Chapter Seven
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Keisuke didn't bother to pause after the battle, but drove instead straight to Takasaki Hospital. It was past midnight and he knew that visiting hours were over, but he had to try and see Ryousuke anyway. He could surely coax one of the young nurses to let him in.
"I'm sorry Takahashi-san," said a young nurse.
Keisuke looked at her nametag. "Atsuko-chan," he pleaded, "may I just see him for a minute? It's important."
She shook her head lightly. "I'm sorry, but we have rules."
"He's my Aniki," he said, leaning a bit closer. "And it would –"
"Keisuke!"
A small shiver crept down his spine. "Otousan," he dug his hands into his pockets, "what an unexpected pleasure?"
"I'm about to leave," Ryouichi said disapprovingly, nodding to dismiss the nurse. "I trust you will apologize to Atsuko-chan for your impish begging and return home without disturbing Ryousuke."
Disheartened, Keisuke nodded as his father walked away. He too turned, ready to apologize, but a soft hand caught his arm.
"No more than five minutes," said the nurse, smiling. "I'll be watching you." She slid her access card though the door and left to give the brothers some privacy.
Keisuke grinned and bowed a deep thank you. When he entered Ryousuke's room, the lights were off and the constant beeping of different machines were the only audible sounds that he could hear.
He sat by the bedside and shoved his hands in the front of his sweatshirt. "I won, Aniki."
Ryousuke was sound asleep.
Keisuke looked at his expression, calm and collected, unaffected by the fact that he had recently undergone extensive orthopedic surgery. "I beat the crap out of that WRX. They're going to Akina in a couple of weeks and Fujiwara will kill them too. I know it; you trained us both well."
After a few moments of silence, "Arigato, Aniki. I couldn't have done it without you."
As he closed the door, Keisuke felt a weight lift from his shoulders. As he walked out of the elevators, he noticed a young woman sitting on the couch in the entranceway who looked vaguely familiar.
"Kyoko-chan!"
She looked up and smiled. "Hello, Keisuke-kun. I don't mean to bother you…Fumihiro-san told me what happened and I assumed…"
He stopped her stammering explanation with a wave of his hand. "I'm sorry about the restaurant. I completely lost track of time and…"
She smiled at him, "It's fine, Keisuke-kun. I understand."
They looked at each other uncomfortably, the silence was deafening.
"Well I…"
"I should…"
The situation became even more awkward and when Kyoko took her hand out of her jacket pocket, her silver cell phone clamored onto the floor.
They both kneeled to pick it up and his hand touched hers. When Keisuke looked up, their faces were centimeters apart; he could feel her hot breath on his lips.
Kyoko was mortified. He's going to think I'm a clumsy, intrusive…
And then something brushed her lips, so softly that she thought she had imagined it. The musky scent of cologne invaded her senses and a slightly calloused finger brushed her cheek.
She felt her body tremble under his touch. "Keisuke-kun…"
Keisuke breathed out and let his eyelids open. For a moment he stood frozen in time, terrified, suddenly realizing where, or to whom, his impulses had taken him. "Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…I…Goodbye."
He rushed out of the front door, flustered. What had he done? He wasn't on a professional team yet, he hadn't achieved his goal yet, and he most definitely could not yet spare the time for a relationship. But was it really that? Project D had definitely given him more confidence and he felt almost ready to enter into the professional field. What if it was something else?
Then he remember Fumihiro's words from months earlier. "I don't think what happened with your last girlfriend will happen with her. She's a driver, herself."
Would Kyoko understand his need to put her second? He shook his head and floored the accelerator. The man was right, but it was still difficult to even consider entering into another relationship with someone he could imagine compromising driving to be with. Keisuke realized it was his own priorities that could endanger his future racing career. In his rearview mirror, the hospital disappeared from sight.
I have someone else to think of too now.
-
Kyoko stood kneeling in the middle of the waiting room walkway, gently touching her lips with tears streaming down her cheeks. She heard the FC peeling out of the parking lot and felt her shoulders slump. How much was too much? How long should she hold out before finally just giving up?
"But why this if he didn't care about me?"
Sighing heavily and drying her eyes, rose to leave the hospital.
-
"Takumi-kun!"
Mogi's voice caught his attention and his head snapped around just in time to catch her as she jumped into his arms and gave him a long kiss on the cheek.
Red-faced at the public display he had just been involved in, Takumi gently placed her down. "Be careful, next time I might not catch you." He thrust his hands into his pockets to dig for his keys.
She smiled, thinking he looked more adorable than usual when he blushed. "Did you bring your cute little car?"
Cute, Takumi thought. How masculine. "Yes, it's the only car I have, remember?"
Her smile faded a bit. "Aren't you excited to see me? I've been waiting for this day forever!"
He grasped her small hand in his larger one to attempt to silently convey his feelings. "There have just been a couple of things going on recently that have kept my mind occupied."
"Well let's talk about it in the car," she suggested, getting in the passenger side. Takumi finished loading her bags in his trunk and climbed in. He looked to his left and saw her smiling back at him, feet on the edge of the seat, legs bundled under her arms. Familiarity was very nice indeed.
-
A small knock on the door woke Ryousuke from his slumber and it immediately opened revealing his brother, smiling sheepishly. "Guess what?"
"I'm sure you're planning to tell me regardless so please continue."
He held out a brown magazine bag from the bookshop. "This month's edition of Amateur Racing Digest just came out. Wait till you see who's on the cover."
Ryousuke moved the turntable aside and removed the magazine.
Akagi's Eternal Heart Throbs. Above the caption was an obviously computer edited photograph of the Takahashi brothers standing in front of their vehicles.
"I'm surprised that you would buy such thing, Keisuke."
"I usually wouldn't, but a girl came up and asked for an autograph and an engagement ring," Keisuke chuckled. "Oh come on, Aniki, back before and during Project D, we were known as legendary racers. Now that it's over and our legend is known and spread, we've been reduced to teenage eye candy. Ironic, isn't it?"
Ryousuke smiled. "Indeed. Is this supposed to amuse me for the next two days?"
Keisuke shrugged.
"I need to talk to you about something, Otouto," Ryousuke said, placing the magazine on the bed and pulling his computer back in front of him.
Keisuke raised an eyebrow. It had been a while since he was called by that name.
"I received two emails about a week ago and I think you should read them." He swiveled the table so that Keisuke could read the text on his laptop. His brother's eyes widened and he could tell that Keisuke was overwhelmed.
"Aniki, does this mean?"
Ryousuke nodded. "They want to see you battle before inviting you to try-out on their own respective circuits; it's a tactic often used when professionals scout mountain pass racers to see what they can do on their own turf and whether or not their styles can adapt to the ones used on the circuit."
Keisuke nodded, the corners of his mouth upturning.
"Don't get too excited yet, Keisuke," Ryousuke reminded him. "This is only interest. You have to continue your improvement to ensure a space on their team."
Keisuke nodded again, still smiling.
"But let me be the first to say," Ryousuke smiled, "congratulations."
His brother chucked. "And I thought I had the news of the day. You always have to outdo me!"
Ryousuke smiled. It is you, Keisuke, who has outdone me. He felt a small pit of jealousy burn in the pit of his stomach. His brother was being invited to drive with professionals while he was sitting immobilized in a hospital bed.
"Once I am well," Ryousuke thought bitterly, "I will still be returning to this place."
"Aniki?" Keisuke's voice jolted him back to attention. He quickly closed his emotions and put on a stoic face.
"Hmm?"
"When do they want to watch?"
"I'll email them the dates of battles that will be optimal for showing off your skills; one where your win is guaranteed to exhibit your speed, and one where your opponent is very difficult and superior in vehicle to exhibit your technique and ability to adapt to disadvantageous conditions." Ryousuke turned his attention back to his laptop. "These processes are often slow because the outcome requires such a long commitment. Both teams have given us up to six months to act; you will be a spring recruit since none of them drive on snow."
Keisuke nodded dreamily. "Hai, Aniki, whatever you say."
Knowing that his brother was beyond speaking seriously about driving at the given moment, Ryousuke turned back to his computer while Keisuke opened the magazine and had an interesting afternoon with his brother reading about every inch of their physical characteristics.
-
"Manaka-chan," a nurse commented, "are you feeling well today? You look quite pale."
She looked up at the matronly woman and smiled reassuringly. "I am fine Saito-san. Just tired from working."
The motherly nurse looked sympathetically at the young woman. Manaka was such a hard worker; going to school, holding a full time job as a waitress, and volunteering constantly at the hospital. "Please don't overwork yourself, dear, you're becoming painfully thin. In fact, stop folding those and just bring these towels to Suite 3 on the fourth floor."
Manaka straightened and groaned as her back muscles protested the movement. "Hai."
She walked briskly to the elevators and through the orthopedics wing to the VIP suites in the back. As she passed the glass windows, her heart stopped. Suite 3 was Takahashi Ryousuke's room.
Quietly opening the door to the sitting room adjacent to the actual bedroom, Manaka prayed that he was asleep so she could slip in and out without notice. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she could only manage a small smile and a clumsy bow to his nod of acknowledgement as she went into the bathroom.
Ryousuke vaguely recognized the young woman. Her uniform was not that of a nurse or a maintenance employee so he could only assume that she was a medical student of some sort serving mandatory volunteer hours. They most likely crossed paths during their work at the hospital.
A muffled gasp from the bathroom caught his attention. Ryousuke turned his attention from the computer screen to the doorway. Moments later, the young woman reentered the room, flushed, struggling to release something from her shoulders. It was almost comical.
"I'm so sorry Takahashi-kun," she apologized, blushing a deep crimson. She exited the patient room backwards while unsuccessfully trying to un-attach the medical adhesive from her back.
Ryousuke felt sympathy from this obviously flustered and highly embarrassed young woman. "May I help you with that?"
Manaka blushed further. "No, please…don't worry yourself! It's just some medical tape…"
He reached out his left hand and motioned for her to approach the bed. Reaching up, Ryousuke easily removed the perpetrator from between her shoulder blades. Touching her delicate figure was oddly titillating for Ryousuke; he couldn't explain the effect that such a small amount of contact had on him.
Manaka was holding her breath. She was frozen by the softness of his touch; it felt heavenly compared to the rough hands of Kintaro.
He couldn't take his hand off of her back, she was silently drawing him to her. Ryousuke didn't understand his feelings; perhaps the narcotic analgesics were momentarily affecting his senses. She turned around and his hand inadvertently trailed down her arm. Realizing his actions, Ryousuke quickly removed it. As his hand clumsily left the young woman's forearm, it displaced the sleeve of her shirt, revealing what Ryousuke swore was a dark bruise.
Manaka saw that his line of sight had changed and followed his gaze. Immediately, she withdrew her arm and bowed deeply. "Arigato, Takahashi-kun." She quickly left the room.
"Wait."
She turned around, nervously biting her lip. "Yes?"
"You know my name," Ryousuke asked, "but I don't yet know yours."
Manaka blushed again and managed a small smile. "Kobayashi Manaka."
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Kobayashi-chan."
She tore out of the room as quickly as she could while still doing so politely.
Ryousuke looked at his left hand oddly and shook his head before returning to his computer. It was the first time in months where he forgot about racing, medicine, and the conflict both waged on his mind.
-
Manaka knew she was in trouble. She was falling for someone she barely knew! She never hid her feelings well and if Kintaro-kun found out…"
This wasn't working, she thought to herself. There had to be a way for her to give back to Kintaro-kun everything he had given her. Once their debt was cleared, then she would no longer feel obligated to stay with him; her emotional debt was long overpaid.
"I have to find a way!"
-
A week after the operation, Ryousuke was given a heavy dose of pain medication, loaded into the Takasaki Hospital Transportation Van, and driven slowly back to the Takahashi residence.
When he was comfortably settled in the bed that was adapted recently to incorporate the traction for his leg and knee, his family allowed him some peace and quiet. The soft yellow lights emanating from the overhead lamp were soothing compared to the glare of the fluorescents. It was indeed good to be home.
A wheelchair at the end of the bed reminded him of his current condition. Although it had been nearly three weeks since the accident, he was still bedridden and could not leave it for another month. Ryousuke began to feel restless.
His parents had hired a nurse to live with them until their eldest son was recovered enough to begin physical therapy. Umi-san was a stern elderly lady, as Ryouichi had requested. The last thing he needed in his household was to have hired staff fawning over his sons.
Ryousuke didn't mind her at all, except for the baths where he felt personal discomfort and humiliation on top of his physical agony. To her credit Umi-san was a perfect professional, but that didn't stop Keisuke from teasing his brother with a sponge every so often.
Sometimes Ryousuke longed for a cigarette to calm his nerves and Keisuke was a cherished supplier. His mother greatly disapproved of the habit shared by the men in her household and forbid the use of it in the house, but allowed Ryousuke to indulge inside with the balcony door open. He was smoking less now, not being able to do so in the hospital had calmed the craving to sporadic bouts when stress or pain was high.
Two weeks after returning home, Ryousuke called his brother into his room.
"What do you need, Aniki?" Keisuke asked from the door with a grin. "Sponge bath?"
Ryousuke gave him a disapproving glance, letting Keisuke know that what he needed was a serious matter. "There's been a challenge issued by a team from Nagano."
"So? We've met racers from that area; not very skilled."
"You can't take this one lightly, Keisuke," he met his brother's gaze. "I plan to invite the scouts to this race."
Silence emanated throughout the room. "Oh…"
"They've requested an uphill and a downhill race," Ryousuke continued after giving his brother a minute to digest the news. "I've decided that, since this race will be to show off your power, it is wiser to put you on the climb."
"But Aniki…" Keisuke began to protest. No doubt Ryousuke would have Fujiwara race the downhill. "Project D is over."
Ryousuke shook his head at his brother's pout. "Formally, it is, but this team was formed recently and was unable to challenge D when we were still active. It will be a good opportunity to give Fujiwara some attention as well."
Keisuke frowned; Fujiwara was a good guy, but the scouts were here to watch him drive. Why was Ryousuke so adamant about showing the Hachi-Roku?
"I know what you're thinking, Keisuke," Ryousuke replied, reading his brother's thoughts. "The scouts are there to recruit you. They are both from respected teams and currently, they still consider Fujiwara too young to race with them. At most, they will keep tabs on him until he turns twenty next year."
Still bitter, Keisuke nodded.
"What happens with Fujiwara is no longer any of your concern, Keisuke." Ryousuke's voice commanded attention, and his brother automatically straightened. "It's been scheduled for three weeks from next weekend. Nagano is a good distance and the teams have many battles planned before reaching Akagi. I would suggest you use the time to practice your acceleration and cornering techniques."
"Hai."
-
Manaka stood in line at the bank to deposit her recent paycheck. She had been working for two years and spending very little; she couldn't be too far from her goal now.
"May I please have a balance check?"
The teller punched in some numbers and wrote digits on a piece of paper, folded it in half, and passed it to her customer.
"Arigato."
Nervously, Manaka unfolded the statement.
¥ 20,004,321.67
She felt her heart sink. Not even halfway. Kintaro's face once again clouded her vision. How much longer did she have to pretend? Placing the bank note into her wallet, Manaka looked at the picture of her family that she always kept with her.
Her father stood proudly in the background with her mother sitting in the front. Manaka had a hand placed on her mother's shoulder and her little brother was on her other side, smiling gleefully in his blue suit with missing front teeth. It was taken four years ago and they had been so happy. How could it have all gone wrong so quickly?
Manaka quickly stuffed her wallet back into her purse, closing opening on the bag, desperately attempting to shut the demons from her past in as well.
Resolving to finish the matter and release herself from Kintaro's prison, she walked briskly back into the bank.
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Well I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews from the last one, they were great and really encouraging. You guys are all AWESOME!Since there is a little hint of implied violence going around in the story, I was wondering if I should up the rating to PG-13; what do you guys think? Let me know, but for now I'll just keep it at PG. Thanks again for being great! Now I'm off to go watch the Superbowl.