Hi, everyone! JupiterHalo here, back with the fourth chapter! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm sorry for the delay in updates; I've been working five out of the last seven days. Don't ever do that; it can bring you to exhaustion. But anyway, I finally get a break from work, so I can finally update. Please review if you can, since I always love getting feedback. And if you ever need me, my e-mail address is in my profile. Okay, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Initial D." Please don't sue me; you won't get much!

Thoughts are in italics.

Scene changes are indicated by >>>

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Iketani sighed as he watched Itsuki dance around the gas station. "Itsuki!" he called out. "If you're cold, go put on a jacket!"

"I think you should listen to him, Itsuki." Kenji stood next to his best friend and watched Itsuki run inside to get a jacket.

Iketani and Kenji sighed in unison, facing the office of the gas station, their backs to the street. "He can be really pathetic sometimes," Iketani grumbled.

"Well, it's not like you're any better." Kenji poked him in the side good-naturedly. "Hey, what are you doing after work?"

"What I always do, Kenji! I mean, it's not like I have a girl to go out with or anything like that." His shoulders slumped.

"Hey, why don't we go driving on Akina after you finish work, then? If we're ever going to get even close to Takumi in skill, then we need to get a lot of practice!"

As Kenji was saying this, Itsuki ran out with a jacket covering his frame. However, when he got outside, he stopped dead in his tracks. Trying to form words, all he could do was point to something behind Iketani and Kenji.

Both sighed again. "Itsuki, if you have something to say, just say it!" However, he just continued pointing. Iketani rolled his eyes and said, "If this is one of your pranks, I'm going to kill you." He turned around, and his jaw dropped. "Ma… Mako-chan?"

She stood on the sidewalk just outside the gas station. "Good afternoon, Iketani-san." She bowed formally, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Mako-chan…" Iketani stared in shock at her. "Is- is it really you?"

She nodded. "Yes… Iketani-san, is there somewhere we can go to talk? I can wait for you somewhere until you're finished with work." She looked at him. "Please, Iketani-san."

Iketani gulped. "Hold on one second, Mako!" Running inside, he began changing.

Yuichi looked at him in puzzlement as he ran into the locker room, clothes in hand.
"Iketani? Are you all right?"

Iketani came out a few seconds later, still tying his blue tennis shoes. "Boss! I need to leave early for personal reasons!"

Yuichi just stared at him as he ran past, and sighed. Kids these days.

Iketani ran over to his S-13, started it, and stopped it next to Mako. "Get in," he said. With a grateful nod, she opened the passenger door and fastened her seatbelt after getting into the car. With a squeal of his tires, they were off.

Yuichi walked outside and stood next to Kenji and Itsuki. "He said he needed to leave early for personal reasons."

Kenji laughed. "Borrowing a few lines from you, eh, Itsuki?"

>>>

Mako and Iketani drove in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she asked "Where are we going?"

Iketani jumped at the sound of her voice. "Uh… I thought that you wanted to talk, so I'm taking us to a good place where we can get something to eat and still be able to talk privately."

Mako said nothing to that, so another few minutes of the drive was spent in silence. Finally, Iketani glanced over at her and asked "So, Mako… um, how were you able to find me, exactly?"

"I remember you talking about working at the GS gas station. I asked around, and found that there was only one in Akina. From there, all it took was a simple request for directions."

"Oh, fair enough." Nothing more was said until Iketani pulled into the parking lot of Family's. Both of them walked inside and sat down in more silence. A waitress came over and cheerfully asked for their order. "Uh, I'll have a cup of coffee with both cream and sugar," Iketani said as he turned to Mako. "Go ahead and order whatever you like."

"I believe that I'll have a hot chocolate, please. And could you also put milk and whipped cream in it?"

After the waitress skipped away, the silence that had disappeared somewhat returned with full force. Mako sat with her hands in her lap, while Iketani toyed nervously with some of the sugar packets on the table. Finally, he blurted out "Mako-chan, I… I've wanted to see you for a long time."

"Have you?"

"Yes!" He smiled at her. "Every day, no matter where I was, no matter what I was doing, I always thought about you."

"Did you?"

"Yes." He became more serious now. "Mako-chan, that night…"

"Iketani-san." She finally looked at him. "Please, just stop. The only reason I wanted to come see you today was not to hear your excuses, or your apologies. All I want to know is one thing." She closed her eyes. "When we met, I was so happy. We talked about cars; it made me feel so elated, and the time we spent together seemed to just fly by. For the first time in my life, I felt truly at ease, knowing that there was a kind and gentle man I could care for, and that he cared for me as well. But when you never met me, or even called me, I was so hurt."

When she opened her eyes again, Iketani could see that her eyes had filled with tears. "Mako-chan…"

"Why, Iketani-san? Why did you have to lead me on like that? Was it all just a game to you? Did you enjoy hurting me and toying with my feelings?"

Iketani clenched his fists. "Mako-chan, it wasn't like that! I swear to you; I never wanted it to turn out like this. I admit that I was selfish, scared and insecure. That day at the pool, I saw the picture of Takahashi Ryousuke in your wallet, and even though you told me there was nothing going on, I thought that I couldn't compare to him! That night, I did try to go and meet you, but there was a traffic jam. I wasn't able to get there in time, and I will regret it for the rest of my life. Believe me, the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. Please," he begged. "Can't we just start over?"

Slowly, Mako shook her head. "I wish we could, Iketani-san. But no matter how much we wish it, there's no changing the past." She sighed, finishing off her hot chocolate that had been brought to her a few minutes before. "I'm sorry that I made you doubt yourself. You had to reason to be paranoid, and be jealous of Takahashi Ryousuke. If I had wanted a man like Takahashi Ryousuke, I would have found one." She smiled sadly at him. "However, the only man I wanted was you." She stood up. "I think we should end this now, Iketani. We should end this before we cause each other any more pain. Please, just take me back to the gas station."

>>>

The ride back was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Mako was deep in thought as she stared out the window, while Iketani gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

As soon as he had pulled back into the gas station and had parked safely, she jumped out of the car. "Goodbye, Iketani-san."

He jumped out of the car after her. "Mako-chan… please wait." He reached for her, but she evaded his grasp, turning to give him one last look.

He looked so forlorn, standing there by himself. Sighing, she walked towards her Sil-Eighty, which had been parked a few blocks down the street. However, she spotted a public telephone. This gave her an idea. Pulling out a piece of paper, she went into the booth and dialed the number on the paper. "Hello, Ryousuke? This is Satou Mako… yes, I'm doing fine. I was wondering… is your invitation to dinner still open? Because if it is, I'm accepting."

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Awww, poor Iketani! I felt so badly for him while I was writing this. The guy gets no love. No love at all. Well, next up, we have the (maybe) touching conclusion! Will Mako go with Ryousuke? Or will she try it again with Iketani? Or will she not pick either of them? Well, I guess you'll have to find out next time. You know where to find me if you need me. Take care, everyone, and be safe!

-JupiterHalo