14

"So, what's the deal? Was it her?!" The taller man shot up from his seat almost knocking his open beer off of the table. Some dribbled out of his mouth and he wiped it on his jacket sleeve.

The inside of the shop blared metal music and a chainsaw was buzzing heavily behind a huge, thick mechanic door.

"Yeh. Don't lose your drink." Terasaka pulled a blue shop towel from a wall canister and came over and wiped up his older brother's spill on the stainless steel table.

"What's wrong?" Niduru's eyes scanned his younger brother's face, losing complete interest in his beverage.

Terasaka took his backpack off and chucked it at the sofa in the corner of the lounge area, and pulled open a reclining chair, a LAZ-E-Boy, and sat down clunkily, his feet popping up to relax.

Niduru just waited, looking out the paned glass viewing window as the chainsaw shut off. Two voices from inside hooted aloud alongside a metallic clang, obviously something huge had banging to the ground.

Terasaka looked out the window too, but the one on the door, and seen one of the guys dancing like an idiot. He sat back. "They finally get that pipe off?"

"Yeh. So what's up?" Niduru realized he was ignoring the question.

Terasaka ran his large hands through his two-tone hair, and he looked back into his brother's eyes, a face full of distant emotion. He felt more for his brother than he did for himself right now. He just wasn't sure how to say it.

"They caught him." A voice so blunt.

Niduru's eyes widened. "SHIT!"

'Saka watched his brother chug the rest of his beer then crunch the can in his hand angrily. He tossed it towards a huge trash bin that was close to overfilling in the corner.

It missed.

Niduru then turned on his heel and plunked down in the blue LAZ-E-boy aside Terasaka's, his face in his hands, elbows on his knees. He started to tear up.

The younger brother put his hand on his older brother's back, rubbing it. Niduru then ferociously wiped away the few tears with the palms on his hands. His whole face red. He sat back in the recliner and sighed, hands falling to his lap in a deflated manner.

"I know." Terasaka pulled his hand away and put his hands in his lap too. "What other explanation could there of been?"

Niduru just sighed wiping his nose on his sleeve. "I... wasn't there. So, I didn't want to accept it."

"That that really was what happened." 'Saka finished.

He nodded. "Do we even know where his body is?"

"Zumi didn't tell me. She just said that he was dead."

"Zumi?"

"That's her real first name. Zee's real first name."

"Hm." Niduru cleared his throat. "Like her cousin... Z's."

"Yeh. Doesn't act anything like him though." 'Saka corrected himself. "Like he used to."

"Yeh." Niduru stood, seeming sort of hurt by that comment. He had wanted Zizz to be alive, to of gotten away, to of fled. But that, it had been too hopeful. "What the hell are we gunna do then?"

"I don't know." 'Saka shrugged. "I'm happy it's her. B..."

"I'm sure you are." Niduru cut him off.

'Saka went flushed in the face. "Yeh. I mean." He scratched his head, embarassed.

"I'm just teasing you. If you still like her, ask her out. You've got to."

He grumbled for more reasons than one. "I tried, she shot me down."

"How?" Niduru looked at him. His younger brother was much better looking than he was, at least in his opinion. He hadn't gotten 'the good genes' as he called it.

"She's smart, she already knew what I was going to say."

"Well. If you could get inside, we could figure it out... you know? I hate using Zee for this, but at this point 'Saka.. I don't see any other way."

"I know. I know." The younger brother frustratedly mumbled.

"I'm sorry Terry, but there ain't another way." Jackson just walked in from the garage, clarifying, if it hadn't been already. "Got the pipe off." He spoke to Niduru, then closed the door behind him.

"Good, 'bout fucking time." Niduru commented.

"Kid, you are the way in. We've got to find that zip drive. It could make the whole organization fall apart." Jack looked at the oil on his hands and walked over to the sink dunking his hands in to wash them. "Terry."

He didn't respond.

"Terry." Jackson scrubbed. "Terasaka."

"What?" He looked perturbed.

"You actually still like her don't you?"

"I mean! Yes!" He blurted from his recliner.

His brother stood up to get a beer out of the mini fridge and tossed one at Jack. He caught it with a wet hand.

"I never thought I'd see her again!" He instantly was angry. "How do you think all this makes me feel?!" He put a finger into his chest for added expression. "Do you think I'm okay with all of this?!" Glaring.

"Simmer down." Niduru said blandly, obviously he cared more about Zizz, about the situation.

"Simmer down?! You're telling me that right now?" Saka was having a classic boil over moment. "I JUST SEEN YOU CRY!" He yelled.

"YEH?!" Niduru blurted. His younger brother was yelling and he hated it when he had his explosions. He had no idea how they dealt with him at his school. He'd already been dropped to E Class, and supposedly at this middle school, that was the worst, lowest ranking class to be in. No wonder.

"YEH! What? Do your feelings matter, and mine don't?!" He slammed up out that LAZ-E-boy so fast that the foot lounger jammed back down.

"NO SAKA! YOU'RE MISSING THE DAMN POINT!" He screamed at him, putting a hand on his hip in a pissed type of manner. Typical of his younger brother, he had to literally DRILL the point into his brain until he got it, a balls to the wall, think later type.

Jackson was leaning against a wall watching the brothers argue. This happened all the time. Usually he had to sit back and just wait it out. Until the storm passed. That was part of working with them.

"She's connected to the last whereabouts of Zizz... or do Jackson and I need to cram that into that thick skull of yours a third time?!"

"NO YOU DON'T! I GOT IT!" He grumbled, he snatched the backpack up off the floor and grumbled, slamming the door open, hauling ass out.

"SAKA! You idiot!" Niduru yelled out the open door, watching him trudge off, boiling over down the cement. "Where tha hell you 'goin?!" He pushed his black hair away from his face as the wind from the door slamming open, abruptly blew it everywhere. His hair was long and dark, unlike his brother's.

Jackson poked his head out of the door as well, leaning on the frame. An American man that had lived in Japan for quite some time, his long hair ponytailed back unlike his friends.

"I DON'T KNOW!" The brute yelled. "Wherever you aren't!"

"Did you not hear me?! I don't want to use Zee for this! She doesn't deserve this!"

"You sure don't act like you care!" He turned then, halfway down the alley, shouting with a balled fist.

"You're right 'Saka! I wasn't close to her! I didn't know her the way you did! I was close to Zizz! We both were!" He looked at Jackson for support.

He nodded.

"This is going to ruin my chances with her!" 'Saka bellowed, fist balled.

"I'm sorry that this was your first crush or whatever! But GOD! COME ON SAKA! You know what's going on!"

"IT'S UNFAIR! This is UNFAIR TO ME!"

"To you Saka?! SERIOUSLY?!" Niduru screamed at him, eyes so much like his brother's, wet, hot and full of anger.

The boys loved each other, but they had a love/hate relationship. They loved hard, and hated hard.

Jackson rolled his eyes. Terry at times still acted like an 8 year old.

"THIS IS UNFAIR TO ALL OF US! Do you think it's fair 'Saka that Zizz died trying to protect the information that we found out? DO YOU?! Do you think it's fair that he dragged his cousin... Zee, dragged Zee into this? Do you think it's fair to us, that our cycle shop hangs in the balance of it all?! THIS CYCLE SHOP PAYS FOR YOUR FUCKING SCHOOL 'SAKA! DO YOU FEEL ME?!" That last statement, he beat on his jacket like a gorilla and walked inside slamming the door shut behind him, leaving him outside alone with Jackson.

Terasaka hunched down then fell to his knees in the dirt, the alleyway covered in grease and oil. He'd have to wash his uniform's dress pants tonight now. He was so full of emotion that he couldn't bear it. Something inside him forced out a lone tear on his tanned cheek.

He didn't see Jackson coming over. Jackson uncaringly sat right down next to him.

Saka then noticed and looked over with an eyebrow crunched.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I've got oil all over me already." He spread his legs out and leaned back on his elbows staring up at the late afternoon sky. About dark. "'Saka. I know this girl is your crush, she's been for what?"

"Since I was 8." He mumbled.

"I'm a lot less hard-edged than your brother, but he ain't wrong, and your not wrong either. You've got to see that right?"

"Why does he act so uncaring?"

"I think you and your brother never see eye to eye. You may be a rebel, and punch and smack your way through things in life, but deep down I know you have a kind interior. You're brother's kind too kid. He just shows emotion less, eventhough he feels it. I think that's why you two fight so much. You feel emotion quick and more strongly than your brother, and you can't understand why he can't be/do that same. He's just not you Terry, he's a different person than you are. I'm begging you..."

'Saka wiped his eye and looked at the person that he never considered his actual friend but always his brother's 'friend'.

"And I never beg."

'Saka was silent.

"She's a different person now. Crushes are okay. But feel it out, you're older. She's older. Shit's happened in 7 years. Also, what's happened is this mess, and it's went unsolved for years. It's why Zizz disappeared that we've confirmed, because of you Terry, you brought us that information, after all these years... And I don't know about you, but I'm not okay with losing the shop. We lost the last one already due to the damn Yakuza. I'm not losing another one."

"I know."

"Don't let this opportunity slip. Do it for the shop."

'Saka nodded.

"We need that zip drive. It has information on what the Yakuza were using the street for... that my old shop used to sit on. It was some hard shit or they wouldn't of messed my old shop up the way they did."

"Hm." 'Saka nodded.

"I would say tell her, be truthful with your little crush, but seriously, we don't know her anymore Terry, so we can't trust her."

'I know that too."

"I don't want to destroy your hopes. But just find out information. We need it. And damn it..." he stood up. "Just try to woo her in the process or something. Do it because you mean it kid. Do it because you actually do like her. Okay?" He stood.

Terasaka took Jackson's hand that he was holding down and Jackson helped hoist him up off the ground. Jackson started smacking dirt off of Niduru's younger brother's clothing.

"Fuck. You need to wash this."

"Yeh."

"Go in and apologize to your brother. He means well, you know it. Go grab some noodles 'round the block or something." He pulled out a wallet and handed him some yen. "Money isn't tight this month, we just sold three bikes in two days."

"Thanks Jack."

Jackson pulled a cigarette out and snapped the lighter, his blonde long ponytail swishing against the back of his motorcycle jacket.

"Welcome." He smiled, sucking deep and tossing his skull lighter back in his jacket pocket. 'You just need someone to relate to you sometimes, I get that."

For the first time, Terasaka actually felt close to Jackson, someone he'd always looked up to, and wished he could be as close of friends with like Niduru was to him.

"We're all brothers here." Jackson turned. "What are standing there starin' at me for? Go get food or somethin'!"

'Saka started walking inside.

"Don't forget! Take your brother! He'll be pissed if you don't take him to Mili's!"

"Yeh yeh."

Jackson stood outside smoking. Watching him walk inside. He sucked deep on his cig.

Exhaling in a whisper. "I'm gunna find out why my shop was burned... if it's the last thing I do. Only a matter of time."