Blooming Rhapsody
A/N: Please note that I had made Haruka into a guy. You have been notified.
Standard disclaimers applied.
Chapter 7: New Secret…
Neatly folding his uniform, Sakuragi stacked it neatly beside his canvas shoes. "I need your help Youhei," the red head closes his gym locker.
Raising an eyebrow, the ex-gangster looked at his best friend questioningly. "Eh? Nanda yo?"
Turning around, the basketball player looked as his raven-haired friend, his expression serious. "I'm kind of busy these days with studies and basketball. You are good in mechanics, aren't you?"
Youhei couldn't see where this conversation is heading. "Yeah but I only deal in bikes. Not more than that. Why do you ask?"
Suddenly Sakuragi felt awkward. How is he going to break the secret he had kept so well for months now? Clearing his throat, Sakuragi gathered up his courage. "That's it. You are good in bikes and I need your help in it."
A frown creased Youhei's features. "Whatever for? Oh I get it! You are searching for a work as a mechanic. I can always teach you then we both can work in the repair shop that is down the road. I hear they have vacancies."
Sakuragi had to refrain himself from banging his head on the metal door behind him. How dense can his friend get? "Actually I want to employ you to look after my bike."
Laughter bubbled out. "You have to be kidding Sakuragi! You could barely support yourself and here you are saying you own a bike…" Looking up, Youhei immediately swallowed his laughter. Sakuragi eyed him with a serious expression. Suddenly Youhei had a feeling that Sakuragi was telling the truth.
"You are not kidding are you?" Sakuragi shook his head.
"You really own a bike?" at this Sakuragi looked exasperated and he ran his hand through his hair.
"Forget what I said. I think I had just made a mistake." Sakuragi turned around and walked towards the gym door.
"Matte yo Sakuragi! I haven't even replied your answer yet!" Youhei called out. Instantly, Sakuragi stopped. Slowly he turned around.
Walking towards Sakuragi, Youhei put a hand on his friend's broad shoulder. "I don't think you can find a better mechanic like me around here," the ex-gangster smiled.
Sakuragi grinned. "Meet me at Kanagawa GP Stadium later at five, alone. Don't bring the gundam. I'll give you the full explanation after that. Right now I have basketball to practice." Reaching out, Sakuragi playfully punched Youhei's shoulder.
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Looking at his Casio watch, Youhei impatiently waited for a certain red head to appear. Scanning through the almost deserted car park, Youhei's hope of finding his friend was dimming. His patience is as thin as water at this moment. Sakuragi had promised to meet at five and now it's a quarter past five and still no sign of him. Wait till he gets his hands on him!
Too intense he was in his thoughts that he didn't notice the extra presence. A man in a white polo shirt with a pair of jeans stopped behind him. Clearing his throat, the man announced his presence. "Youhei-chan?"
On hearing his name, the raven-haired guy turned around, fully expecting a certain red head. What he didn't expect was instead of his friend, a man in his early forties smiled at him through his rimless spectacles. "Yes? I am Youhei."
It was all that the man need. Bowing, the man introduced himself. "I am Genzai Kinomoto. Sakuragi-sama is in the stadium and has been expecting you. If you will, please follow me."
A dark eyebrow arched. Sakuragi-sama? Now what game is Sakuragi playing? Without question, the Shohoku student walked into the massive stadium.
The sight that greeted him left him breathless. The stadium had looked small from outside but the interior is massive. Looking around, a very large, long and winding road stared back at him. His heart skipped a beat as he felt the familiar adrenaline rush washed over him every time he looked at a racing track, be it in the magazines or the television. But now he is in a real stadium!
A loud and long sound interrupted his thoughts. Scanning around for the source, his gaze at last rested on a motorist riding a cerulean with silver streaks racing bike at top speed. Youhei watched as the racer shifted in his seat and bring leaned out his knee as he rounded off a sharp corner. Again, the racer did the same thing but in the opposite position as he rounded another corner. A pair of brown eyes narrowed as he watched both the racer and the machine crossed the finished line in a god-like speed only to slow to a stop a few meters away from the point.
The rider looked very familiar. The physique, height and the way he holds himself looked as if… Nah… It couldn't be…
As soon as the rider stopped his racing machine, Kinomoto-chan began to walk towards him. Confused whether he should follow his lead, Youhei at last gave in and followed the old man.
A meter away from where the bike had been parked, the anonymous rider suddenly unbuckled his helmet. Soft red hair overflows from the helmet and hung stubbornly above the rider's eyes. As if sensing his presence, Sakuragi Hanamichi turned around and waved at his dumbfounded friend.
The moment the mysterious racer took off his helmet, Mito Youhei felt as if his feet were nailed to the ground. He couldn't believe the sight before him and it took him several minutes before he recovered from his shock. And when he did, only one thought was in his mind.
The legendary Lightning Falcon is Sakuragi Hanamichi!!! His own best friend is the secretive and mysterious racer… His idol…
When the poor dumbfounded student did arrive at his friend's side, he didn't smile nor did he wish any greeting. Instead he said, "You sure have a lot of explaining to do. And you better start from scratch!!"
Sighing, the red head pulled his friend to the stadium's lounge.
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Sakuragi told his friend all of the information he needed. From the time when he was spotted having the ability of racing at the age of ten. He told him how a director of a racing company saw his potential and immediately took him in. Even though the legal age for having a driving license was seventeen, he was an exception. He was given his license at the very same year and his talent was nurtured from a kid playing the arcade Grand Prix to becoming a real racer. Not only did they saw his potential in racing, they even saw his extraordinary talent of absorbing information and recalling them at a very high rate. Thus, the company had sponsored his education and posted him to a top private school in London and he had finished his college at the age of fifteen.
Sakuragi told him of how the school had thought students like him. Since the school is only for the special talented students, it was a tough competition to be the top student and amazingly he had achieved that title every year he was in it. He could only return to his homeland once in a year, during the holidays. The reason to why he still had to come to high school when he reached Japan was to cover suspicions and questions from the media. Now that he is here, in an acceptable age, the company had decided to put him in the track after years of training. The secrecy of his identity was to prevent the rival team from putting their nosy noses into the company's.
His throat was quite parched after the long story, excusing himself Sakuragi went to get some drinks.
Youhei did the only thing he could do at that moment. He blinked. Kami-sama what a story that was and here he thought he knew his best friend well… That explains much about the way Sakuragi is now.
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Dodging a blow that would have severed her head off, the senshi of death brought down her own weapon and sliced off the opponent into half. Blood spurted out onto her but Sailor Saturn was unhindered. Turning around, she met her opponent's blow with her own. Twisting to her left, her silence glaive deflected the Coughar's blow while her left arm opened and dark purplish razor sharp needles pierced through the scaly body, gaping a big hole in the body.
"Thor's Vines!!" a big mass of venomous vines sprouted out of the ground. Wrapping around the enemies, the Coughars bellowed in pain as the vines releases shots of white-hot electricity to them.
Turning around, the purple haired soldier smiled at the wielder of nature and thunder. "Thank you, Makoto," she thanked as she sliced off another scaly body only this time its in pairs.
"Saturn! We need your help in the south!" nodding, Sailor Saturn pressed a button on her wrist, switching off the holographic image.
"Jupiter you take it from here! I'm needed in the south!" on seeing her friend's nod, the senshi of death and destruction muttered a few words and black shiny feathery wings sprouted from her back. Stretching her large wings, Sailor Saturn magnificently leaped into the air and took flight.
"Silence Wall!" an invisible wall protected its mistress as she flew through the air, killing any enemies that dared to cross her path. Concentrating on her planet's power, the princess of Saturn muttered an ancient spell and ribbons of purple energy trailed after her flying form. As the ribbons touched the dead bodies of Coughars, the corpses began to twitch with life and soon they began to walk with the living, the Saturn's insignia burned brightly on their foreheads.
Amazed and frightened soldiers of the Moon Kingdom watched as the corpses attached their missing body parts together and reclaimed their weapons. Looking refreshed except for the wounds that cannot be healed, the walking dead began hacking around. No they didn't attack the defenders of Moon Kingdom. Instead, they hacked away at their own living kind that once used to be their friends and perhaps their families.
Landing softly on the ground, Saturn unleashed her trusted weapon and once again engaged in the battle to protect the Moon Kingdom. By then her wings had shrunk back to her slender back. By now with the help of the living dead, only a small amount of Coughars are slicing and hacking around at her soldiers. Her violets eyes suddenly rested upon a huge Coughar. Running through her weapon at the offensive inexperienced Coughar beside her, she locked her gaze with his burning eyes.
"You witch! I shall kill you for doing this to my kind!!" roared a horse head. Nodding her head, Saturn welcomed the challenge as her eyes glanced at the symbols on his chest. Ahh… The commander of the battalion. Perfect!
Her right foot in front, she leaned her body forward a bit as her sword arm pulled back a bit, pointing the sharp menacing point of her glaive to the ground. Quickly Saturn wiped all thoughts off her mind. Her soft hair tickled her neck and face as it wafted in the air. Her ever-alert eyes processed all the information on the commander. His mind is riled with anger and vengeance. Her eyes flitted to the wound on his right side and his laboured breath. Hmm... Badly wounded and loosing energy fast… this is going to be a quick kill…
Saturn smiled while the Coughar roared and only a clash of metal was heard before another rounds of it followed it. Each blow he pounded on her she met it with hers. Feigning weakness, she let him knocked her with blows and with each single attack, it got stronger and stronger as she see the victory in his eyes.
Suddenly, Saturn twisted to her left. The commander looked with wide eyes, fear and disbelief was evident in his eyes. That was his last expression before the mistress of death flicked her hand and ended his life. The upper half of the monster rolled onto the soft ground.
Death shalt be thy destiny…
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Zackire: so how was it? I wanted to make it less bloody but I just can't help myself. Anyway please take not that I will not be able to post up anymore fics till next month cuz my dumb modem had died on me… L
Anyway I hope you guys like it!!
zackire