Chapter 11- Masuko Roku

"Good night Ryousuke."

Ryousuke gave Fumihiro a quick wave, "Bye." He pulled open his car door and slipped inside to turn on the engine. He briefly relished in the sound before putting the RX7 into gear and pulled out of the driveway. He couldn't go home yet. No, he would feel caged.

Tormented.

Confused.

There was only one place to go…

o .o. o

It was a little past six am when Mitsu heard the FC come to a stop at the side of the house. She crawled out of her bed and walked over to her window. Pulling aside the curtain a little, she watched as Ryousuke stepped out of his car and started for the house. She let the corner of the curtain fall back into place and stood silently waiting and listening to the sound of his footsteps as they reached the top of the stairs and headed towards his room. She shook her head and walked out of her room and went to his. The door was partially opened so she pushed it open and stepped inside, "Do you want me to drive?" She said watching him curiously.

Ryousuke glanced back at her, "That won't be necessary."

Something felt different.

Mitsu frowned as he continued to pack his school bag, "Are you sure? I don't mind."

"I'm sure."

Mitsu sighed and turned to leave his room. She went back to hers to quickly prepare her things and get dressed. She heard Ryousuke leave his room and head back downstairs. She shook her head again and gathered her cosmetic bag before heading to the bathroom. She emerged several minutes later with her hair up in a ponytail and her mouth tasting minty fresh. She dumped her cosmetic back on her bed and grabbed her jacket and school bag before heading downstairs to the kitchen. She froze mid-stride when she saw him. Something was definitely wrong. He had a faraway look in his eyes and he wasn't even aware that she had entered the room. She continued to watch him worried. Something was really bothering him. She had never seen emotion written so clearly on his face. So clear and obvious, anyone could tell he was distracted and unhappy. She cleared her throat and entered the kitchen.

His eyes snapped up towards her and it all vanished. Just like that. In a blink of an eye, the man she had seen a second ago had completely vanished.

"How was the trip to Yahiko?"

Ryousuke raised his cup of coffee to his lips and finished the remainder of the drink, "It's time to go." He said and walked out of the kitchen.

Mitsu watched him leave. What had happened to him? He was fine yesterday… She finished her coffee and grabbed her things before rushing after him. She was going to find out what was wrong with him. Whether he liked it or not!

She slipped on her shoes and stepped out of the house. Reaching into her bag she found the house keys that Emi had given her and locked the door. Around to the side of the house, the white FC had already been started and was idling patiently. She went to the passenger side and pulled open the door to slide into the black bucket seat. She placed her bag down at her feet and started to strap on the safety harness. She stole a side-glance at Ryousuke as she did so. He was staring at the steering wheel, obviously thinking about something.

"I'm ready." She said casually as she turned to him.

Ryousuke glanced at her and nodded. He pulled down the e-brake and placed the car in reverse. He drove in silence as usual. But this time, whenever Mitsu looked at him from the corner of her eyes, she could see his grip on the steering wheel or the stick repeatedly tighten and loosen.

"Ryousuke-san, can I ask you a question?" Mitsu asked turning to him.

He nodded simply and his grip adjusted on the steering wheel again.

"Did something happen last night?"

"No." The answer was casual and curt as he continued to stare at the road.

"Okay." What else could she say? She wasn't about to tell him that she didn't believe his answer. She glanced out the window at the passing scenery, "Ryousuke-san?"

"Hmm?"

"If you ever want to talk to someone, I'm here." She offered casually. Sincerely.

"That won't be necessary."

Mitsu frowned. If anyone else had said that to her, she would have though they were a cold-hearted person. But it was Ryousuke-san. He might seem like his heart was made of ice, but she knew differently. He felt a lot. He felt with his whole heart, he just didn't let anyone see that side of him. She glanced at him again and wondered why. Mitsu turned to look out her window but periodically glanced at her driver. He never seemed to notice. Each time, he seemed to be completely overwhelmed with his own thoughts. She didn't say anything else to him for the rest of the ride, but she kept a steady watch on him. Something was wrong and she wanted to know what. Especially if there was a way for her to help him. She owed him that much…

o .o. o

Ryousuke pulled into an empty parking spot and turned off the car. Both, Mitsu and himself un-strapped themselves from the safety harnesses and climbed out of the car. He turned on the alarm and followed Fukotomi Mitsu silently to her first class. When they reached the lecture hall, Ryousuke nodded and turned about to leave.

"Ryousuke-san?"

He turned to her.

"Are you going to join me for lunch?" She asked casually.

The man before her stared at her blankly a moment, "If you don't mind, there was some research I wanted to do today."

Mitsu gave him a smile, "Of course not. I will see you after classes then." She raised her hand in salute and turned to enter her class.

Ryousuke watched her go to one of the seats, then he turned to go to his own class.

o .o. o

At eleven thirty, the three friends settled at their usual table in the cafeteria.

"Genjo, where's Ryousuke?" the tallest of the three asked as he pulled his lunch out of his bag.

"He said he had to do some research." Amori Genjo who was slightly shorter and chubbier than his two other friends answered shrugging.

The third person in their group sat down and looked about the cafeteria at the people milling about. Compared to his two companions, he was the one who most closely matched Takahashi Ryousuke's personality. He was more introverted and serious.

"Hey, Etsuya what are you looking at?" Genjo asked curiously.

Arishima Isamu also looked up from his lunch.

Uetake Etsuya nodded to a young lady sitting outside under a tree.

"Isn't that Ryousuke-kun's girl?" Genjo said frowning.

"Yeah, and it looks like she has some unwanted company." Isamu added as he turned to Etsuya. Their friend had pulled out his cell phone and was dialing a number, "Who are you calling?"

"Ryousuke." The young man replied simply as he turned to look out the window at the girl and her unwanted visitor.

"We should go help her in the meantime." Genjo said as he started to pack his school bag again.

Isamu agreed and began to do the same.

o .o. o

Mitsu sat down under the same tree and pulled out her laptop. She immediately opened her Internet browser and started doing some research. She was browsing through a multitude of websites when she felt someone approach her. She looked up and her eyes widened slightly.

"Well, well, well, we meet again." He looked about, "And where is Takahashi Ryousuke this afternoon?"

"He'll be right back." Mitsu said casually. She met his gaze.

The man smiled and lowered his backpack from his shoulders and sat down beside her, "I didn't get time to introduce myself the last time. I'm Deushi Jiro and you Fukotomi Mitsu right?"

Mitsu nodded simply, "I think you should go Jiro-san. Ryousuke-san will be back any minute." She said and moved away from him.

"Well, I'll just wait with you until he gets back." He said smiling as he moved towards her again and placed hand on her arm.

Mitsu brushed his hand off but he persisted, "Don't touch me."

"Don't worry, Takahashi won't know."

"Really?" Another male voice asked.

Jiro and Mitsu both turned to the voice to see three men standing in front of them. They stood close together with their school bags hanging on their shoulders. They all wore looks that showed they meant business.

The tallest of the three turned to his friends, "I don't think Ryousuke-kun, would appreciate this guy touching his girl, what do you think guys?" He asked casually.

The other two shook their heads in disproval.

Mitsu's eyes widened at their words and Jiro just frowned, "No one asked your opinions. Why don't you guys mind your own business."

o .o. o

Ryousuke's phone vibrated on the table top beside his school bag. He glanced at it for a split second then ignored it and continued to flip through the magazine in front him. It stopped a moment then started to rattle on the tabletop again. He shut his eyes briefly feeling a little annoyed then reached out to take hold of his phone. It was his classmate. He flipped it open, "Hello." He said softly as he glanced around, making sure no one was being disturbed. His eyes narrowed as he continued to listen to the caller "I'll be right there." He said ending the call and grabbing his bag off the table before making a quick exit out of the library. He rushed to the open are adorned with a few old trees just outside the main cafeteria. His pace slowed as he saw them. His friends were all standing on either side of Mitsu. He approached the man they were confronting from behind, "Is there a problem?" He asked sternly.

The man swiveled around in surprise.

Etsuya, Genjo and Isamu all smiled at Jiro's reaction.

"Takahashi Ryousuke." He said smirking when he got over the surprise, "Look, she's not your girl so you and your friends can mind your own business."

Ryousuke stepped towards him, crossing his arms about his chest as he did so, "She is my responsibility, that makes it my business."

Mitsu noticed the cold intense look in the Ryousuke's eyes. She shifted nervously. She then stiffened when the three guys beside her also stepped forward towards Jiro. She hoped they wouldn't start anything.

"She's responsible for herself." Jiro said also crossing his arms at his chest seemingly unfazed by the presence of the three young men behind him.

"She is part of my family that makes her my responsibility. Stay away from her."

The man was startled by Ryousuke's revelation, as was the three friends and Mitsu.

She couldn't believe that he was claiming that she was part of his family! She looked at him and as expected his expression remained the same: Blank. She turned to look at Jiro who had his back to her. He was speechless at the moment and she assumed he was as much in shock as the rest of them. He took a step back.

"Mitsu-chan."

Her eyes darted back towards Ryousuke. His gaze was still glued to Jiro.

"Grab your things." He continued without removing his cold gaze away from the man currently in his line of sight.

She moved on stiff legs around the men to the tree trunk where her laptop and her back lay on the grass.

"I don't want to see or hear that you've been neat her. Do you understand?"

Jiro frowned, "You're a crazy freak Takahashi Ryousuke! A freak!" He exclaimed before he turned about and briskly walked away.

Mitsu glanced up as she packed her laptop. Ryousuke had gone to his friends and was listening to their account of what has been happening before he had arrived. She got to her feet and stood silently watching them. One by one they turned to look at her. Ryousuke was the last to turn his gaze onto her.

"Mitsu-chan, these are my friends, Amori Genjo, Arishima Isamu, and Uetake Etsuya. Gentlemen this is Fukotomi Mitsu."

"Nice to meet you!" They all said taking turns to shake her hands and bow their heads to her in respect.

"You should join us for lunch." Isamu suggested looking at his friends for their approval of which Genjo and Etsuya nodded enthusiastically. His eyes landed on Ryousuke and found him staring off in the distance. He quickly turned to Mitsu to find her watching his friend worriedly. The other two had noticed too.

"What do you think Ryousuke-kun?" Etsuya asked casually.

"Aa. Sure. Let's go." He said turning to his friends and Mitsu.

"Great." Isamu said smiling, "Let's go."

"Why don't we just stay out here?" Etsuya suggested.

"Yeah, it's nice out." Genjo agreed lowering his bag from his shoulder.

Isamu shrugged and also lowered his bag. He turned to Mitsu with a smile and settled himself on the grass. Mitsu and the others followed his example.

"So what do you study Mitsu-Chan?" Isamu asked as he opened his bag and pulled out his lunch.

"Medicine. You?"

"Really?!?!?" He said surprised as he glanced at the others to find that Genjo and Etsuya were reacting much like he was. He turned back to look at her. There was such a pretty girl studying medicine!

"So what year are you in?" Genjo asked curiously.

"Third year." She answered as she also opened her bad to pull out her lunch.

"You're just one year behind us." Etsuya said simply.

Mitsu looked at all of them, "So… You're all studying medicine?"

They all nodded.

"And you're all in your last year?"

They nodded again.

"Yeah, we've been friends since our first year." Isamu informed her proudly.

She smiled. So Ryousuke had friends after all. She glanced at him for a split second before opening her juice.

Etsuya, Genjo and Isamu exchanged curious looks. They turned to look at their quiet friend who was staring blankly at the grass.

"Hey, are you okay Ryousuke-kun? You seem a little… Distracted today." Isamu worded carefully.

"Aa. I didn't get much sleep last night." He answered shrugging.

Mitsu smirked, "If any." She said softly.

Ryousuke's eyes darted in her direction and she lowered her gaze to her juice box. She had seen enough of his look to know that he was warning her to mind her own business. She raised the drink box to her lips.

"Up studying all night again?" Genjo said with a sigh, "We all know how that feels."

Isamu nodded and Etsuya continued to study Ryousuke curiously. He had never seen his friend use that cold stare of on a girl before. Interesting. He turned to look at Mitsu-Chan who was casually drinking her juice. She turned to Isamu as he began speaking to her. She laughed. Etsuya turned to Ryousuke again. His friend had resumed staring at the ground. They sure had an interesting relationship.

Ryousuke finally removed his bag from his shoulders and took out his laptop. He should get some work done, he wouldn't have that much time later tonight. He pulled out the hand written notes from his folder and started inputting them into the computer. He vaguely listened to the conversation going on around him. Etsuya and Genjo were talking about their microbiology paper, while Mitsu and Isamu were talking about… He glanced up at them. What were they talking about? They were talking in a softer tone and both were smiling. He lowered his gaze back to his laptop and opened his Internet browser. He typed in the familiar name and started a search.

Etsuya motioned for Genjo to look over at Ryousuke. They both turned to him and noticed the manual notes on the grass while he stared intently at something on his laptop.

"What's so interesting?" Genjo asked leaning over to peak at Ryousuke's screen, "Masuko Roku? Is he one of your favourite racers or something?"

"Masuko Roku?" Mitsu repeated turning her attention to them at the familiar name.

All eyes rested on her.

"Yeah…" Genjo looked at her curiously, "Don't tell me you're a racing fan too."

Mitsu simply smiled.

"She's not just a fan. She races." Ryousuke said as he continued to surf the multitude of websites.

"You race too!" Isamu exclaimed shocked.

"I used to race." She corrected politely.

"That's why she's trying to challenge me." Ryousuke added casually without looking up.

"Not trying. I did. And you are going to race me Takahashi Ryousuke!" She said sternly.

Ryousuke just shrugged, "I'm retired." He said simply.

"Well you're going to come out of retirement for half an hour."

"Highly doubtful." The answer came back.

Mitsu's jaw clenched. There was no way that he was going to brush off her challenge! She would get him to race her one way or another!

Genjo, Isamu and Etsuya looked between the two of them curiously.

"We'll see about that." Mitsu retorted and turned to look away.

Ryousuke ignored her.

Genjo glanced at his two other friends. They shrugged.

"So is this Masuko Roku really good?"

"Hardly!" Mitsu replied turning to Genjo, "He's usually one of the last people from the pole position."

"Pole position?" Isamu repeated confused.

"It's the first person at the start line." She explained.

"So that's your favourite racer?" Isamu asked frowning.

Ryousuke simply shook his head and continued to look at the information on the website he was currently visiting.

"Why are you looking him up then? Do you know him or something?" Genjo asked leaning over to look at the screen again.

"We've met a long time ago."

That surprised everyone.

"So you're friends." Genjo concluded but Ryousuke shook his head again.

"No." He said simply.

"Ryousuke-kun is as outspoken as usual." Isamu said shaking his head. He glanced at Mitsu, "Don't you agree?"

The young lady glanced at the man in question and shrugged.

The small motion caused the three friends to laugh.

"For someone that was trying to provoke him just now, you're being very

un-confrontational now!" Genjo exclaimed smiling.

Mitsu shrugged and sipped her juice again. Masuko Roku… How did Ryousuke know him? She wondered quietly as the conversation around her picked up again. She stole another look in his direction through her lowered lashes. He was still completely absorbed with the information on his laptop.

o .o. o

Later that afternoon.

"You're finally back! Tsugumi's been bugging me!" Keisuke exclaimed walking into the foyer followed by a smiling young girl.

Her eyes immediately fixed on Fukotomi Mitsu as she stepped into the house behind Ryousuke. She smiled and walked right up to her.

"Hi, I'm Takahashi Tsugumi." She introduced extending out her hand.

Mitsu was a little surprised, "Um, hi. I'm Fukotomi Mitsu." She shook the girls hand.

"I know. I've been waiting to meet you." She said as she looked the young lady up and down.

Mitsu glanced at Keisuke and Ryousuke unsurely.

Keisuke laughed, "She's our little cousin. She stays during the week sometimes when her parents are away."

"Oh." She met the girls eyes and smiled lightly.

"There. You've met her now. Happy?" Keisuke asked annoyed.

Tsugumi nodded and glanced at her other cousin, "Ryousuke-kun." She said giving him a wider smile. She frowned when she finally got the chance to observe his face, "You look tired."

"Hai. I feel tired."

"You should go get some rest." She continued.

"Aa. I'm just going to do that now." He said as he moved into the house and patted her head, "It's good to see you." He said and walked away.

The small gesture brought the smile back to the young girls face temporarily. When he had gone up the stairs she turned to Keisuke, "Did something happen?"

Keisuke shrugged and also went up the stairs.

Tsugumi sighed and turned to Mitsu. She rolled her eyes, "Boys are so annoying!"

Mitsu smiled.

"So… Do you like living here?" She asked curiously.

"It's nice. The Takahashi's are very good people." Mitsu said as she removed her shoes.

"Well except for Keisuke!" She joked.

Mitsu glanced at her unsurely, but smiled when she saw the twinkle in the girl's eyes.

o .o. o

Ryousuke pushed open his door and went straight to his bed. He dropped his school bag down beside it and flopped down on the mattress, exhausted. Flashes of last night's red FC's driver appeared in his mind. He pushed himself to a sitting position and lightly shook his head. Reaching down, he pulled his laptop from his bag and opened his Internet browser. Once again he looked up Masuko Roku. He was going to find out everything about him. It was only when Keisuke knocked on his door and entered that he tore his tired eyes away from the screen.

"Ready?" His younger brother asked walking over to him.

Ryousuke nodded and turned off is laptop. He went to place it on his desk and grabbed his keys, "Let's go." They walked past Mitsu's door.

"Hold on Aniki. Mitsu might want to come." Keisuke said as he knocked on the girl's door.

Ryousuke controlled his urge to groan, "I'll be outside."

Keisuke nodded and pushed open the door as Mitsu called him to enter. His brother turned and continued down the hall. He stepped in the room, "Hey Mitsu, we're going to Akagi, do you want to come?"

"Umm. Are you guys just practicing?"

Keisuke nodded, "The Redsuns have a race tomorrow."

"I'll pass today then. But I will definitely like to go tomorrow."

"Okay. Well see you later then!" He gave her a quick wave and turned to exit the room.

"Hey Keisuke-kun?" She stopped him.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know Masuko Roku?" She saw Keisuke's eyes widen slightly.

"Ah, yeah. Sort of. Why?" He studied her unsurely, "He's a professional driver."

"I know. I mean, do you know him, as in met him?"

Keisuke frowned, "Not really. Why?"

"Ryousuke-san said he met him a while back. I was just wondering if you had met him before too."

Keisuke shook his head again, "I haven't. But I definitely would like to."

One of Mitsu's brows raised in curiousity. There was a slight edge in Keisuke's voice. She was sure of it, "Why? He's not really that good of a driver."

Keisuke chuckled, "You got that right!" Then he became serious again, "I don't like him at all. I want to meet him, challenge him and run him completely into the ground."

Mitsu was speechless. There was a definite edge and some hostility in his voice now. She wasn't sure if she should push him for more information.

"If you meet him, stay away from him, Mitsu-chan. He's bad news." Keisuke warned as he stared directly at her.

Mitsu could only nod.

"If you see him, please tell me." He glanced over his shoulder and stepped back to peek outside in the hallway before turning to look at Mitsu again, "And don't tell Ryousuke." He saw curiousity appear on her face again, "Just trust me on this one. It's better that he doesn't know."

She debated telling him that his brother was researching Masuko.

"Mitsu-Chan?"

"Hmm?"

"If you ever see him, don't tell him okay?" He repeated.

Mitsu nodded, "Will you tell me why?"

Keisuke sighed, "I don't want him to be hurt." He said softly. Then his eyes met hers again, "Promise me."

His voice had become extremely stern and almost demanding.

"I promise Keisuke-kun." She said meeting his steady gaze.

He relaxed then, "Thank you. I should go now. He's going to lecture me for being late."

Mitsu nodded and watched as he returned the gesture before leaving her room. She turned to her laptop and opened her Internet browser. In the search bar she typed: Takahashi Ryousuke and Masuko Roku".

No sites were found that contained the two names together. A list of other sites containing either one or the other appeared instead. She clicked on the first one. Maybe she could find something common between the two of them.

o .o. o

Author's Notes:

Lot's of new people... Wasn't sure how much I should delve into their characters. Oh well, we'll see!

A slow chapter, I know. But I needed to set something up!

Hope people are still enjoying the story!

Cheers and thanks for checking otu the story!

CelicaChick.