Focus: Takahashi Keisuke
Course: Physical Education

Disclaimer: I don't own Initial D.

Linear Lines

In only one day, Takahashi Keisuke had gained a new respect. For asphalt.

Were it any normal day of the week, the younger Takahashi would probably be…with his brother, wherever that may happen to be. Such was the case today, but with a slight change. While his brother Ryosuke stood on the sidelines watching, Keisuke was killing his knees on the blacktop in his attempt to take part in a game of floor (or in this case, street) hockey. It was a game that Keisuke hadn't played since he was in high school P.E., and even then they had done it indoors, sans the roller blades.

The idea of the game came about all due to Tsugumi's unwillingness to study. As Keisuke had heard, she had just finished her midterms at the end of last week, thus adding to her reluctance to 'hit the books.' So instead, she made her tutor an opposition. Since physical exertion 1.) was healthy for you, and 2.) helped clear your mind, she recommended that the three of them do some outside activity, and that they could resume studying with a clear head later.

What a scam.

Of course, since Ryosuke was so fond of his charge, and since he was such a health nut, he consented, saying that it could perhaps be some fun. So they called up some friends (which of course, consisted of none of Tsugumi's friends - Lord forbid if any of them saw her taking part in any such event - and entirely of RedSuns members, for what other acquaintances had the brothers to rely on?), and got two moderately small teams organized. Just enough for a game.

How both Ryosuke and Tsugumi managed to wriggle out of the commitment, Keisuke wasn't sure. But when all was said and done, Keisuke was stuck in roller blades - with Kenta behind him as always - making some attempt at sports, while he watched his brother stand around watching the game…and Tsugumi prance around laughing at the game. It wasn't that Keisuke was totally adverse to physical exercise; he actually enjoyed working out from time to time, but with the RedSuns? The most horrible part about the deal was that Keisuke was getting his ass handed to him by people that was used to owning. Hockey just wasn't his thing.

Whenever he thought of things with wheels, he thought of cars, meaning he thought of going fast…to a near pro-level street racer, roller blades were torture. He didn't have enough control. He couldn't steer right. He couldn't stop right. What had began as a lame idea that he had just been dragged into for seemingly no reason, had become a game of falling, missing, and losing. The biggest problem he had, Keisuke found, was that he couldn't go fast enough. He couldn't get to where he wanted to be when he wanted to be there.

Keisuke didn't like this.

Looking over, Keisuke could still see his brother standing with a smile on his face, every now-and-then turning his head to tell Fumihiro (who must have gotten out through association) something or other, probably about the physics of the game or the scientific reasoning as for why one team was winning and the other losing, or something geek-ish, like that. The two of them would occasionally chuckle at the antics of the players, but Keisuke could see that every time he messed up, his brother tried to laugh in good spirit with all the others, but he didn't seem to be fully into it.

'This is pathetic…and I can't even tell if he's upset because I'm getting bruised knees, or if he's upset because I'm not succeeding…' Keisuke knew better than to look too deep into his brother's concern, and decided that it was most likely a combination of both reasons.

After yet again missing his opportunity with the puck due to his inability to get to it, Keisuke heard his brother finally call out to him (in which case, the game was automatically put on pause. Anything Ryosuke had to say was given priority.)

"Keisuke! For as fast as you are in the FD, you seem to be lacking in speed here…perhaps try to think more about what you're doing, hm?" Keisuke could have smiled at how almost-embarrassing that had sounded, but he simply let his brother continue. "Remember, the fastest way from 'A' to 'B' is a linear line…think how you think when you're behind the wheel - it will improve your speed."

'Well, well, if it isn't the ever-ready cryptic advice…' Keisuke idly wondered if his brother spent his spare time thinking up obscure advice for different scenarios, before flipping Ryosuke's words over in his head, searching for the key to winning that he knew was hidden somewhere deep inside. 'Well, it seems pretty basic…just go in a straight line, and then we'll see how it goes from there.'

Keisuke attempted the action while he also kept playing the words over in his head. Ryosuke had said for him to think like he thought when he was driving…meaning that he was going to be doing some multitasking, that was for certain. He would have to think about what his opponent was doing, take action to best his opponent, and also still mule over his brother's advice, lest he miss the situation to which it applies.

He found that the straight lines did increase his speed, but he was still thinking over Ryosuke's words more than he was paying attention to anything that was going on in the game around him (something not recommendable.).

"The fastest way from 'A' to 'B' is a linear line'…that applies to a lot, Ry. You can get anywhere in life faster by going on that straight line.' Keisuke thought, getting slightly off course and, little-by-little, off topic. 'I guess that's the same mentality he tells me about all the time. Take the path - high or low, hard or no - that is straight…though I don't know how often he's ever taken the low road anyhow. I guess any 'point B' worth getting to can't be gotten to through cheating or foul play . A linear line to a respectable 'B' comes from a respectable 'A,' apparently.

'And now the whole thinking process of my brother is revealed. Where is my 'point B'? In professional racing. So where did he set my 'point A'? In a team that he has personally engineered to be successful. In the undefeatable Project D. He's set it all up for me. Project D could undoubtedly run a bee-line right into the world of pro racing. 'There's my future, right there.'

Something about that last thought bothered Keisuke. There was a quiet note of discord in that thought, making him roll it over and over, trying to figure out just what about those five words could have left a bad impression. What was he missing?

'Something about that future isn't right…I want to go pro, right?' Keisuke struggled for a moment to grasp that quiet reason that eluded him. And then it clicked. And it was so very simple.

'That future…it's just…racing. It's missing everything else.' As strange as it may sound, that thought made absolute sense to the boy at that moment in time. Any other time, and Keisuke wouldn't have thought there was anything wrong with racing away his life, but now that he though it over completely, he could feel that there was something missing. 'I'm in a box. I'm in the box of the racing world. And I've all but condemned myself there. Here. I want to race, and I'm going to, but …am I going to do anything else?

'I always thought 'When I grow up, I'll live normally, like everyone else. I'll get married, have a kid, buy a house - the works. The norm.' but now that I look at it, I've cut myself a pretty linear path. And closed quite a few doors along the way. I'm living day-to-day now.

'I wake up thinking, 'Today, I'm gonna race for D.' I want to go pro. That much I've known for years. But what happens when I make it? What happens when I become a pro? Am I still gonna focus solely on racing, and tell myself that I have no time for a girlfriend? I mean, I want to lead that normal life that I always thought I would lead, but looking at myself now…I know I'm not gonna change. My path is the linear one, right? At current, my goal is go pro. And I always told myself that as soon as I reached that, that then I could worry about everything else that's on the side.

'But I can already tell that as soon as I go pro, my goal will change to 'race, win, get paid.' Nowhere in there is there going to be time for a transition to 'find a girlfriend,' or 'find a lover.' I've locked myself in. I've already closed my eyes to so many opportunities without even realizing it.'

Keisuke, who had before been at least attempting to better himself in the game he was engaged in, now all but stopped skating. He lowered his stick, lost in thought. Around him, the game still bustled on, the only people really noticing his sudden change were Kenta, the ever-observant and slightly obsessed, Ryosuke, who wasn't one known to take his eyes off his brother, and Fumihiro, because if you are going to talk to Ryosuke, you have to get in the Ryosuke mindset - and if you aren't paying attention to what Keisuke's doing, you're not in the Ryosuke mindset.

The first thought through Ryosuke's mind was that he noticed his brother was, in no way taking his advice. '…Well, that's a first.' The next few thoughts became a little confused while Ryosuke tried to reason as to what his younger brother was doing, and why. Finding no 'why' for his brother's somewhat dejected manner, Ryosuke's older-sibling enhanced thought process quickly jumped to the loud thought of 'What is the matter?'

His brother was currently biting his lip.

That wasn't normal.

Keisuke, meanwhile, was deep in thought about a situation that he somewhat regretted having handled at all. He was thinking over how horribly he had approached certain aspects of his life. His current example went by the name of Iwase Kyoko.

Ryosuke noticed his brother grimace.

'I never lied to her…what I told her was the truth, and I did what I had to. I didn't have time for her. I didn't exactly want or try to make time for her, but still, I know my limits.

'So was what I did right? I mean, I only have time for what I have time for, and I only have time for my highest priorities…and yet, if I continue to treat people like I treated her, I don't see how I will ever change. I know I'm pretty status quo, and I don't know if I want to make a change, but for the first time, I'm actually a little afraid of this staying this way…'

Slowly - much more slowly than a person should when adorned with wheels on their feet - Keisuke made his way to the sidelines, silently quitting the game. He sat down on a near-by bench to finally take his roller blades off

Ryosuke took the opportunity to walk over to his brother and inquire about just what had happened to him that he would so randomly quit the event. Keisuke wasn't one to often quit from a competitive event, whether he was losing or not. Being a quitter was one thing that Keisuke had never been.

Upon reaching his brother, Ryosuke opened his mouth to ask what the problem was, when Keisuke spoke for the first time in a while, cutting his brother off before he even began.

"She's full of shit, Ry! That does not clear your head!"

Without further explanation, Keisuke got up and walked back towards home, knowing that upon arriving home he would take the opportunity to express and explain his newfound insecurities to Ryosuke; most likely in the privacy of Ryoske's own room. Ryosuke would be able to come up with some sort of solution or another, like he always did. Most probably, Ryosuke would think it over, throw the problem into a new light, and then somehow figure out a way to allude to or amend the issue during Keisuke's races. Like he always did.

Confused and slightly worried, Ryosuke watched as his brother walked away. Quietly, just before going out of earshot, Ryosuke could hear him brother muttering.

"There's something about linear lines that I don't like…"

Ryosuke made a mental note never to give advice pertaining to lines again, while he hoped that it wasn't just simply the thought of a Math related topic that had scared his brother off.