And here's Chapter Nine, in all its syrupy goodness! Who wants pancakes?!

Follow The Leader

by BoomChish

Chapter Nine

If You Wanna Stay

"You did what?" Miyoko shrilled as I visited her the next day to take her home. Alex and Jin stared at me with complete confusion on their faces, as if what I'd just said was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard.

"I did what I felt was right, Miyoko. After he'd gotten into the accident, I took him to the hospital. Granted, he didn't offer you that same kindness when you had the accident, but at least this way, he's really learned his lesson. He won't do this to anyone ever again. Guaranteed." And it was the truth too.

"I don't care if he doesn't do it again! I can't believe you let him off easily like that!" she argued.

"Aniki, as much as I like deferring to your wisdom of experience, I'm inclined to agree with Miyo. You said so yourself: he did this same thing to Fujiwara's friend and then got into an accident during the race. Then he did the same thing to Miyo. If he had to do it a second time after such a result, it means he didn't learn his lesson, and that he never will."

I stood up. "Hey, now cut that out. Shingo is only human, as are the rest of us. He deserves a second chance. If I were to follow your argument to the fullest point, it would mean that I should always perceive Miyoko as a cold, selfish, arrogant, spoiled brat, despite her attempts to change her behaviour."

"Hey! I'm not like that!" Miyoko whined plaintively, then added a small, "all the time…"

"Of course not. But see, that's my point. Sometimes, it takes something very severe to make someone learn their lesson. Someone could be a pyromaniac and set fire to his house, and not learn his lesson, until he sets another building on fire and someone he cares about dies in the flames. You see where I'm getting at?"

Alex inclined his head. "Well, it's an odd analogy, but I get it." He then raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You seem to be high on all that honor and respect business, don't you, Seiji? Even after people do some awful shit to your teammates, you still treat everyone equally if you feel like they deserve it."

"Of course I do. To be honest though, if he'd survived that race intact, I would've beaten the crap out of him. But as it is, I'm glad it didn't come to that. I think I would've felt worse coming back after doing something like that. By the way, Shingo intends to pass by to apologize personally."

"What?! Seiji, why?" Miyoko demanded.

"Why not? Personally, I think it's nice that he's willing to make the trip here to apologize. It means he knows he did something wrong and that he's willing to put his dignity aside to make things right." I gave her a direct stare, then nodded once. "Are you saying that you're not someone who'd do that?"

"I… oh, okay, I get it…" she murmured dejectedly. Alex and Jin exchanged a glance, which I intercepted almost immediately and quelled. "Look, I know none of you are happy about this, but as it turns out, I'm not the one who coerced him to do this. He decided to apologize on his own. Give him a chance to apologize, if nothing else."

Eventually, Shingo arrived, followed by Nakazato. His arm was in a sling, as I'd expected, and he suitably looked subdued. Especially since Nakazato had one hell of an annoyed look on his face. I could only imagine his displeasure at having to go this far out of the way just so that Shingo could make amends for his actions. There was also the fact that my teammates weren't looking too friendly at the moment. Especially Miyoko, who was the sole reason why he'd even bother to make this trip.

She was sitting upright in her bed and she merely glared at him with a look cold enough to freeze over the depths of Hell as he took one tentative step forward, and stayed there when her gaze didn't soften. "Um… Ieyasu-chan… I, um… I'm sorry for what I did to you yesterday. I… don't know what got over me… and I doubt you'll forgive me, but I'm really sorry for what I did. Really."

She said nothing, she merely continued to glare at him. In turn, I shot her a warning look, which meant to say, don't act like an ass now. At least acknowledge the fact that he came all the way out here to apologize to you! He didn't have to, you know!

She sniffed in disdain. "Well, I suppose you do deserve some credit for coming all the way out here to apologize. I must say, I really wasn't expecting it… until Seiji told me you'd be passing by."

I had no idea whether she was deliberately trying to blame her attitude on my earlier words of wisdom or whether she was really angry for what he'd done to her, but either way, I wasn't proud of the way she was taking the situation. In the meantime, she continued; "And I suppose you're only here because of what happened to you during your race with Seiji, hmm?"

"That's enough, Miyoko!" I snapped harshly. "Show some respect! I'd expected more from you."

She gave me a venomous stare. "You're not my father."

"I don't have to be to tell you that your attitude is really inappropriate not to mention rude right now! Did none of what I'd said earlier penetrate your thick head?"

"I beg your pardon!" she screeched. "I am not thick-headed! If anything -"

"All right, cut it out before we all get kicked out of here!" Jin cut in, raising his voice and effectively silencing everyone in the room. He then cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Sorry. Anyway… Miyo, even though I'm on your side, I agree with aniki… at least he's here to try to fix what he did wrong. Can't you at least be respectful for that?"

Miyoko said nothing, but she looked away and stared at her bedside table. I was startled to see that she was fighting back tears. It cut me to the core, seeing that defeated look on her face, but I knew that I couldn't let her get away with that behaviour. Not if I wanted to call myself a good team leader. Ironically, I wondered why I spent more time disciplining Miyoko's attitude rather than her racing skills.

Shingo looked around hesitantly. "Well… I, uh… think we've overstayed our welcome. Um… we'll be… going now…"

I let out a sigh. "Hey, thanks for coming, you guys. I know how hard this must've been for you. Incidentally… what's the status on your car, Shingo?"

He shook his head. "Totaled. It's gonna cost me a fortune to get it repaired. I'm thinking I might scrap it and get a new car altogether."

Nakazato elbowed him in the ribs playfully. "Maybe it's about time you invested in something sturdier," he joked. Shingo gave him a sour look. "Shut up, Takeshi." Then he looked over at Miyoko, who was still looking away. "Um… how's your car, Ieyasu-chan?"

She didn't answer, so I did it for her, "It's in the shop. It should be fixed soon." I could tell he looked extremely uncomfortable, so I nodded at him and gave an encouraging smile. "Hope that arm of yours heals soon."

"Thanks, Iwaki… I, uh… I hope you get better soon, Ieyasu-chan…" he finished before he and Nakazato left the room. All of us stood there (or sat there, in Miyoko's case) in silence. I looked over at Miyoko and could still see her fighting back tears. I decided to comfort her to the best of my ability. "Hey, it's not so bad…" I spoke soothingly, placing one hand on her shoulder.

She jerked away from me as if she'd been stung. "Don't touch me," she hissed, her mouth trembling. "I hate you." And with that, she started to cry. I just stood there, unsure of what to say. The other two stared at me, as if expecting me to do something.

"Miyoko…" I murmured, but she kept on crying. I tried again to comfort her, but she merely screamed in my face again, "I hate you Seiji!" Almost immediately after that, one of the nurses hurried into the room, a worried look on her face. "Is everything okay? What's wrong, Ieyasu-chan? Is Seiji bothering you? I can ask him to leave, if you'd like."

That did it. I let out an exclamation of disgust and frustration and stormed out of her hospital room. To hell with her and to hell with Evo Prime. I didn't agree to become their team leader to deal with childish tantrums like this. It just wasn't worth the headache. I was halfway down the hallway when I heard Jin calling out my name. I didn't bother turning around, nor did I break my stride. I only stopped when Jin caught up to me and grabbed my arm, restricting my movement.

"Aniki, where are you going?"

I turned to face him and there was no mistaking the disgust I had on my face. "Home. I'm packing my things and I'm leaving."

He turned pale. "But you can't! We need you! What about Evo Prime?"

"What about it?" I demanded. "Miyoko's got enough skill to lead the team. Let her be your leader. She obviously wants to be leader anyway. After all, she doesn't seem to listen to me, even when I'm trying to get a logical point across. With what I've taught you so far, you can pretty much figure out the rest yourselves. You don't need me anymore." I turned to leave again.

"Aniki…" He tried again, "I know Miyoko's being difficult, but you know… like I said before… some times, you have to let her win… to make her happy."

I turned around to face him again and this time, my disgust was directed at him. "Make her happy? You just don't get it, do you, Jin? I don't give a rat's ass if she's Hiroji Ieyasu's daughter. She could be queen of the goddamn world and I wouldn't care either way. I refuse to bend my principles just because they don't suit her agenda. Both you and Alex can be her personalized doormats if you want to, but I refuse to be a part of that group. I have more dignity in myself than to become some spoiled brat's lapdog." I yanked my arm out of his grasp. "Now if you'll excuse me… I have some packing to do."

I'd meant my words to hurt. But it was the truth and nothing but. After all, they seemed to like deferring to the princess's every whim, so they could continue doing so, with my blessing. There was no way that I'd do that, though. And as a matter of fact, I didn't care if I'd have to live in a hotel for a few weeks. I was sure that in the long run, it'd be worth it. A small part of me felt a twinge of disappointment, because I knew I was going to miss all of them. My brother… Alex… Sparky… even Miyoko to an extent.

But if I wanted to keep my sanity, I had to leave. If I stayed any longer, I knew my brain would explode. Especially with the way Miyoko kept slipping back into her old bratty phase, despite my best efforts to teach her otherwise. Besides, I'd agreed to be the team leader of their racing team, not be her surrogate father.

The house seemed darker than usual when I got there. Or maybe it was just me, since I knew I probably wouldn't see it again. I parked my car, got out and made my way to the front door. I could hear Sparky whining from the inside as I took out my keys. When I opened the door, he barked and jumped up at me, trying to lick my face again. I let out a sigh. I knew I was going to miss the scamp, even if he did like waking me (and everyone else) up at all hours with his howls. I knelt down and ruffled his dark head affectionately. "I'm gonna miss you, boy." He seemed to sense the sadness in my voice and he started to whine again and kept butting his nose against my palm. I stood up and let out a long sigh before I made my way upstairs to begin packing my things.

I had just finished snapping the lid shut on the last suitcase when I heard the familiar engine roar of Alex and Jin's cars. So they got back before I could leave. And since Miyoko was supposed to be discharged from the hospital today, it meant that she had to be with them. Oh well… At least I could give them one last honest farewell before we parted ways.

I hoisted up two suitcases and started to carry them downstairs. As I reached the bottom landing, Miyoko stepped into the main hallway, flanked on either side by Jin and Alex. Her eyes were puffy from all that crying, and both guys had solemn looks on their faces. I stared back at them in silence before I let out a small sigh and shrugged. "Well… good bye… And good luck with Evo Prime."

"I don't want you to go…" Miyoko spoke in a low voice. It was shaky, as if she could burst into tears at any given moment. And judging by the look on her face, she looked like she was ready to do so.

"It doesn't seem like I have any other choice, though… I can't stay here. I -"
"I'm sorry!" she cried as she threw herself at me. I let go of both suitcases to catch her before she could crash into me. "I'm sorry! I'll change! I swear I will! Just don't leave!" she sobbed as she clutched at my shirtfront. I stared at both Alex and Jin, who both avoided my gaze. "Please don't leave, Seiji. I'm sorry…" she whimpered.

As much as I didn't want to have to deal any further with her histrionics, I knew that if I didn't give her another chance, I'd merely be contradicting what I'd said earlier that day when I was talking about Shingo. And I couldn't back down on my word. Not if I wanted to keep any credibility.

Still…

I let out another sigh and held her at arm's length. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. My expression hadn't changed, though, as I said, "You know… your behaviour today was really reprehensible and I was utterly shocked to see you act the way you did. After all, the world is made up of many different people, and you can't expect everyone to bow down to your wishes, despite you being who you are." I waited a moment for my words to sink in before I went on; "However, I will give you a second chance. I'll stay... But!" here, I held up a finger, "If you step out of line again, I swear I will leave. And no amount of reasoning, threats or crying will make me change my mind. I can only take so much before I lose it, Miyoko. I'm only human after all. We all are."

She nodded and sniffled again before letting out another feeble "I'm sorry…"

"I know. It's okay."

"I really am a horrible person, aren't I? I can never seem to act reasonable around anyone," she spoke, almost to herself as she sniffled.

Alex and Jin still said nothing. I shrugged and smiled a little. "Well, not exactly, but you do tend to be difficult to deal with at some rather inappropriate times, I must admit. But everyone can be like that, so you can't blame all your shortcomings on that." I then let her go and let out another sigh. "I… guess I better go unpack… again…"

"I'll help!" Miyoko offered, her eyes hopeful. I shook my head and stared pointedly at her sling and the neck brace.

"Not this time. You shouldn't strain yourself too much while you're trying to recover."

"I'll help," Jin spoke solemnly. He nodded once to both Alex and Miyoko, then followed me upstairs back to my room. I dropped both suitcases on my bed and then turned to face my brother. "Okay, so tell me… what convinced her to apologize for her behaviour?"

"When I relayed the news that you'd be going home to pack, Miyoko merely said "Good riddance!" but Alex and I really let her have it. She was acting like a spoiled brat, aniki; and we didn't want you to leave just because she couldn't suck it up and accept the fact that she can't have everything her way. Also…" here, he looked uneasy, "well, the personalized doormat comment really hit home. It made me realize why you and Miyo fight so much, while Alex and I seem to get along with her just fine… It's because you always stand up to her and never let her dominate over you. Considering she's Hiroji Ieyasu's daughter, it's fair to assume that she basically grew up having everything she's ever wanted, so very few people have ever said no to her. You weren't trying to be mean to her; you were just trying to teach her that there's more to life than having what you want."

"At least one of you figured out why I was so adamant with her," I spoke wryly.

"Thing is… if Alex and I start adopting the attitude you use on her, I think she'll feel hopelessly outnumbered and will order all three of us out of her house. And, well… all three of us taking on a domineering behaviour wouldn't be fair to her…"

"I know. I never said that you two needed to be as scathing as I am when she counters me. Just remember that when she really steps far out of line, it's okay to set her straight." When Jin laughed, I smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey… do you want to know what Shingo said about our team when I was driving him to the hospital?"

Jin looked at me in surprise. "What did he say? Was it something insulting?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No. The way I described us, he said we were more like a family than a team of racers. And you know what? He said - well, he didn't say it, but he insinuated it - that he was jealous of how we take care of each other, despite our differences. We may not be the most skilled team around, but we've got something else that others don't have…"

He was looking at me funnily. "Man aniki, sometimes I swear you're going soft on us."

I let out a mock growl and grabbed him in a headlock whereupon I began to give him a noogie. "And what exactly did you mean by that, little brother?" I chastised.

Jin struggled to get loose. "Aah, aniki, I was only kidding!"

I let him go and stared at him with a don't mock me again or else it's curtains for you look. I then laughed and said, "It's not that I've gone soft. It's just… Well, I've been living on my own for over five years and you know that I've had little to no contact with you or the rest of the family. So, well… in a way, it's nice to live in a family atmosphere again, you know? All the daily craziness and arguments and decisions… I missed all that." My voice took on a mocking tone. "Is it a crime to want a family setting?"

"We-ell…" Jin drawled, deliberately stretching out the last syllable, "if you really wanted a family, why don't you just get married? God knows you're at an age to settle down, aniki. What's holding you back?" he teased.

I knew he was joking, but hey… why not play along? "Are you kidding me?" I demanded, pointing at my face with both my index fingers. "You honestly think that with something like this, I can land myself a wife? If anything, you'd have an easier time landing yourself some willing lady, but I've got my work cut out for me!"

Jin threw his head back and laughed aloud. "Hey, if I can land myself a wife, it shouldn't be all that much harder for you! After all, you are my brother, and we don't look all that different from each other." Almost as if on cue, we both stared into the small mirror that hung on the wall. Our reflections stared back at us; Jin was looking fresh-faced and oozed out all that sex appeal, while I looked like a worn-out version of him. "Well…" he tried to reason, "somewhat different…"

"I love the confidence behind your words, brother," I mocked before I ruffled his head affectionately. "Aah, who am I kidding? I know you just have my best interests in mind. Thanks for your concern… but I enjoy my independence right now. I see no need to shackle myself any time soon."

Jin gave me a crooked smile. "Darn. And here I was, hoping that you'd grant my wish to become an uncle," he joked. At that, I snorted and punched him in the arm. "Yeah right. Ask Shizuka to do that for you. I'm worried that my kids'll turn out as horrendous as I did. After all, you seem to have gotten all the looks in the family, you lucky bastard."

"Not exactly. You looked a lot like me when you were my age. If anything, I'm more slated to look like you when I get older, so in effect, I'm the one who has a lot to be concerned about when it comes to my looks, aniki."

I made a sour face. "Don't remind me. Just my luck, back then, I had to be stupidly obsessed with cars and racing that I'd completely ignored any of the girls who bothered to come after me."

It was Jin's turn to grab me in a headlock and give me a noogie. "Aah, stop underrating yourself, aniki. Why, if I was a hot girl, I'd grab you up in an instant!" he chortled.

I merely went still at that comment, then said, very slowly, "In that case…" here, I freed myself from his grasp and stood a fair distance away from him, "I think I'll stand over here now… while you stay over there…"

"Jeez aniki, I was only kidding!" And with that, he chased me and tackled me to the ground, whereupon we got into one of our stupidly immature playfights, something we hadn't done in ages, but still indulged in from time to time when we were together.

Despite all that, I had to admit, I liked the notion of Evo Prime being more than just a team, but more a family. It gave it a special feeling, one that was noticeably absent when I was a part of Emperor.

It also gave me the incentive to stay with all of them, despite the possibility of increasing my chances of a heart attack.

---

(wades out of the sea of gooeyness)

So… yeah… Another life lesson taught by the one and only Iwaki Seiji!

Seriously, I decided to use this chapter to focus more on his relationship with the members of Evo Prime, particularly with Miyoko's outburst, which resulted in Seiji's threatening to leave the team. For starters, it explains why Seiji is so harsh with Miyoko most of the time. He isn't trying to break her spirit; he's just trying to give her a little insight on reality and its harsh tendencies. Considering the fact that she'd been hospitalized thanks to Shingo, you can understand why she's reluctant to accept his apology, but Seiji insists that she acknowledge it at least. I can't remember who it was, but someone once said, To err is human; to admit it, superhuman. Anyone can make a mistake; hell anyone can make the same mistake multiple times, but it's never easy to admit that you've made a mistake. Shingo put himself out on the line to admit that he'd made one hell of a stupid mistake, and Seiji knew it. What he wanted to do, however, was make Miyoko see it, but in her stubborn irrationality, she refused and instead took her anger out on Seiji. At least everything worked out in the end.

I'd decided to end this chapter with Jin and Seiji fighting like a bunch of immature playground kids, but my intention was to draw an emphasis upon their relationship as brothers. I also wanted to draw a comparison between the Iwaki brothers and the Takahashi brothers. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but when I look at the Takahashis' relationship as siblings, I get the impression that even though Ryousuke is proud of Keisuke and is protective of him, I sense a barrier. There's something that's preventing them from really benefiting from the full advantages of being brothers. Now, on the other hand, you've got Seiji and Jin. There's a six-year difference between both of them, but they're still comfortable in their relationship with each other to throw their pride as grown men aside and indulge in a stupid wrestling match. It's supposed to show that, no matter what Seiji becomes, he'll always love his little brother and isn't afraid to show it. (the way boys usually do… since I know a lot of brothers would balk at the whole direct eye "I love you" thing)

Don't fret, the brief bout of sappiness ends here and it returns to normal in the next chapter. Stay frosty, true believers!

-BoomChish-