different scales, so—"

"This one, right?!" Naruko shoved a red MS-06S-ZAKU-II in Sakamichi's face. "It's flashy and cool, right?!"

"W-Well, if details are important to you, then the one to one hundred scale—"

"Two of these, please!" Naruko waved the box at the cashier, then gurgled as Arakita jerked him backwards.

"You asked for advice but you weren't even listening!" he shook Naruko by the scruff of his jersey. "At least hear him out, dammit!"

"Oh.." Naruko's eyes fell on the price tag. "I'm gonna be a thousand yen short. Lend me some money."

"What the hell?!" cried Arakita. Sakamichi pulled out his wallet with a troubled expression, but Arakita waved him off. "Put that thing away! You're just gonna get ripped off!"

He then turned back to Naruko.

"I'll lend you the money," he smirked sweetly. "Where do you live..?"

Naruko blinked, but cracked a grin at the prospect of his loan. "I can't remember, but I go to Sohoku High School!"

"Sohoku, huh..?"

"That's right! I'm Naruko Shoukichi, the Speedster of Naniwa, and I'm gonna join the road racing club!"

The road racing club..! Sakamichi's eyes widened in realization. Arakita broke into a menacing grin.

"Well then, I'm gonna be your senpai soon…" he leaned closer, "…and if you don't pay me back, I'll find you and I'll kill you," he snarled mere millimeters from Naruko's face. Naruko gulped.

"Oonoda-kun.. your brother's real scary…" he mumbled under his breath.

"It's Onoda…" sighed Sakamichi. Arakita groaned in exasperation.


"Thanks for the money!" Naruko exited the store, his purchases flung over his shoulder. "My little brothers will be thrilled! Since I bought them the same thing, they won't fight. This trip has been a total success! So where are we going next?" he carried on, ignoring their baffled reactions. "Oh, I know! You can't visit Akiba without going to a maid café!"

"With what money, you little twerp?!" snapped Arakita. "I'm not paying for you to ogle girls! Go home, you're annoying!"

"Awww, but all I wanted was a drink and a snack…" Naruko pursed his lips. Arakita's brow twitched. He reached behind his back, and Sakamichi half expected him to draw a weapon from the ether, but instead Arakita whipped out a water bottle and a power bar and shoved them into Naruko's hand.

"There's your drink and snack, now get off my back! Argh! I can't believe I'm still here! At this rate, I'm gonna miss my birthday party, dammit!"

Sakamichi stared at him speechless.

It's his birthday, and he could have gone out on a date.. but he said he'd go to Akiba with me, so he did… Arakita-san's scary, but he's actually nice..!

"Happy birthday, Onoda-san!" Naruko beamed at him. Arakita smacked a hand over his face.

Not to try Arakita's patience any further, the three of them soon left for Chiba, with Arakita and Naruko drafting in rotation. Naruko eventually said goodbye, and not long after, Sakamichi and Arakita stopped at the base of the rear entrance. Sakamichi cleared his throat.

"A-Arakita-san.. um.. I want to thank you, for coming with me to Akiba. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to go with a friend… and today my wish came true..!"

Arakita looked worn, but he smiled regardless. "Heh. That's good.. No, it's great! That means you'll join the club, right?!"

Sakamichi tensed and shrank back. Arakita gritted his teeth, but soon sighed in resignation.

"Alright.. I'll give you two weeks, so.. think about it, okay? It's a good club, and you wouldn't be a stranger anymore. You'd have me and the red menace from Osaka. Well?"

Sakamichi lowered his eyes.

"And… your senpai would be my best friend," Arakita turned his Bianche around. "He's the nicest guy on earth, and he really needs you. So.. think about it."

With that, Arakita broke into a climb uphill, and from that day forward, he avoided Sakamichi as much as possible. Whenever they passed each other on the slope, he kept his eyes straight ahead. If he walked by Sakamichi's classroom, he only allowed himself an anxious glance and pressed on, and strangely enough, the more he distanced himself, the lonelier Sakamichi felt. He made posters for the anime club and tacked them onto every bulletin board in the building, but nobody answered them; and though Naruko supposedly attended Sohoku, Sakamichi didn't see him once… until a day before Arakita's proposed deadline, Naruko suddenly showed up in Sakamichi's classroom, waving a club application form.


"Naruko-kun!" Sakamichi jumped from his seat. "It's so good to see you!"

"Ka-ka-ka! Good to see you too, Onoda-kun!" Naruko plopped down on his desk. "I just came to tell you I'm joining the road racing club tomorrow! There's gonna be a race, and I'm gonna win it!"

"A race?" blinked Sakamichi.

"Yup! A welcome race for first-years! You should totally check it out, Onoda-kun! Maybe even race me! Arakita-san's been talking about you, you know..!"

"A-Arakita-san?" blurted Sakamichi. Naruko barked a laugh.

"Turns out you're not brothers at all! My bad!" he stuck out his tongue and bonked his fist to his temple. "But… the way he talks about you is really nice," he carried on with a smile. "Whenever we bumped into each other, he'd tell me how much he wants you to join!"

"Y-Yeah.. Arakita-san seems to think I'm a natural, but I've always been bad at sports…" Sakamichi hung his head. Naruko tapped his shoulder.

"You don't need to be athletic to ride, Onoda-kun. Your bike supports you. All you have to do is turn your pedals! And besides…" he paused with a smirk. "If the vice captain has this much faith in you, don't you wanna see how far you can go..?"

Despite himself, Sakamichi's heart skipped a beat. And so the next morning, he found himself inching into the road racing club's room, right behind Naruko.

His jaw dropped. Opposite him, Arakita-san was talking to three other first-years over the head of another senior… while rhythmically brushing his long green hair.

"..looks like a victory flag. I'm telling you, this hair is the true pride of Sohoku— YOU CAME!"

His sudden outburst at Sakamichi's appearance almost jolted Makishima off his stool, and to add insult to injury, Arakita shoved the brush into his hands as he rushed over and grabbed Sakamichi's shoulders.

"You finally came! YES! Yuusuke, look what I got you!" he whirled Sakamichi around with an ecstatic grin.

His enthusiasm wasn't shared by anyone except Kanzaki Miki. Arakita huffed.

"Just wait till you see him ride! And you, you gotta warm up, so come on!" he grabbed Sakamichi and pulled him outside, where Arakita even hoisted his mamachari onto a free roller.

"Climb on and start pedaling! This is gonna be great!" he rubbed his hands in earnest eagerness that, overwhelming though it was, proved highly contagious. Sakamichi mounted his mamachari with a racing heart, then broke into a grin himself when he found he could keep his balance easily.

"Yes! You're doing great!" Arakita balled his fists. "Yuusuke, come and look at this!" he hollered at the door. A moment later, Makishima emerged with a wary squint, the brush still in his hands.

"Oh, right," Arakita snatched it from him, then pushed Makishima in front of him and combed away again. "Look, look, he can do it on his first try! Ain't he great?!"

Sakamichi tried for a tentative smile, but the grimace Makishima gave him looked more uncomfortable than appreciative…


After a long description of the course, and some cryptic comments from the captain, Sakamichi pulled up to the starting line with the other first-years, and…

"Arakita-san..? Are you racing, too?" he blurted when Arakita walked over to them with his Bianche.

"That's right," Arakita flashed a grin, then arched his head. "First-years! I'm joining you for two reasons. First, I'm gonna guide you through the city and keep order.. and then I'm gonna show you just how good you can get with hard work and determination. When I joined this club in my first year, I was a complete beginner… and now you're gonna see what I've become."

The air crackled around Arakita. If this were an anime, his aura would be flaring up, Sakamichi thought to himself.

On Kinjou's signal, the six of them rolled out into traffic, and within a few minutes, Arakita lifted his head again.

"Bullshit hour is over, so listen up!" he barked. "Right now we're still warming up, so don't bother going any faster until I tell you, and the recovery van won't pick you up unless you can't move or you quit, so stop worrying about it. Especially you," he turned to Onoda. "The recovery van's gonna be your friend today."

"I-Is that so.." mumbled Sakamichi.

"Trust me," replied Arakita. "And whatever happens, don't give up! If you keep going and give it your all, we'll show you a sight you've never seen before!"

A sight.. I've never seen before, Sakamichi's eyes gleamed… and from that moment, he found himself in a flux of perpetual twists and turns.

The instant they entered the countryside, Arakita burst into a sprint and left them in the dust, yet within seconds, Naruko accelerated with a roar and caught up to him. As Sugimoto, Kawada, and Sakurai pulled ahead too, and Sakamichi's chest was growing unbearably tight, the recovery van hailed him… but instead of panicking, he found himself shouting,

"Captain! Arakita-san said.. that the recovery van would be my friend today!"

"That's right," smiled Kinjou. "Stop, Onoda. We have a spare road racer for you."

Within minutes, Sakamichi rejoined the race, his heart hammering with unbridled joy. He hardly dared admit it, but his first taste of true speed intoxicated him.

Your stamina is low, so choose, Onoda, the captain's words echoed in his mind. Finish the race at this pace, or raise your cadence by thirty, and chase down Arakita and Naruko!

How could it be anything but the latter! Sakamichi now pedaled even harder, passed Sakurai, then Sugimoto and Kawada… and just before the mountains, he finally glimpsed Naruko's back.

"Naruko-kun! I caught up!" Sakamichi cried out, then blanched when he saw Naruko drenched in sweat and struggling to keep his pace.

"What are you waiting for, go ahead!" he snarled through gritted teeth. "Leave me!"

"B-But—"

"JUST GO! If you don't, you'll never catch Arakita-san!"

"But, why do I have to leave you behind?!"

"Because that's what racing is, idiot!" snapped Naruko.


Sakamichi left Naruko behind with a broken heart. His friend's insistence still propelled him forward, but inside he trembled in growing distress, and by the time Arakita swam into view, Sakamichi pulled up in tears.

"Naruko-kun fell behind!" he cried. Arakita smirked.

"I know that! I shook him off! Now it's just you and me, Onoda!"

"But I don't want this!" Sakamichi screamed at him. "What's the point of going on without my friend?! Why do you want me to do this?!"

"Because I used to be just like you," replied Arakita, stunning Sakamichi silent. "When I came to Sohoku, I didn't have friends either! But then I joined this club, and made the best friends I ever had! So give us a chance, dammit! You need us as much as we need you!"

"Wh-What do I have to do?!" Sakamichi cried out in panic.

"JUST RACE ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Arakita howled back, and as if on cue, the recovery van emerged from behind them. "SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"

He shifted gears twice, then lifted away from his saddle, and Sakamichi instinctively copied him. Something raw surged through his veins; he became a wish, a desire, a ferocious battle cry. On that last stretch, their fervent race mesmerized him.

He couldn't tell who reached the peak first; he only registered that they had passed it. Everything froze for a second… and then, Arakita threw his head back.

"HAAAH!" he thrust his fists in the air. "HA-HA! HAAAH!ONODA-CHAAAN!"

Sakamichi heard his name, but his grasp on reality started slipping. He could feel his road racer go down with him, but before he could plummet, Arakita caught him and pulled him off, then grabbed Sakamichi under his arms and yanked him into the air, giving him a playful quake like he was weightless.

"YUUSUKE! We did it! Look at it!" Arakita cried as Makishima scrambled out of the stopping van. "IT'S A BEAUTIFUL BABY CLIMBER!"

He quaked Sakamichi one more time, then lowered him and twirled him around until he could cradle Sakamichi into his arms like a human pool noodle. Arakita then lugged his faint junior over to a flabbergasted Makishima, nudging Sakamichi towards him.

"Congratulations, Yuusuke," he murmured, his grin obscenely wide. "You're gonna be a great senpai. Let's train this one together," he dotted his words with a wink, and as his meaning sank in, Makishima went from eggshell white to scarlet with the intensity of a horror film.

"OH MY GOD, YASUTOMO! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!" he screeched in embarrassment. "WIPE THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE! DROP DEAD! I HATE YOU, SHO!"

"Haha, yeah… Don't you worry, Onoda-chan," Arakita hugged Sakamichi close. "Yuusuke's the sweetest guy alive. You're gonna love your senpai. You'll see.."

He then squinted at Makishima. "Well? Didn't I tell you I'd get you another climber..?"

"You did, sho… Thank you..!" Makishima flung out his arms to embrace Arakita, crushing their exhausted but content kouhai between them.


END NOTE:

In case anyone worried: Arakita made his birthday party in time, and Makishima took him out to eat dinner right after. All in all, he was very much compensated for his patience. (Naruko paid him back next Monday.)

In the very first chapter of the original story, Sugimoto mentioned Arakita brushing Makishima's hair during their briefing. I didn't think about it at the time, but honestly, it was perfect for the welcome race briefing, so I put that detail in. If you remembered it from back then, I love you.

The peak battle was so important that I had to put in Arakita, but I found it made a lot of sense either way. In canon, the other first-years ignored Imaizumi and left the pack against his better judgment, so in this AU, I gave them someone they didn't dare mess with... and I always intended Arakita to race Onoda to the peak, because that's how he wanted to prove to Makishima that he had found a good climber. If a newbie could beat him, they had to be exceptional, and yes, Onoda did beat him to the peak fair and square with his high cadence climb.

When Naruko finally arrived, Arakita lifted Onoda again and quaked him, as if to say, "He did it!" Naruko flashed a thumbs up and rode on, finishing first because Arakita dropped out to savor his victory as the Youkai who granted Makishima his wish. Also, please imagine Tadokoro standing to the side as Arakita and Makishima were fawning over Onoda, muttering "Gross parents..." under his breath.