Alright friends!! Here are another few chapters. I decided to upload them together because they're suspenseful, and I didn't want to make you all wait for it. I really hope these chapters are what you expect or more, because I know last chapter, I gave Yasmine a son, and I'm bound to get mixed feelings about that. So here it is!

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Mount Akagi

It had been a while since Yasmine had dropped the shocking piece of information on him. He'd been in a considerably bad mood ever since, curtly snipping at his younger brother for every mistake he made on the road. The team had never really seen him so fierce before.

Fumihiro, Ryosuke's best friend, confidante, and partner seemed more worried than he'd ever been.

"Ever since that Yasmine chick came along, and ruined his hospital ward," whispered Keisuke to his protégée Kenta shaking his head in disgust. "He's been receiving a lot of flak from dad and I just want Aniki to get her here so I can have a rematch. I don't even know she did it, but I've got to try again. I can't believe I'd lose to anyone other than Fujiwara."

"Ano Keisuke-san, do you think Ryosuke-san likes Yasmine? When she showed up that day, his face kind of lit up, and he was pleasantly surprised to see her there. He never shows that kind of emotion, even when we win races that are tough to beat."

"What Aniki? Naaaaw. He wouldn't fall into the love game. He's the type that has women chasing him. He's never been interested before."

"But she's an incredible driver. Maybe he's attracted to that?"

"How rare Kenta! You're actually being insightful today. But no, he wouldn't. My Aniki's too cool for love. Besides, other than what I've told him, he hasn't actually seen her drive. They just worked together, that's all. You what frustrates me, I've been hanging around, doing stuff, just being within talking distance of him, and he won't even say anything to me. It just makes me feel like a worthless ottoto." Keisuke confessed, feeling a little bitter.

"Keisuke-san you're NOT worthless! You're an amazing racer and the coolest person I know!" Kenta jumped to his rescue. The man simply adored his mentor and hated to see him get down about things like this.

"Thank you Kenta. I'm sure there are other things you could be doing than listen to my depressing life."

"Not at all Keisuke-san."

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Meanwhile, Ryosuke hurried back and forth from Keisuke and Takumi setting of things for them to work on and do. Contrary to what Keisuke believed, he'd already fallen in love with Yasmine. He didn't know what he even liked. But he wasn't stupid enough to be oblivious to his feelings. He acted irrational when she was around, felt a twitch in his heart when she even pretended to show interest in other men, admired her fierce independence and that so much strength erupted out of such a small body. And that she was single handedly so much more beautiful than anyone he'd ever met. Even so, he's just spent the past few days avoiding her and pretending to be busy so his feelings wouldn't erupt and he wouldn't say something he'd regret.

He busied himself as Keisuke approached him. "Aniki, I'm done my run…" He asked kind of hesitantly.

"Alright, and how did you do?"

"I had a little trouble in the corners with the braking you wanted me to do, but I think I've gotten the hang on it now."

"Okay." He furiously typed away at his laptop and thought to himself. Facing his brother again, he said, "Continue until you've mastered it."

"Aniki…" Keisuke started. "I… What happened? Something is wrong and you haven't been acting like yourself."

Ryosuke turned around and saw a very worried looking Keisuke standing beside him. For a minute his face betrayed his emotions. What Keisuke saw was the depth of Ryosuke's sadness. Why is something he couldn't quite understand. "Alright boys, pack up, we're calling it a night."

Everyone milled about and finally drove away. The only two left were Ryosuke and his brother sitting on the guardrail drinking warm coffee.

"Does this have to do with the Yasmine girl?" He asked. Though he already knew the answer.

"Keisuke, women don't interest me. I've never had any sort of attraction to them."

"Aniki… you're not…" Keisuke struggled to find the right words. "You're not… confused are you? Because, if you're coming out and stuff, you know, I would support you… I guess, and all, but dad might kill you and mom might die of shock, but, besides that's just-"

"Okay NO! I'm not… confused!" Ryosuke almost laughed out loud thinking about the way he'd come off. "That's not what I mean. I've never had any interest in women, they've always come chasing after me. But it's different now."

"Yasmine." Keisuke said, understanding.

"Yes. I don't know when I started feeling this way about her. Look, I'm virtually perfect in all that I do. But when I see Yasmine I keep making one mistake after another. I thought she was a nursing school mistake when I first saw her, then some mindless flirt. Then I find out she's a journalist. She nearly got killed trying to save Hikaru and even though we'd gone to get him together, she didn't even need me once. I was more a liability to her than an actual help."

He stopped talking and listened to the night. This was the first time Keisuke had heard him be so honest and open with him. It really pleased him to know that his brother could talk to him this way even when it was not related to racing. Afterall, they'd grown up together. He wasn't sure how he liked his brother being in love with some girl. Somehow, it humanized his idea of Ryosuke being the ultimate perfect being. But he knew it didn't matter how he felt, and he didn't want his brother to live the rest of his life alone either. "Aniki, did you tell her you like her?" He asked.

Ryosuke just stared out into the valley below the guardrail.

"Did she reject you?" He couldn't even imagine the idea of anyone rejecting him. He'd always had hoards of woman to pick from.

"She didn't have to." He answered. Seeing Keisuke's confused expression, he continued, "She has a son."

Keisuke chocked on his coffee and wanted to smack himself on the forehead. The one girl his brother had actually fallen for and she's taken, with a son.

"It's not what you think," Ryosuke said watching, almost amused, as Keisuke's expressions changed every 15 seconds. "She has a son, but he's missing. He's 7 years old, she's 23, so that would have made her 16 when she had him. She and her boyfriend or husband, or who ever the father is, are probably looking for him."

"So you have mixed feelings for her. You thought she was this amazing woman, turns out she got pregnant at 16."

"That's only half of it. I don't know if she's with someone or not. But the thought of her with someone else just wrecks me. I just get pissed just thinking about her in bed with some guy. It's frustrating because she doesn't even think about me like that. At all. When I touch her, even casually, she flinches. She hates who I am. That makes me madder."

"Wait! You said she flinches when you touch her?"

"Yeah, but she'll be fine if it's to get what she wants."

"Hang on, Aniki, don't you get it?" Keisuke understood now. Speaking now with urgency, he continued, "Women usually don't flinch when it's just casual touching. Even if they're the don't-touch-me type, they usually don't feel anything. Flinching implies fear, which would mean she's afraid of you."

Putting two and two together, Ryosuke froze in shock as he realized what must have happened. "I have to go. How did you figure it out?"

"When I was thug, I saw way too many like that. You have to handle her carefully. Of course we could be wrong, she might just not like you."

"At this point I'm hoping it's the latter."

Keisuke got up and headed to his car. "I'll let you think." This is getting complicated, he thought.

Ryosuke drove down Akagi, and within a half an hour of his maniacal driving, found Yasmine's home. It was 3 in the morning, but he didn't care, he had to settle this as soon as possible. He couldn't take how he felt now.

Throwing pebbles at the window, he waited patiently, until he heard the door creak open with the chain lock still attached. "WHAT are you doing here?" She asked annoyed and sleepy.

Now wishing he'd just gone home and waited til the morning, he answered, "I just wanted to see you. I need to ask you something. I know this is crazy, and it's 3 in the morning, but please let me in for a few minutes." He knew he sounded like a madman, and that if she turned him away she'd have complete rights to.

"And this can't wait until the morning?" She sounded highly suspicious.

"Well, at the time it couldn't but now I'm reconsidering. Since you're already up, please? Hear me out."

"I must be crazy to let you in. I was hoping you could help me with Hikaru's paperwork, and you were busy every time I tried to find you. Something told me you were avoiding me, so what are you doing here? Whisper or you'll wake Hikaru." She demanded as she slid the chain of the lock and let him in.

Standing inside now, and in front of the door, he saw her tightened her robe around her and move a little away from him. "I have been avoiding you. I'm sorry I shouldn't have, but you'd just told me you had a son."

She looked like she'd been slapped. She didn't realize the conversation was going to be steering in that direction. Tensing up, she asked, "What does my son have to do with anything. Why would you be avoiding me because of that?"

"Because it hurt. It hurt that you were with someone. That you might be married."

"I don't understand why the hell would you care." She said. Somewhere in her heart, she knew the answer, but she didn't want to voice it.

"Because…" He trailed off, looking for the right words. "Because I didn't want there to be anyone in your life. Because I fell in love with you."

"Get out." She said suddenly afraid.

"Listen, I won't hurt-"

"Just leave, or I'll call the cops." Her voice was quivering, getting louder with each statement.

"Listen, I won't hurt you, I promise," He turned around put his hands in his pockets pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed his owns hands together. Turning around again he looked at her and her frightened expression. "I think I know how you had your son." He said sadly.

"You don't know anything."

"I want to know. I want to know everything about you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm telling you, I won't hurt you. I just want to help. Help you find your son."

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"You don't have to do anything for me. I told you, I care about you. This is the first time I've ever confessed to a woman, and the first time she's told me to get out. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm not very experienced with women, by choice."

"You'll really help me find him. For free?" She asked now skeptical. She knew he would be a great resource and that Ryosuke had connections with many different types of people. He could probably find her quicker than she ever would and if they were to work on it together, nothing could stop them.

"I'll never demand anything of you. You don't even have to love me back." He was sure this was the only way he'd ever be able to spend time with her and get her to learn to trust him.

Yasmine looked away, thinking over it. Finally, "Alright." She said. "Where are your keys? You don't need to cuff yourself." Then looking into his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed, she said, "I trust you."

"Breaking into a smile, Ryosuke felt relief wash over him. "They're in the car."

After successfully uncuffing him, making some Indian Chai, and ordering pizza, she and Ryosuke sat on her couch silently, waiting for the other to speak.

"I know it's late. I just had wanted to tell you how I felt about you, if you want we can talk in the morning."

"It is morning," she joked. "I'd rather tell you now, before I lose my nerve. Maybe the things I tell you will give you a hint as to where he might be. But before I start I need to warn you. Not all of this is pretty. I've done some awful things, and I'm not sure how you'll feel about me when I finishing telling you. If I tell you, you might not even want to search for my son anymore."

"Listen, I've made the offer to search for your son by myself. Regardless of what you say and what you may have done, this boy is innocent. He deserves to be found."

"Okay then." She looked at her cup deep in thought, not knowing where to start. So she decided to start at the beginning. Where she lived, how she'd lived and how she'd come to Japan. And this was her story.