fandom: Initial D
title: Invincible.
pairing: Ryousuke x Takumi
rating: pg-13
description: Ryousuke suddenly appears at Takumi 's house to ask him a favor, but is there something underlying his request? (Note: Shounen-ai)
Disclaimer – The Initial D anime and manga are the property of Shigeno-sensei. I just love these characters to write about them.
Invincible.
By Miyamoto Yui
Chapter 26 – More than anything.
As the multitude of people went their separate ways, the near silence that remained seemed almost ghostly. Only the clinking around the parking lot as we were packing could be heard.
Keisuke held his hand up in front of him while explaining to Kenta how he felt going uphill when Ryousuke crossed the parking lot. I wasn't able to see what he was doing when Shinji appeared in front of me while I was arranging things in the van with Matsumoto.
"Oh, hi Inui." Instantly, I remembered his note to me and immediately felt shy.
"Hello Fujiwara-san." With a wide grin, he tilted his head bashfully.
"I got your note from Wataru. Thank you for writing to me."
"I…" he started and then closed his mouth as the red appeared over his cheeks.
"Yes?"
"I saw it again. The wings came out though they weren't on the same car."
"Really?"
Maybe the '86 was here after all.
"Yeah, I came to see if they'd come out again. And they did."
I reached out my hand to mess up his hair before he noticed how his words resonated inside me and comforted my heart. "So I guess we're doing a re-match sometime?"
Shinji bowed enthusiastically. His whole face was beaming, showing how much he loved racing now and that I'd acknowledged him. "Please wait for me!"
I nodded my head. "Of course."
"Will you race me on the mountain when that time comes?"
"I promise."
He waved as he ran back to talk to Hojo Go.
My eyes wandered off to the distance as soon as I closed the doors of the van. Matsumoto was drinking bottled water while talking to Fumihiro as Tomiguchi fixed his hair tie when Keisuke pulled on it. I went over to sit on the Impreza and put my hands to each of my sides, leaning back. In the corner of my eye, Ryousuke shook hands with an older man. He had short, wavy hair and was quite handsome in a rugged sort of way, but seemed to be surrounded by an atmosphere of solemnness.
Maybe he was probably the person who allowed us to race in their territory? But I'd never seen him before.
Giving me a brief glance over, the man then left with Hojo Go. Shinji was right behind them by the time that Ryousuke walked over to where I was.
"Who was that?"
"My sempai. The one who taught me about mountain racing." He touched the top of my head, but as if it were by accident, his fingers brushed against my cheek before we walked over to the rest of our group for him to give us our last instructions.
Honestly, I wasn't paying attention at all though.
All these years, especially these two weeks had led to this very moment and yet I felt incredibly lonely. I tried to hide my greediness and keep my feelings to myself.
I wanted a little more time with you, but…is this really it?
A part of me felt like I was bleeding. It hurt to come to realize that there was nothing more after this.
I had won him, but where would it go? Did that tiny amount of glory still lead to nothing?
When I turned away to walk towards Ao, I pretended to go in stride, but I was frowning. Inside I was quickly trying to hide in the darkness so that I could grieve where no one else could see me.
*/*/*/*/*/00000
We all went over to Keisuke's house for an after party and rest, but Ryousuke didn't join us. My stomach sank as we were talking and at one point, I offered to get more food from the convenience store so that I could think and look at my phone.
Closing the front door after me, I lifted up my phone to my face and my eyebrows rose. Mika had texted me.
Hi Takumi,
You probably didn't expect me to write, huh? Well, Tomoko saw where you were racing and I asked her to take me along.
I know I've ridden with you before, but seeing you, your leader and his brother as you passed by us, even though I don't understand cars, there is something special that the three of you share.
Seeing how your leader drove both ways, I get now why you respect him so much. So when you took that photo together, from the way he looked at you, I could tell he'd really taken care of you more than I think you realize.
Even though you were busy, at least you tried to see my tournaments. And now I regret not coming to see you. I think there was a part of me that was afraid.
I'm glad I came this time. Thank you again and take care.
Goodbye,
Mika
When the screen became dimmer, the door opened and Keisuke reached out his hand to my shoulder. "Hey, I'm glad I caught you."
"Any extra orders?"
"This." He gave me a piece of paper with Ryousuke's address on it. It was the cabin where Ryousuke was staying. "I know you want to go."
"He probably doesn't want to be bothered."
Scoffing at the idea, he took his hand away from my shoulder and placed both of his hands on his hips. "If I know anything, he's on a high from all this."
"Huh?"
"Forget what I said." Taking the paper from my hands, Keisuke placed it into my pocket. "There."
Stunned, I didn't know if I should've been honest or discreet.
"You want to see him. It's written all over your face." Then, he brought out his phone and showed me the long email message marked "Aniki".
The guy didn't even bother to email me?
"Read."
I skimmed to see it was all about Keisuke and me, comparing our technique with 'corrections'. There were many praises about how much we'd improved since the first time we raced together.
"He didn't give me those notes."
"Just what did you do in the van then? I mean he said he wanted privacy to talk about this."
I blinked at him, recalling the kiss that made it hard for me to stand up.
"Never mind. Just go. Think of it as your older brother talking to you." He flicked my forehead. "I'm passing the baton."
I started to laugh. "But what about the stuff from the conven-"
"Why did you think I came out?" He pointed to his head. "Comes in handy once in a while."
"Okay, I guess I'm going 'Onii-san'."
He pushed me to the car with an embarrassed, "Shut up and leave already!"
"Thank you, Keisuke."
"See you soon."
"Same here."
*/*/*/*/*/00000
Somewhere in between the fog, I was able to go up the tranquil roads of Hakone, passing by Ashinoko Lake. Going up further on the slope, it was getting harder and harder to discern the road as the number of trees grew thicker. I found the address after turning twice into small roads even with an electronic navigator.
The cabin was small, unlike the one we'd rented. There was a hint of light coming from the closed curtains.
Calling his number, he picked it up. "Yes, Takumi?"
"Would you mind opening the door?"
Almost 4am, he opened the door with perfect composure. Standing at the doorway, the table behind him was full of papers with the ever present laptop at the corner of it.
"Couldn't you take a break?" I joked when I came in.
He went over to boil some water while I looked around at the studio type of house. A single desk separated two twin beds. The table was in the middle, facing a kitchenette. The small electric stove made a humming noise.
It was far from the large home he had in Gunma, but for some reason, he looked more relaxed.
"Do you take sugar or milk?"
"Just milk."
Ryousuke handed me a brown coffee mug and sat down across me. Like with the teacup, he held his white mug with both of his hands.
I'm curious about how you take your coffee.
"Your tofu clock is impeccable." He grinned slightly as he brought it to his lips.
"I can't believe you're working." Taking a sip of mine, it was bitter, but I liked it. "You should rest."
"I have a lot of backlogged paperwork. It piled up while I was on vacation."
Under the lamplight, I eyed his hands. I could clearly see the weight of all the damage they took. "Your hands are all blistered. Is this because of your special project?"
"Yes."
Without being conscious of it, I found myself still staring. When I looked up at him, I honestly blurted out, "Looks like you almost broke them."
Without wavering, his eyes stared directly into mine while lifting up the mug. "It would have been worth it."
I was startled by the force of his words.
For a moment, my heart ached. I was jealous of the person who would receive this 'project'.
Maybe I shouldn't have offered to help after all…
"You must be here for the key. I'll give it to you now." He went to his computer bag and opened a small velcro pocket. "I was going to drop by tomorrow morning at Kei's house."
"I'm not here for the key." His back was still facing me as I pushed my seat out and stood up. "I'm here for you."
"I see…" He still wouldn't turn around and pushed his hands onto the desk.
"You said I'll change once the world had me." Taking a step forward, I held my arms out. "Well, the world can wait a little longer."
Placing my hands over his, I pressed my forehead against his back. I didn't care if he could feel that I was slightly trembling or that my heart was going crazy like it was going down Tsubaki.
What am I doing? I don't know anything about seducing this man…
From out of nowhere, his mother's words whispered into my ears, "What can you possibly offer him?"
My fingers fell into the spaces in between his.
"What are you doing, Takumi?"
The sudden coldness in his voice was like my wake-up call, gently grating on my nerves to snap them back into reason.
Had I been wrong all this time? What was that speech at the beach? Going to the hotel with your parents? Making out in the rain?
This entire race?
"I refuse to let go, Ryousuke." The more I pushed onto his hands with mine, entwining our fingers against the desk. My cheek pressed against his back, which was heating up in the few seconds I'd touched him. The complete opposite of his body, his tone was frigid, almost unfeeling like the first time he showed up with his brother on Akina.
"It's better if you leave, Takumi."
"Why?" My voice couldn't hide the hurt behind my question. I felt so helpless against him.
All the while, his hands pulsed in the same beat to mine.
"If you stay here, I won't ever let them have you."
Contradicting all that he was saying, Ryousuke brought up my left hand slowly under his shirt, my palm against his chest. His heart pounded incessantly against my skin with his hand tenderly cupping over it. "I don't want you to give up your future if you come with me."
"Why do you think like that?"
In a way, I felt defeated. I still hadn't gotten through to you, have I?
I was starting to panic as sensibility seeped into the cracks beneath my boldness. Not knowing which way to look in the room, I ended up shutting my eyes, hearing nothing but his voice.
Bringing up my right hand, he wrapped our hands over his stomach so that I was hugging him from behind.
"I challenged you and then, I created our team. After some time, I asked you to race me one more time. This was all from my selfishness.
"I know I pushed all of my feelings onto you, but this is all I have. This is all I am."
Taking a deep breath and trying to bridge even the small gap between our bodies, he gripped onto my hands even more, almost whispering, "So far, I have crushed anyone who could have taken you away from me. But once you go, there's nothing more I can do. I can't reach you from this time on."
This is my limit as a racer. I can't do any better than this. With all your pride, this is what you can't say aloud.
You've emptied yourself out.
Why did you ever give yourself to someone like me, Ryousuke?
I opened my eyes, and I was staring into the wooden wall. The reality of winning him meant suffering to grasp onto a Ryousuke that no one knew.
The heaviness made me just focus on our breathing and warmth. The smell of wood and his scent mixed inside the air.
Reluctantly, he unwrapped his arms from me and turned around. As calm as his voice had been, even when he was pushing me away, once again, I saw that lonely face filled with tears. He sat on the desk and pulled my lower back, pushing me forward so that I could feel his knees on either side of me.
We looked at one another eye-to-eye.
"More than anything, I want you to be with me. Even if you outgrow me and leave someday, stay with me until then."
If someone saw this, they would have never believed it. Even as I'm crying inside, I didn't quite understand why this great person had all these doubts.
Why do you feel unworthy?
I simply countered, "Who do you think I race for anyway, Ryou?"
If you aren't with me, there is no point in racing. I don't want that future.
With my left hand, I pulled his neck so that his face would lower towards mine. Even as our tongues touched, it was like we both had a fever.
Taking my breath away, he managed to exchange our positions, pulling me to sit on the desk and holding my waist under my shirt as I nervously fumbled with his black tie. He chuckled a little at how I fought with his clothing and then kissed my mouth even deeper while slipping one hand to unbuckle my belt.
My fingers struggled to undo his buttons as he leaned back to pull away from our messy kiss. His head moved lower. I winced as his lips sucked at my nipples through my t-shirt. My whole body shivered, grabbing onto his baby blue blouse.
Kissing me on the lips again, he lifted me up and carried me to the bed on my left. Slipping his blouse to the floor, I took off my shirt. He began to lick my ear down to my shoulders while holding me so that I could lie on the bed. My feet were still touching the floor, legs halfway out, when his knees touched my hips.
Ryousuke leaned over me, stopping to touch my hair. His thumb went over my lips as he stared at me as if I'd disappear suddenly.
No matter what I do, why won't you listen? Why are you so sure I'd abandon you?
"I won't leave you."
But it was as if he didn't hear me. His hand pulled down the zipper of my pants while his tongue was leaving a saliva trail in the middle of my chest. By the time he was sucking on the skin over my stomach, he'd managed to pull my boxers and pants to my knees and find his way off the bed and to the floor.
Kneading my inner thighs, I took a long drawn out breath, seeing the top of his head when I briefly raised my neck. Suddenly, my chest convulsed upwards as his tongue began to slowly kiss my thighs while one hand slowly rubbed in between my legs.
His phone began to vibrate and with his free hand, he pulled it out of his pocket, briefly swiping it to answer the call. Keisuke's voice came from the speakerphone.
"Hey Aniki."
I covered my mouth with my left hand, lifting myself up with the other one.
"Did you get my present yet?"
"Hmm?"
I stared at Ryousuke who hand was stroking me slowly while kissing my other thigh.
"Did Takumi get there all right?" the voice on the other end teased.
He licked his lips as he looked up at me. In complete control, he answered, "No, he hasn't come yet."
My knees tried to touch one another as he opened them again with both his hands.
His tongue slid from my thigh, close enough-
I crouched over him, moaning softly into my hand.
"Just letting you know in case he gets lost. He had a hard time getting to my house the other day."
"Even with GPS?" Fingering one nipple as his other hand began rubbing a little faster, I bit my lip while grabbing onto his shoulders.
"I don't know if he's been anywhere besides our expeditions."
He looked up at me once more, reaching out to hold onto one of my cheeks as the sweat from my forehead fell. "You're actually worried?"
"No, I'm not." You could hear the childish protest in Keisuke's voice. "I was giving you a heads up."
"Thank you." Ryousuke unzipped his slacks. "I appreciate it."
"And Aniki?"
"Yes?" Gently, he pulled my right hand.
"Thanks."
"For what, Kei?"
His tone was sweet even when he was doing something like this…
"Everything. Talk to you later."
And he brought my hand farther than the band of his briefs. "Don't forget to call next week."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
The call ended as his hand held the back of my head so that we could lie on the bed again. When he was pulling on a light blanket, my hand squeezed and massaged him so that he stopped midway, grunting from the pleasure. Facing one another under the sheets, we kissed until our moans were drowning everything from our minds, losing ourselves to one another.
He pulled me further as heat beat against heat and I reached out my left hand to his face, my fingertips touching his face to take a good look at it. Up close, it was hard to ignore that his face was truly handsome, his features more pronounced by the intensity of his feelings.
I never knew what it meant once you switched to direct all your emotions from the road onto me.
Running the red zone and slipping into dangerous territory,
you throw yourself away.
Even as the world outside was beginning its day, we prolonged our night as much as we could. Ryousuke whispered things I'd never thought he'd say while I grabbed onto him even harder when he entered me over and over again until I couldn't even think anymore.
I'd moan into his mouth and feel embarrassed for hearing my own voice, at how needy I really was. At how honest we both were that we couldn't stop, still catching each other's tongues, fire licking against fire…
We carefully watched one another's secret expressions as if nothing else existed before or after this.
*/*/*/*/*/00000
Hours later, when we finally woke up, he pulled the curtain just a little so that some light could come in. Reaching over, he hugged my waist and I could feel him smiling as he kissed my shoulder. We didn't say anything for a long while until I could finally calm down as my head remembered the sequence of events that had led me from a mountain battle to being unclothed and in bed with Takahashi Ryousuke, a man whose appetite was bottomless.
My body ached all over to the point I wondered if I could drive home.
"Ryousuke?"
"Yes?"
"I always wanted to ask you something."
"What?"
"Um…when we battled the first time, why did you send me 15 roses? I looked it up and it said 'I'm sorry' or 'forgive me'."
"I'm sorry I'm going to defeat you. That's what I'd meant."
"Seems it backfired though."
"And also the best investment I ever made." He gave me a quick squeeze.
I turned around to look into his face. "But roses? I didn't think that you were asking for a date-"
"It was a challenge, but it was my kind of date. Do you think I go around asking people to race me?"
"Rhetorical question, of course." I shook my head and laughed.
"I'll show you something." Getting up a little, but not letting me go, his arm reached out for his black leather wallet. In between his arms as I rested on his shoulder, he opened his wallet. Through the small rectangular plastic frame, I saw the picture Tsugumi had mentioned. It was a colored drawing, very detailed too though wallet-sized. It was the exact moment when I was speechless, never believing that I'd been faster than him.
"You have this in your wallet?"
"No one's ever stopped me to tell me I should have won a race. Your expression was priceless: Cute and innocent."
His thumb and index finger pulled another picture from behind mine. It was an old photograph of kindergartner Keisuke in his navy blue school uniform with a big forehead and rosy cheeks hugging a white teddy bear and toy car in his arms. He still had that spunky rambunctious air about him.
I looked over at him as he stared at both of our pictures, holding them next to one another. He smiled so brightly as if these pieces of paper could grin back at him.
"My two aces."
I reached out my arm to put it over his chest, hugging him with all my strength.
And here we'd thought our adoration was only one way…
*/*/*/*/*/00000
Ryousuke gave me a long kiss before I left with the special project's key in my hand. I went to Keisuke's house and got my stuff, leaving him a message on the table to thank him for everything and so that he couldn't figure out what time I'd actually left the area, which was around 12pm.
While I drove back, I felt a sense of peace I hadn't known before, but there was a nagging feeling that kept gnawing at me. That when things were too perfect and ready to break…
I tried to push it away and thought of Ryousuke's words:
"When it's 5pm, Matsumoto will pick you up from your house."
"He knows about your project?"
"Who else would I ask about engineering?"
"Okay…" I replied, half-convinced and a little depressed that he had told Matsumoto before me.
When I arrived home, Dad was attending to a customer, but after putting my stuff down, he took out a cigarette and lit it up in the living room. Sitting down for a break, he had one hand on his knee, expecting me to start the conversation.
"I did it. I raced with Ao-I mean, the Impreza." I couldn't believe I stuttered like a little kid in front of him. "And I won…"
He took a puff and grunted. "Ah."
Not saying another word, another customer came into the shop and I washed my clothes while waiting for Matsumoto to pick me up.
When he arrived, he looked like he was out of breath. "Sorry I came a bit late. I was doing a lot of errands and the traffic was bad."
"No problem." I closed the door and put on my seatbelt when he was already pulling away from my house. "Thanks for coming to get me even though you're busy."
"Did you have a good talk with Ryousuke-san?"
Nodding my head, I replied, "Yes, I did."
"Do you know exactly where we are going or what we're doing?"
"Something with cars?"
"Oh." He blinked his eyes, a little troubled. "Not even a hint?"
"No clue whatsoever."
"I see."
We ended up talking about the specs that he'd made on the FC while I explained how it had been in the passenger seat watching as the two brothers battled. Even without commenting so much, Matsumoto looked whole-heartedly satisfied with the results of his hard work.
Coming to Takasaki, we turned by the city hall and up some streets that were leading up to the famous kannon-sama in the area. There was a row of storage areas, separated by blue metal garage doors. "This is one of my workshops. It's like a second home to me."
"You own all of these?"
"Yes, I do. I do all my private projects here. I choose the requests I receive and with utmost secrecy. It must be like the mechanic for your father, right?"
I was a little confused.
Huh? How'd he know something like that?
Unbuckling his seatbelt, we got out of his Nissan and walked over to the third garage door.
"Can you give me the key Ryousuke-san gave to you?"
"Sure." I took it out of my pocket and handed it over to him.
"What exactly am I supposed to do though?"
"Just give your opinion." He turned it inside the lock and put his hand under the large metal door. "That's all."
When he brought the door up all the way to the top, my brain exploded into nothing but questions.
"What?"
I blinked slowly as a hush ran through my ears. I couldn't even take a step forward, feeling every nerve in my body slowly going limp.
This was the project that you gave up your whole week for?
An image of Ryousuke's hands appeared before me.
This…There was no way…
My legs were about to give way, losing all sense of feeling altogether.
"I'd never give that car away."
"The '86?"
I couldn't believe that the '86 was in front of me. There was no mistake about it, but…
The '86 looked as if nothing had ever had happened to it. It was entirely restored to its original condition.
Matsumoto went to open the hood, pointing at the 4A-GEU engine and other parts that had been replaced. Everything right down to the oil filter was flawless to the extent it was as if the '86 had just been taken from the factory, right from the manufacturer's own hands.
"This whole week, Ryousuke-san has been personally fixing your car. He had all the specifications from his Project D data." Matsumoto commented as I stood in my place. "The rest, your father filled in the blanks. His friend gave me a lot of notes as well."
Pushing the hood down, Matsumoto took a step back as I touched the black metal that I knew more than my own skin.
Tell me this is real. I don't want to know if it isn't. It would be cruel to wake up.
Before I was conscious of it, I was already crying. I only realized it when I saw my tears on the hood.
How many hours have I spent wondering when I could see you again? Even if I knew it was impossible?
Not being able to breathe, I leaned forward and pushed on it to keep myself steady, desperately grasping onto any detail that would tell me I wouldn't wake up from such a wonderful dream.
I closed my eyes and gulped.
"He did most of it with his own hands. I told him I'd help him, but he wouldn't listen to me and insisted that he'd do it himself."
"How much did this all cost?" I tried to sound calm, trying not to betray my silent sobbing. "I have to pay him back for this."
"Nothing. This was his goodbye present to you. To thank you for everything."
I'd been completely wrong about everything…especially about you...
"Here's the key. Go and try it out."
I wiped my eyes and took the key from his hands. "Thank you."
Pushing the key into the door lock, it opened and I sat in the cushioned seat. The bucket seat had been taken out and was back to the way it was when my mother was still driving it.
A time warp occurred as I was sitting there, and so I began to shake. Every single thing looked so new that even our old speedometer was staring back at me. My fingertips reached out for the gearshift, the radio, and cup holder.
All your details smoothed down to utter perfection. You're making sure to tell me that it was only you who touched my car.
Inserting the key into the ignition, I heard the familiar sound. Tears came out again from the sides of my face.
The race engine wasn't there, but the heartbeat I'd grown up with.
You're here.
Words cannot describe how much I've missed you, Brother.
"I had no idea..."
Touching the dashboard I'd grown up and battled with, everything became blurry before me. I didn't even care if Matsumoto saw my distress.
Ryousuke…
You loved me this much…
to bring back the one thing I wished for more than anything in this world…
"I can't believe he brought you back to me."
My dad and Ryousuke, they knew all along.
That's why dad approved of him…
Tsuzuku/To be continued…
Author's note: *super meltdown mode* Okay, this chapter took a turn even I hadn't planned for, but woo hoo~, Takumi, you're the man~! 3 (Okay, that tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny little voice in me wanted a seme Takumi.)
YES~! I have had this chapter's draft since Chapter 2 of this fic and it is finally here! Initial D cannot be complete without the '86! There was a Toyota Corolla hatchback I loved so much. I would give a lot to drive in that car again. Almost 20 years later, I still miss him. So when I watch Initial D and see Takumi, I can remember those wonderful days.
Ryousuke…stupid Ryousuke…why do you have to make me cry so much? How can you be this sweet?! Writing this chapter, I was overwhelmed and had to catch myself. It was like I could feel this person's love for Takumi and Takumi, who has only been truly aware of it for these past two weeks, has come to realize that this 'perfect' person is more vulnerable and clueless in a lot of ways than he is. That feeling alone was what carried me 20+ chapters through to write this fanfic.
They love each other so much, but they can't get through to one another completely and it is what chapter? T_T *goes off in a little corner and makes circles on the floor* *mumbles* Why oh why do I do this to myself?
(Oh, and the 15 roses was what I counted from the anime.)
Thank you so much for your support and kind words! I read them and I keep them inside my heart when I go about my day. I'm so glad what I felt and thought could come out the way I wanted.
Until next chapter, with love,
Yui
10/3/2016 3:52 PM – Los Angeles
10/4/2016 7:52 AM - Tokyo