Rivalry Stage 1
Act 7: A Long Night
By Amaniblue
AN: Argh! It's hard to go back and do rewrites after so long. I apologize for the long wait. Here is the next chapter.
Summary of the last act: Keisuke drinks himself under in trying to figure out how he feels about his discovery. Nakazato Takeshi of the Night Kids gets in over his head in helping the blond. Meanwhile, Takumi receives a frantic late night call that sends him out to Mt. Akina.
///Nakazato's Apartment///
Bracing himself with both palms against the sculpted pectorals of one Takahashi Keisuke, Takeshi managed to catch a glimpse of a pair of unfocused eyes before the owner of said eyes slid a hand behind his neck.
"What the hell are ya- mmph!" began Takeshi before Keisuke pulled his head down and laid a sloppy open mouth wet one on the Night Kids leader. Blanching visible upon contact, Takeshi's entire body went stiff as a board. Entirely out of his element, he responded the only way he knew how. He tore his mouth away and pushed himself upright. Then out of pure instinct, pulled back a fist and punched Takahashi Keisuke out cold.
As if been burned, Takeshi recoiled from the limp body and scrambled off the bed. He clumsily staggered towards the bathroom. Flustered from embarrass disbelief, Takeshi switched on the lights and stomp to the sink. He bent over the porcelain bowl and tried to spit out the taste of a drunken Keisuke from his mouth. Unsuccessful in his attempt to get rid of the residual taste, the Night Kids' leader then pour a cupful of mint mouthwash and pour it in his mouth, swishing the liquid around and around. A full minute later, he spat out the contents. Finally satisfied with the result, he capped the bottle back up and returned it to the medicine cabinet.
"Fuck," spat Takeshi when he noticed his own reflection: his well shaven cheeks were tinged bright pink. He snarled at the sight in disgust.
"What the hell was that!?" grumbled Takeshi to himself as he prepared himself for bed. "You could have taken him back to his place. But no! One whine from the fucker about never going home again and you cave in. You're a dumb-ass, Takeshi!"
Finally finished with his ranting and dressed in his black silk pajamas, Takeshi stomped back towards the farthest corner of the bed then pulled the covers up and lay down with his back facing Keisuke.
///Akina Lake Onsen///
The panda Trueno pulled to a slow stop into the empty parking lot at the base of the Akina Lake Onsen. Takumi threw the driver door open and stepped out of the hachi-roku hurriedly. He didn't bother to slam the door shut. With anxious eyes, he searched the dimly lit perimeter before he forged up the stairs and along the windy step stones towards the front entrance of the Onsen. The night was eerily void of sounds except for the low scratching of rustling leaves. Then out of this void, a muffled whimper cut into the silence and Takumi's foot steps stalled to a halt as he neared the front entrance.
"Takumi, is that you?" pleaded a soft voice laden with fear. It originated there in front of the building, from a dark corner behind a potted fern near the public phone booth.
"Yes! Yes, it's me!" answered Takumi as he moved towards her location. Then suddenly, a small form launch out of that dark corner and latched onto Takumi. Cold, shivering arms encircled his waist and held on tight.
"Mogi..." rasp Takumi. He wanted to ask her so many questions but he didn't. He couldn't. She was shivering either from fright or relief, he wasn't sure. But he was certain of one thing, she needed him. Hesitantly, awkwardly he returned her embrace, hoping that at least he might provide some comfort to her as she wept within his arms.
///The Rouge Lounge///
"Stop looking at me like that sis! You're creeping me out already," whined Sagano Rui as his sister continued to glare daggers at him over her drink from across the bar table. Impervious to the high pitch whine, her cold stares remain resolute as if expecting him to confess his most recent sins. Being conditioned to repent by this particular, yet effective method, Rui began his plea for absolution.
"How should I know that weird orange car was part of the Redsuns!?"
After a pause, he added contritely when Jade raised a knowing brow, "as for the other thing… well I couldn't help it. You know how that kind of innocent, clueless look never fails to attract me. I mean, just imagine, training that innocence into something else."
Jade snorted with disgust when she witnessed her perverted brother's eyes glazed over with lustful thoughts. Thus she retorted as she flicked her hair away from her shoulder, "you know perfectly well that what you did cost us the opportunity to race against the Takahashi brothers."
"Oh, and your comment about them at the end just didn't put the last nail on the coffin?" remarked Rui absently. Out of pure habit, his eyes boldly roamed the new couple as they strode into the bar from head to toe.
Unable to raise any interest for either sex, Rui returned his attention back to his sister and probed cautiously, "So ah, are we heading back to Hong Kong then?"
Her reply was sarcastic in return, "Hn, what do you think?"
Ignoring her wry humor entirely, Rui threw in a rather thoughtful suggestion, "I hope not, I want to stay. Who knows, it might be fun."
Jade made another unladylike snort, "Right, you just want to get your hands on your latest target."
Espying the telltale smirk breaking from her brother's lips, Jade reminded him as she exclaimed, "You don't even know who he is!"
Rui chuckles in response, "I'll find out, I do have my ways."
After taking a quick sip of his drink, he continued nonchalantly, "Besides wasn't he with the Redsuns? Someone in Akagi is bound to know who he is."
Twisting her mouth in distaste, Jade made another observation, "I saw you wink at him before we left, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"
Rui continues to answer his sister with ease, "And why not? Saves me the trouble of pursuing him, don't you think?"
Knowing her brother's shortcoming for not thinking things through, Jade made another attempt to guide him, "Maybe he's straight? If not, maybe he's already with one of the Redsuns or one of the Takahashi brothers even? Have you thought about that?"
"Nah. Our sources in Hong Kong didn't say either of them is a gay. Besides, the kid is too innocent looking to already have a boyfriend. And if he does have a girlfriend, I can bend a straight guy just fine."
Rui chuckled evilly at his own innuendo before he continued to surmise his intentions, "So he's all mine for the taking."
Taking another sip of his drink, he laughed over the sudden memory, "Did you see the look on his face? He was blushing when I grinded against him. I think he's attracted to me too."
"That's a look of embarrassment, you ass," chided Jade.
Rui pouted playfully at his sister then realized, "Hey! You're cursing again!" He imitates a shiver of fear then said, "It gives me the chills every time you act all polite when you talk to our opponents."
"It's not an act. You get more with honey than vinegar," Jade replied sagely.
Feigning knowledge he didn't have, Rui rubbed his chin mockingly, "Hmm. Never heard that phrase before in Hong Kong, is that an old Japanese idiom?"
Jade chose to ignore his question entirely and takes a sip of her drink instead. "So how are you going to do that?"
"Do what?" Rui asked clueless, his attention span obviously less then a few minutes. He took one look at his sister rolling her eyes and he quickly jogged his memory for what she'd said.
Inspiration hits him at that moment, he grins knowingly. "You'll find out soon enough."
///Akina Lake Onsen///
When she finally quieted down, Mogi raised her tear-filled eyes upward at Takumi and whisper brokenly, "Can I— hic, stay with you tonight? Takumi— hic, please?"
Surprised by her request, Takumi asked in confusion, "You don't want to go home?"
She shook here head wildly and began to sob again, "I don't want— hic to go home. Please, Takumi?"
Takumi looked down at her pale tear-streaked face and nodded solemnly. He dropped his arms and tried to take one of her hand in his, but Mogi refused to release her hold around his waist it seems. Unable to do anything else, he decided to brace an arm around her shoulder protectively and guide her to the parking lot.
Inside the car, under the light of the over hanging street lamp, Takumi noticed her odd behavior as Mogi wrapped her arms around her knees and averted her body away from him. A terrible suspicion formed and a scowl hardens his face. He drew her arms away and turned her body towards him. Now that he can see her much more clearly, he noticed blood dotted her torn blouse and her face sported a baseball size purplish bruise on her left cheek. Frighten by Takumi's unfamiliar display of anger at her shameful appearance, Mogi immediately turned away to face the passenger window. She hugged her knees closer to her body and curled into a fetal position as her shoulders began to shake once again. Not a sound escaped her though as she muffled her mouth with both hands. Takumi had an over-whelming urge to demand she tell him everything right then and there. However, he knew she wasn't ready to talk. He tried valiantly to curb his protective instincts and drove home.
///Nakazato's Apartment///
"What the— " Takeshi almost shouted when he was suddenly jolted out of his fitful sleep by an arm that was thrown over his chest and was pulled back against the warm body behind him.
"Please…not with him…love you," mumbled Keisuke in his sleep.
Takeshi tried to disengage from the unwanted embrace but even in his sleep, the blonds' desperate hold was too strong. With a relenting sigh of remorse for involving himself in Keisuke's obvious love problems, Takeshi gave up in extracting his self from the unwanted embrace and tried to regain his precious sleep after he released a huge sigh and groused, "Takahashi Keisuke, you're an idiot."
///TBC - ACT 8: Bonding///
Review Responses:
Strawberry Buttercup – Yes, Keisuke does seem pretty pathetic at this point… But his suffering is important in the later chapters. So hopefully don't feel too bad for him. Yeah, Ryousuke does have competition, much more. But you did guess right on the person of distress. So kudos!
Ultra Rodimus – I'd imagine it would be a shock to anyone ne? Having to find out like that? Thanks. I like Takeshi too much to not bring him into the story. No, Takumi is not driving into a trap. As for Kei's car… hehehe it'll be revealed in the later chapters. As for what Ryousuke will do to Kenta, that will also be revealed later on too. I'll try to revise the next chapter when I get the chance. Hopefully, it won't be more than two weeks time. Thanks for reminding me.
Princevlad – Thank you for the wonderful comment. I'm glad you like my characterizations. It's tough to think like a guy since I'm a girl. I'll try my best to update faster. Thanks again.
Azer – Thank you for the flattering comment. Well, I did select the highest rating they have here on And I will finish this fic up, I promise.