Chapter 7: Planes, History, and Alcohol (Hayabusa)

Long chapter, because I didn't want to split it.

Enjoy!

"Why am I here, Hayate?" Hayabusa asked. He was sitting in the passenger seat of Hayate's Lexus, glaring at nothing and everything at the same time. Hayate looked at Hayabusa before he focused on the road again.

"You spend too much time at home! The only time you leave is to buy stuff and go to your stripper job. You need to get out and do something," Hayate claimed.

Hayabusa knew that Hayate was smart, but he couldn't understand his logic sometimes. He sighed and said, "There's no point in arguing about this, so I'll just go with it. Where are we going? You bought plane tickets, yet you refuse to tell me anything."

It didn't take long for Hayabusa to realize that Hayate was purposely ignoring him by trying to sing along to whatever was playing on the radio. Hayate was hiding something and Hayabusa's patience was beginning to fade, so he turned the radio off. "Tell me," Hayabusa demanded.

"Los Angeles," Hayate confided after a few minutes. A look of disbelief appeared on Hayabusa's face before it turned into a frown.

"Are you serious?" he asked. Hayate didn't say anything, so Hayabusa took that as a sign to keep talking. "I just moved from there!"

"It's only a trip-"

"Screw that," Hayabusa growled. "Stop here so I can go home."

"You have a lot of problems, Ryu," Hayate said, shaking his head. Hayabusa didn't reply while he turned to stare out of the window.

Hayate basically stated the obvious, so Hayabusa didn't spend any time on those thoughts. He absently touched his right shoulder - feeling for a familiar scar - before he put his hand back down. He didn't want to go through the trouble of telling Hayate what happened, so he'll deal with his problems on his own.

"You're right. Don't worry about it," he commented when the car was parked a short distance from the airport. He silently took his boarding pass from Hayate and ignored his attempts to get an explanation. Hayabusa didn't want to go to Los Angeles, even if it was for a few days - he had cut his ties with the city before he moved for a reason.

It didn't take long for them to get through security, even if Hayabusa had to be searched by a handheld metal detector twice. Hayate claimed it was because the female attendants wanted to touch him without crossing the line of sexual harassment, but he dropped it when Hayabusa glared at him. After they made it to the terminal, a figure ran into Hayate, forcing Hayabusa to step back. He realized the person who ran into Hayate was the same idiot that hit his car, Jann Lee.

Hayabusa sighed and greeted Eliot before his eyes shifted to the man next to him. He had a large muscular build and a buzz cut; he also appeared to be a few inches taller than Hayabusa. He must be Kasumi's fiancé, Hayabusa thought. I'm not impressed. The man lifted his head and stared at Hayabusa then stood up. "You're Ryu Hayabusa," he stated in an awed tone. "Wow. I'm a fan of your art. Anyway, my name is Rig."

"Nice to meet you," Hayabusa replied, shaking Rig's hand. I can't say what I want to say, he thought while he listened to Rig talk about an art show from a few months ago. He's just standing there, talking to the man who is engaged to the woman that he had sex with after her bachelorette party - at least Hayabusa isn't making that fact obvious. Jann Lee suddenly appeared next to Rig and interrupted the conversation.

"You're last name is Hayabusa, as in the family behind H. Enterprises?" he asked. He shook his head before Hayabusa could say anything. "Of course it is. I guess you have to make sure everyone you meet knows who you are, otherwise it wouldn't mean a damn thing when you take over the company, right? Or are you already in charge and just focusing on your little art hobby?"

Hayabusa glared at Jann Lee and hissed, "Shut the hell up, you stupid bitch-"

"Guys, let's stop this before it goes too far," Eliot tried to reason although no one listened to him. Hayate grabbed Hayabusa, who was still cursing and attracting a small crowd, then dragged him away. Hayabusa was done cursing by the time Hayate stopped walking, so he turned around to face Hayate.

"Talk to me, Ryu," Hayate worriedly stated while he leaned against the wall. Hayabusa started pacing and tried to calm down, but his anger was too distracting and he really wanted to hit something.

"I hate when people assume that I'm going to take over H. Enterprises because I'm the son of the current CEO," Hayabusa suddenly declared. "When I tell them that I don't plan on doing that, they give me a look that fucking screams disappointment and talk as if I just lost someone important to me."

"Their expectations were too high, I'm guessing?"

"Yes," he answered. "The worse thing about it is that my dad thought the same thing. I tried to tell him, but either he had a meeting to go to, or someone was trying to teach me how to run a damn business when I came home from school," he snorted, "that plan failed since I didn't listen and focused on my art instead. If we did have some free time, I didn't exist until I mentioned something about the company. I hated doing that, so I avoided it."

"Everything was about work at some point?" After Hayabusa nodded, Hayate asked another question. "How did you manage to tell him how you felt?"

Hayabusa sighed and closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again. He knew Hayate was waiting on him to say something although any thoughts about that argument would make his mood worse. "I don't remember how the argument started, but I said stuff along the lines of 'I don't want anything to do with H. Enterprises, screw you, and I'm moving out.' I moved in with Momiji and her parents a few days later. I haven't talked to my dad since then."

Hayate shook his head and spoke, "I'm beginning to understand why you don't want to talk to him. But why do you let people call you by your last name?"

"I'm used to it and since I can't change my last name, I want it to be known for something besides that company," he replied. The announcement for first class passengers to begin boarding the plane had filled the brief silence before Hayabusa continued. "Thanks for listening, Hayate. Now you know more about my dramatic life."

"You're welcome. Besides, someone has to make sure you don't get in trouble at an airport," he claimed. They walked over to Eliot, who was standing next to three carry-on bags and waiting for them. As Hayabusa grabbed his bag and walked towards the gate, he heard Eliot tell Hayate about whatever Rig shouted at Jann Lee when they left. He was exhausted, but at least his anger went back to where it usually is until it's needed.

He has about three hours to get some rest, and he knows that he'll need it.

...

The flight went smoothly even if Hayabusa had to force himself to listen to Jann Lee's awkward apology. After they gathered their belongings and left the airport, Hayate led the group over to a red car then threw the keys to Hayabusa, who raised an eyebrow at him. "You know L.A. better than us, so you should drive to the hotel," Hayate said.

Hayabusa cursed and mumbled something after he put his bag in the trunk. The others did the same and got in the car before Hayabusa started driving away from the airport. "What hotel are we going to?"

"I forgot to make the reservations," Jann Lee admitted. Hayate had reached over to hit Jann Lee in the head. Rig, who was caught in the middle of the fight, tried to push them apart although he joined the fight a few minutes later. They were grown men acting like a couple of eight-year-old boys; Hayabusa didn't want to be associated with them if they always acted like that. He quickly stopped the car, making the other men close their eyes and scream.

"Did you hit someone? Oh my God, we're going to jail. I can't go to jail," Rig declared. The others quickly agreed and continued to panic while Hayabusa moved the car over to the side of the road.

"I didn't hit anyone, dumbass. If you all weren't fighting like children, I wouldn't have decided to scare the hell out of you," Hayabusa explained, returning Rig's glare with one of his own. Fortunately, Eliot already made the hotel reservations and told Hayabusa where it was while the others tried to hide their embarrassment.

The hotel was large and nicely decorated with paintings and furniture that would make anyone feel as if they're in a movie. The woman at the front desk greeted the men with a smile and gave each the key to his room. Hayabusa's room was on the sixth floor and larger than he expected, but it didn't matter since he wasn't going to spend much time there. He dropped his bag then removed his shoes before he stepped onto the balcony and leaned against the railings.

I miss Los Angeles, he thought. The city was one of his favorites since he lived there for two years after he graduated college. It was peaceful until someone shot him while he was in a large crowd, so he was forced to move out of his apartment before buying a house in Seattle. He sighed and stared at the sky while the sun was beginning to set. The lights from the city blended with the stars half an hour later, forming the kind of image that Hayabusa wished he could capture by putting paint on a canvas.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when a black van had parked away from the other vehicles. Rig stepped out of the hotel a few minutes later and walked over to it, where a man with blond hair and a woman with white hair suddenly got out. Hayabusa knew this wasn't any of his business, but he was curious. The man opened the back of the van and grabbed a box before he placed it on the ground. Hayabusa's eyes widened when Rig pulled out a glass vial that was filled with an orange liquid. From his position on the balcony, he could see more vials inside the box along with more boxes in the van. What the hell?

Rig nodded then gave a yellow envelope to the man, who quickly returned to the front of the van. It looked like Rig was going back to the hotel, but the woman stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. With a smirk, Rig turned and gave her a lot of cash then smiled when she kissed him on his cheek. Now I have more reasons to dislike him, Hayabusa thought while he went back into his room. He doesn't know what the vials are for and doesn't have time to figure it out since he's supposed to be in the lobby soon. I'll mention it to Hayate when I get a chance, he decided.

After a shower, Hayabusa was wearing a graphic sweatshirt with black pants and shoes. He made sure that his phone, wallet, and hotel key were in his pockets before leaving the room. Hayate and Eliot were already in the lobby, so he walked over to them. "Where are the other two?"

"I don't know about Rig, but Jann went back to his room for his wallet," Hayate answered. Hayabusa was going to mention what he saw Rig doing, but decided against it when Eliot looked over to Jann Lee, who was being followed by Rig. Hayabusa frowned and pushed any thoughts about it to the back of his mind. They left the hotel and was walking to the car before Jann Lee stopped the group.

"We're here because of the fact that this guy," he paused to throw an arm around Rig's shoulders, "is getting married in three months. As the Best Man, I've decided that we're going to celebrate by doing something that he loves to do whenever he can. We're going to drink as much as we can before the night is over!"

"That sounds fun," Rig said. Hayabusa rolled his eyes, taking the keys from Eliot and getting in the car. Jann Lee smiled and threw a hand in the air.

"Yes! Now, let's go get drunk!"

...

Where am I? Hayabusa asked himself as soon as he opened his eyes. He was staring at the ceiling of an unknown room, the bright lights forcing him to close his eyes again. Sighing, Hayabusa rolled over and grabbed the edge of whatever he was laying on so he wouldn't fall off of it. He opened his eyes and saw that he was on top of a bar counter then pushed himself up when he heard someone groaning. The bar was a complete mess, but he easily recognized Hayate on the nearby table.

"I can't feel half of my face," Hayate complained from his spot. Hayabusa noticed a red bruise on the left side of his friend's face and pointed to it.

"At least you're not seeing sounds like I am," he commented while he got off the counter. He cursed when he landed on the floor and slowly stood back up to lean against the counter. Someone's hand was moving around on the floor, so he roughly kicked it then frowned at the loud shout of pain. Rig's eyes peered over the edge of the counter seconds later, staring at Hayabusa before they shifted to something behind him.

While Hayate got off the table and Rig picked himself up, Hayabusa turned to see Jann Lee standing next to him and covered in glitter. Jann Lee simply shook his head then stated, "You're shirt is missing."

Hayabusa looked down and noticed he was wearing some footie pajamas that had the Batman symbol on them with the sleeves tied around his hips and - like Jann Lee mentioned - without a shirt. He ignored Rig's stupid jokes and searched for his phone, wallet, and hotel key before he found them - along with someone's credit card - in the pockets of the pajamas. He had no idea where his clothes and shoes were, but at least he was wearing something. "Keep making jokes in order to hide how much you're jealous of my body," Hayabusa declared, effectively silencing Rig. "What did we do last night? Wait, where is Eliot?"

"He's being held by security at the casino that's next to this bar," Hayate answered, holding up his phone. "He claims the guard won't tell him why he's there, so we should go get him."

The others nodded and followed Hayate out of the bar. There were a few people still in the casino, smiling and telling the group about how fun the party was. Hayabusa didn't know what they were talking about, but he did notice the woman who was wearing his sweatshirt. I don't need it, he told himself while watching the random people walk away. Minutes later, they were standing in the security department, where Eliot was in one of the large holding cells. He sighed and said, "Finally! Get me out of here, so we can get back to L.A.!"

"What?" Jann Lee asked. Eliot sighed again and wrapped his hands around the bars of the cell.

"Okay, listen. At the bar in L.A., Rig was challenged to a drinking contest and won, but we got kicked out because he got into a fight with the loser and his friends. At the second bar, Jann and Hayate started drinking and doing stupid stuff before Hayate suggested that we go to Las Vegas," he informed. "I don't know what was wrong with Hayabusa at the time, but he quickly agreed and decided to drive. I bought drinks for the ride then we went to another bar when we got here. Some people had followed us to this casino and that's when things went crazy. Hayate started arresting people, Jann tried to cover his body in glitter, and Hayabusa took over a bar and made drinks for everyone before he bought those pajamas from the gift shop. I still don't know why I'm in here!"

It was quiet while each man took a moment to understand what Eliot said. A nearby door was opened by a tall security guard, who closed the door and stared at them for a few seconds. He cleared his throat then asked, "I-I'm guessing you're here to get him?"

"Yes, they are. Now let me out," Eliot demanded, pushing against the bars.

"Sorry, but you were cheating at a couple of poker tables and refused to leave when you were asked to. You can't leave yet," the man said. Jann Lee and Rig tried to find a way to get Eliot out, but the man insisted that he couldn't let him go. Hayate kept watching the man before he placed a hand on Hayabusa's shoulder and pushed him forward. The man stepped back to the door, making Hayabusa turned around with a look of confusion. Hayate was giving him a thumbs up, so Hayabusa turned to the guard.

"Excuse me," Hayabusa began after a moment of hesitation. "I apologize for my friend here, but I'm sure he didn't mean to cause any trouble. We were celebrating something and it kind of turned into a rough night. Hell, I don't even know why I'm dressed like this," he explained, gesturing to himself. The man looked down at his chest then glanced away, mumbling something about a possible mistake.

"If you let him go, we won't tell anyone and you won't get in trouble," Hayabusa continued, shifting his weight to one leg. The flustered guard quickly threw the keys to Hayabusa and left, the door slamming behind him.

"I can't believe that worked, Hayate," Jann Lee declared. Hayabusa quietly walked over and unlocked the cell, ignoring Eliot's words of gratitude. He stopped when he thought about what Jann Lee said, the key falling from his hand. That guard was attracted to me, he realized. Guilt and anger were beginning to overwhelm his senses, making him wonder when did it become so easy for him to make bad decisions and how did he not know that he was simply a part of Hayate's plan. Hayate placed his hand on Hayabusa's shoulder, but Hayabusa turned around and punched him in his jaw.

"Don't touch me. Let's go," he ordered, walking to the door.

"Imagine how many women he could get to sleep with him," Rig said to Jann Lee. Hayabusa stopped and turned to face Rig, a sardonic expression on his face.

"Be careful. You might know one of those women."

...

This chapter would've started during the actual party, but then I wouldn't have been able to add the important parts. Thanks for reading! Reviews would be nice.