Disclaimer: Japanime Goddess doesn't own Acceleracers and neither does KawaiiYamato who is writing this.
Note: Hey, it's KawaiiYamato, Japanime Goddess's sister, really, biologically, okay, there's something that needs to be known, Goddess was in a car crash day before yesterday and is now in a coma… let's hope she wakes soon.
Razina and Shiori strolled through the park on their way home. Soon, though, Razina burst out with questions. "Well? What do you think?"
Shiori grinned cheerfully. "You lasted three minutes longer than I thought you would!" she reported, glancing down at her slim blue watch.
Razina waved that aside. "What did you think of his friend?"
Shiori shrugged. "I don't know... unstable?" 'SEXY?'
Razina frowned slightly. "Nolo told me that Shirako didn't really want to go... but Nolo said that he was worried about him staying here alone."
Shiori politely refrained from snorting. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "Shirako looks more than capable of taking care of himself."
"It's not that!" Razina glanced around and lowered her voice. " You have to know this… there's two reasons... his little sister Shizuka… he was real close to her and she just died in a car crash… they were in the same car but… only he survived. A few weeks ago, he tried to kill himself; he thinks he should've been more careful. Also, there're these people after him."
Shiori raised her eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?"
Razina ignored her. "It's not some big corporation or anything." she explained, still keeping an eye out for nosy eavesdroppers. "It's like a group of people our age that Shirako used to hang out with, see, they used to be in the same team… bunch of Asians, but then he chose the Teku over them… he knew Tone too…"
"Oh… Hang out with?"
"Okay," Razina admitted. "He was their leader. But," she held up a hand before Shiori could protest. "He left a few years ago, you know before they went racing against those Maniacs people? Remember? They went to the desert, and yeah, he left…which is pretty much why they're after them."
Shiori thought this over. "Okay." she said. "Let me get this straight… we're going on a road trip with a guy who has a gang after him… and if he joins us, the gang will be after us."
"That's the thing!" Razina said, eager to explain. "If we leave, Nolo thinks that'll discourage them from going after Shirako."
"Shirako doesn't seem like the type of person to take the easy way out."
"And how would you know?" Razina teased. "You just met him."
Shiori pretended not to hear her friend. Razina smirked. "Shiori! You have a crush on him! It's always the Asian guy!"
Shiori reddened. "Do not! It's just... he really doesn't."
Razina mulled this over. "I know." she murmured. "I wonder how this happened."
Nolo leaned back in the seat of Shirako's Bassline. "Remind me why I didn't bring High Voltage?" he groaned as Shirako turned up the Volume.
"Because," Shirako said. "Blame it on Tork."
Nolo sighed. "I don't do that anymore… "
"Glad to see that… Lo" He called his childhood and current friend by his rather feminine childhood nickname"
Nolo rolled his eyes. "Red light." he said mildly.
"Nah, it's still yellow."
"It's red!"
"Shut up, Nolo. It's yellow. And I'm a Teku"
Nolo looked back at the cars honking and drivers gesturing rudely. "That names no good for you when civilians are who are around you, and tell that to the people back there."
Shirako ignored him. Nolo sighed. "You're glad I forgave… now forgive yourself"
"Huh?"
"I forgave Tork now forgive yourself, it was an accident"
"I don't want to talk about it." Shirako shrugged, dipped his hand absently into his shirt pocket.
"You quit three months ago." Nolo reminded him.
"Damn it." Shirako screeched to a halt at a stop sign. "This wasn't here before."
"Yes it was." Nolo disagreed. "You just always drove past it… why do I even keep you?"
He glanced out at the scenery flying by. "So, what do you think of the girls?"
"I met them before, Moron."
"Really?"
"You're dumb, we used to hang when we were little, at least, with Shiori, her mom knew mine, I don't think she remembers. And since you asked, Razina fits you well"
"What do you mean?"
A rare smile (Or at least, they were rare now) crossed Shirako's face. "Exactly how it sounds, Lo. You two just click together."
"And you're spouting poetry." Nolo said dryly. "But what do you think about Shiori?"
Shirako's mind flickered back, to the smoky black hair and soft touch. "I need a beer," he muttered.
"You're underage."
"So? That didn't stop you when you were drinking yourself blind over Razina."
"I'm older than you." Nolo shot back sullenly.
"By a month." Shirako swerved into a parking space. Nolo opened the door and groaned. "I hate driving with you."
Shirako shrugged. "Get your damn car fixed then,"
"Shirako"
"What?" He snapped as they walked into the apartment complex and into Shirako's accommodation.
"It wasn't your fault"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Shirako, it was in the middle of a race, it was raining and you couldn't see Taro in front of you, he never meant to get her hurt"
"I'm not making the same mistake you did, blaming all and nothing on the Metal Maniacs, forgive me but lets see, I believe I was the one driving?" Shirako snapped. "And I'm sick of you doing this to me, I'm fine. I don't need your help"
"Sure, that's why, I found you jumping in front of the Maniac's car? What were you thinking you idiot? So, you lost your sister, guess what? I lost my brother, and I made a stupid mistake on where the blame went, and I got a bunch of crazy ideas in my head, I know what it's like, so I don't want you doing the mistakes I did"
"Well, just cause your elder brother is dead doesn't mean you have to tell me-" Shirako froze, knowing that he went too far, just by the look of grief on Nolo's face as his hand quickly clutched the T shaped necklace.
Before Nolo could reply, his cell phone rang. Nolo flipped open the phone. "Hello?"
A second later the expression on his face warmed. "Oh, hey."
"Mm hm. Okay. Of course. No, he wouldn't mind. Why would he? Okay. See you later, babe."
Shirako stretched out on the couch. "Who was that?"
Nolo grinned. "Razina. She and Shiori are coming over." Shirako sat up abruptly. "When did this happen?"
"Just now." Nolo shrugged and looked around the messy apartment in distaste. "We have to clean this up."
"We?" Shirako shook his head. "I didn't agree to let them into here!"
"That's because you never agree to anything." Nolo explained patiently. "So I just went ahead and told them to come."
Shirako sneered. "Acting like this is your place."
"It's half mine." Nolo said mildly. "Remember? I paid half."
Shirako sulked. "You won't let me buy it back!"
"Well, I need to make sure that you're where I can find you"
"Why can't you stay in that stupid Teku Mansion and let me live?" Shirako glared. "You have to take half of my place."
"It was ours." Nolo pointed out. "Until you got the Demolition Boys learned you moved to Canada and had to stay here."
"It's a wonder that the government hasn't put you in a home yet"
"At least I'm away from those bitchy counsellors"
"That's only because the government thinks you're under the custody of your uncle. Where is he, by the way? Haven't seen him in a while."
Shirako shrugged. "A resort, I think. The last amount of money I gave him was enough to keep him away for a couple more months."
Nolo rolled his eyes. "You're lucky your uncle is greedy and stupid. If he was any smarter, he'd start blackmailing you."
"He doesn't want to live with me anymore than I want to live with him." Shirako scoffed.
"Besides, he has nothing to blackmail me with. He thinks that money comes from my after-school job." Shirako snickered. Nolo sighed. " Well, he has no reason to believe that his only brother's son makes his money stealing from rich people and giving shares to the charity… what would your mother say… let's see, you have such a screwed up life."
"Exactly." Shirako said. "And I don't need to screw it up more by going a fucking road trip."
"Oh yeah." Nolo said, tossing a couch pillow back on the couch. "Don't cuss around the girls."
Shirako groaned just as the doorbell rang. Nolo bit his lip. "Clean up." he commanded, hurrying toward the front hall. Shirako rolled his eyes.
"But I was going to take a nap at home." Shiori mourned. Razina pressed the doorbell again. "I hoped I remember right."
Shiori sighed. "Why are we here again?"
"Because you're worried about the whole Demolition Boys gang thing." Razina replied.
Before Shiori could protest further, Nolo opened the door. "Hey there, ladies."
"Hi." Shiori replied. "Are you going to let us in?"
"Yeah." Nolo opened the door a little more, smiling nervously. "Excuse the mess."
Shiori bounced past Nolo, looking around with interest.
"This way." Nolo guided them past three closed doors and the kitchen. "Shirako's in the living room."
"Shirako's here too?" Shiori asked, wrinkling her nose a little. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about seeing him again. 'Well, get sure.' she scolded herself. 'If we're all going on a road trip, you'd have to spend a whole lot more time with him. And, I mean, what if he has a girlfriend? Though what kind of guy would leave his girlfriend alone for a whole summer I don't know...'
They entered the living room, where Shirako hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. "Hi Shirako!" Shiori said cheerfully. Shirako raised his soda can in reply, head bobbing to the loud Techno coming from the stereo that was on. Nolo frowned at him, then moved over to pull back the curtains in front of the balcony door. "Didn't I tell you to clean up this mess?" Nolo hissed as Shiori and Razina studied a grotesque little wooden skull. Shirako shrugged.
"Everything's where it's supposed to be."
"You keep your laptop on the floor?"
"Yeah. By the way, Shiori's about to step on it. Oh, I did tell you that you were going to pay for all damages they cause?"
Nolo had already rescued the computer from the floor and dumped it onto Shirako when he finished the sentence. "You live like a pig."
"On the contrary." Shirako drawled. "I live like a normal person does when no one like you is around to bug them."
Razina came over to Nolo. "I'm impressed." she said, slipping her hand into his. "This was cleaner than the last time I came."
Shirako frowned. "When did you ever come?"
Nolo smiled sheepishly. "It was when we were still just using this as a storing place."
"And a make out apartment." Shirako added. Razina raised an eyebrow. "Anyway," Nolo said quickly. "We only came to do homework."
Shirako snorted. "And you call me messy."
"You used this as a storage room?" Razina looked around their spacious surroundings. "Isn't it too luxurious for that? This is the most expensive apartment complex in town!"
Nolo shrugged. "It fits us. They have a good security system."
"Good?" Shirako said in disgust. "The doorman won't let me in half the time.""You live here, Shirako?" Shiori came up, holding something in her hand.
Shirako put the empty soda can on the coffee table. "So?"
"Do you have a room mate?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"What! I just-"
Nolo interrupted the beginning of what was no doubt going to evolve into a long and complicated argument. "I stay here sometimes, but otherwise he's the only one here."
"Oh." Shiori seemed to be thinking something over. Shirako glared at her suspiciously.
"What?"
"Well, then does this belong to one of you?" Shiori held up what she'd been holding-a brand new Barbie doll, still in its packaging. Razina raised an eyebrow, Nolo burst out laughing, and Shirako fell off the couch. "Where the hell did that come from?"