Hello readers, I hope you keep enjoying the story, shout out to my beta reader Shadow55419 :)
It had happened more than once, for weeks actually. He sat on the Fireblade in front of the gas station; across the street was the convenience store she worked at. He could only watch her from afar not daring to go any closer; for fear that she might recognize him, even though the Fireblade was enough of a dead giveaway.
As always he could only stand a few minutes before he rode off again, not daring to risk her looking out the window, if she hadn't called him, there must have been a reason. Perhaps Yuta was right, there was no explanation to what he had done. He even tried to call her from an unknown number which she answered in her usual cheerful tone of voice, and instead of speaking to her Keisuke hung up.
If she could see him now Keisuke couldn't help to feel the disappointment her eyes would offer. Lately his life had been full of street fights, and alcohol. Today would be no different even if he turned eighteen, his parents had thrown a party as they did with Ryosuke, the difference was this birthday boy was out and about instead of enjoying the party in his honor. He supposed his parents didn't mind as much as his brother did, he had at least three missed calls from him.
Keisuke rode off heading back to his home, this wasn't the time to be picking fights with his brother, after all he was his last person he could talk to. It took him less than the usual time to show up in the garage of his home where he found his brother standing with his car keys in hand. He wore a black suit and a tie, Keisuke pulled off his helmet and proceeded to fix his hair ignoring his brother's frustrated look.
"Keisuke, where have you been?" asked Ryosuke as Keisuke put the helmet on the bike and took off his jacket revealing a long sleeved buttoned down white shirt.
"Relax, I'm back aren't I?" said Keisuke patting his brother's shoulder on his way inside the house. Ryosuke followed closely as if to prevent Keisuke from escaping, annoyed Keisuke stopped in his tracks only to have his brother bump into him. "Sorry bro, anyway has the old man been on your case about me?"
"What do you think?" asked Ryosuke pulling his brother into the living room where the guests stood; Keisuke pulled his arm away glaring at his brother. A few feet away stood his father, Hajime Takahashi, talking to a few of the guests though his eyes were on his sons who had just entered the room.
"Great, we got the old man's attention" muttered Keisuke only to have his brother give him a warning look as their father excused himself from his guests and walked towards them.
"For once Keisuke do your best to not anger him" whispered his brother; Keisuke frowned as their father took a look at them.
"Eighteen Keisuke" he said lifting his glass of champagne, he too wore a suit. "Where's your jacket?" he asked as he took in his son's appearance. "And fix that hair."
"Don't know where's the jacket is old man" answered Keisuke, his brother nudged him but he went on. "But who gives a shit; we all know this is just one of your networking events." His father frowned but just as he was to speak their mother arrived holding a jacket.
"Here, put this on, no need for a tie" she said with a small smile as Keisuke took the jacket and put it on as he did so he could only glare at his parents.
"Good, I hate ties" he answered pushing past his father into the living room. There were over a dozen guests, some family, Tsugumi sat on the couch talking to his aunt, others were business partners of his father.
He took a glass of champagne and sat on the nearest couch. Once he found everyone to be busy he stood up downed his glass of champagne and headed over to the garage where his brother followed. "You ditching the party too Aniki?" he asked, Ryosuke looked around before nodding.
"Come with me" said Ryosuke as Keisuke picked up his helmet. "There's no use in wasting twice the amount of gas, besides my car has a heater."
At the word heater Keisuke put down his helmet, he headed over to the car's passenger side and opened the door taking his seat. While he put on the four point harness his brother started the car and used the remote to open the garage doors.
Keisuke watched his brother lower the emergency brake and switch the car into first gear. "It looks so friggin tedious, hell I'd rather have an automatic car than do all that footwork." He thought as they were out of the garage and out onto the street. Ryosuke drove down familiar streets, all which led downtown, he looked over at his brother when he realized where they would end up.
"Aniki, don't" he said as his brother parked in front of the convenience store Akemi was currently working at.
"I'm not asking you to leave the car Keisuke" said Ryosuke undoing his harness; leaving the car on "I'm going to buy a pack of cigarettes, I'll be right back" he then opened the car door leaving Keisuke inside.
Once he shut the door did he dare look into the convenience store. There she was her hair in its famous messy bun; she was talking to Ryosuke as he walked around the store picking up a magazine, and two drinks.
His brother made his way to the counter as she looked outside; Keisuke looked away his heart pounding, wondering if she could see him.
After a few minutes he heard the car door open and felt when his brother dropped the plastic bag onto his lap. "She says Happy Birthday" said Ryosuke causing Keisuke to turn; she was talking to another blonde young woman. The car began to move and soon he would lose sight of them, instead he propped his chin on his hand looking out the window. "Keisuke what do you think about street racing?" asked Ryosuke out of the blue.
Keisuke didn't move but responded. "It's a death wish."
"I'd also say the same about being in a bosozuko gang" countered Ryosuke as the drove up the familiar roads of Akagi. Keisuke turned shocked only to have his brother briefly look at him as if the conversation was about something casual.
"It's not the same-"
"Really, I thought they were both illegal activities" said Ryosuke calmly, they were about half way on top of the mountain if Keisuke wasn't mistaken.
"What's your point?" asked Keisuke as his brother shifted gears. For a while there was only silence, only the purr of the car's engine something that Keisuke could say was slightly relaxing.
"You'll understand soon enough for now enjoy your iced coffee and the pack of cigarettes as a birthday gift" said Ryosuke as they reached the top of the mountain road. Keisuke raised an eyebrow as his brother left the car idling whilst he pulled the plastic bag away from Keisuke, pulling out a pack of cigarettes some car magazine and a bottle of water, leaving in the bag what belonged to Keisuke.
It was his favorite brand of iced coffee and a pack of cigarettes which he pocketed immediately only opening his iced coffee. Beside him Ryosuke drank his water while looking at the car magazine flipping through the pages as if looking for something, once he found it Ryosuke marked the page and stuck the magazine into his glove compartment.
They sat in silence for a while, Keisuke felt an odd pang at the bottom of his stomach, what did Ryosuke have planned? Keisuke turned to his brother who was already looking at him. "Do you mind putting the trash in the bag?"
Keisuke shook his head taking the water bottle and the iced coffee and placing them in the plastic bag. While his brother put the car in reverse, this time to head down Akagi's slopes. He placed the bag on the floor between his legs, looking up Keisuke noticed the car was going faster than on the way up, he turned to his brother who wore a calculating look, even the car's engine sounded different than before, like it was being push to its limits. The road ahead was straight but Keisuke remembered there was a corner coming up, yet his brother didn't press down on the brakes. His heart began to pound.
"Aniki, isn't this a little too fast?" he asked, his brother remained silent, he didn't even blink. Keisuke looked ahead the corner was coming up, again he took a glance at his brother. "Aniki! What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, in a few more seconds they'd be at the first corner.
At this moment his brother smirked, Keisuke couldn't help but like this trip had been planned form the begin, and he fell for it. Now he was going to die on a mountain with his brother.
It was then that he felt the car's rear tires slid out from beneath them, he felt himself slid towards the driver's side of the car. His eyes widened as he felt the goosebumps underneath his skin, his heart pounding with the familiar rush he got when he was in a fight. How could he feel so much in a matter of seconds? Hell how could the car go so fast?
For the rest of the ride Keisuke remained silent and his brother's behavior didn't change, he didn't slow down, if anything he got faster after each corner. Keisuke didn't dare look down, for fear of missing each entry and exit from the corners, even when they reached the last three hairpins, he sat in fear for his life yet he couldn't explain why it was all so exhilarating. Ryosuke stopped the car at the rest area at mountain base, he left the car idling releasing his four point harness before turning to Keisuke "If you want to smoke, do so outside of the car." With that he opened the door and stepped out into the icy air. Keisuke took a few seconds to process everything before he too stepped out of the car. He found his brother enjoying the view of the city before turning to Keisuke a cigarette dangling on his lips.
"What do you think of street racing now?" asked Ryosuke taking a lighter out of his pocket.
"Does it always feel like that?" retorted Keisuke finally finding his voice. Ryosuke took a drag of his cigarette looking down at the city, he released the smoke before turning to Keisuke.
"Yes" he answered before taking another drag, then he went on to speak again. "It's always a different challenge, racing isn't always about who has the faster car, the driver has a lot to do with how the race ends, different drivers have different experiences, but all have one thing in common."
"What is that Aniki?" asked Keisuke as his brother turned, now facing his car.
"The need to drive fast" he answered putting out his cigarette. "I can teach you all I know Keisuke, if you follow my instructions you could become one of the fastest drivers around."
Keisuke turned to his brother's car, he thought of the Fireblade, it had never given him the feeling his brother's car had, and in fact it was probably slower than this car. With his eye still on the car he spoke "I just have to get a license, right?"
Ryosuke smiled nodding, it was then that Keisuke knew that the Takahashi brothers were going to become a force to be reckoned with.