Ton Up
By: The Hatter Theory
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Inu Yasha, nor do I own the Tokachi International Speedway, nor do I own the Kangetsuen. I have also altered details of reality for the purposes of the story where those two places are concerned. So (don't) sue me.
Another huge thank you to Velvet-Sometimes, who tolerated my three am insanity and read over this when I panicked and asked if I was writing this correctly, and who tolerated my whiny self while we were both sick.
Ps-If you haven't, you guys should go check out her new fic, Keeping Company With A Suitor.
She watched Ayumi close the door to the suite quietly, in deference to the 'illness' that had struck quite suddenly. Of course the illness was feigned, not that she would admit it to her friends, but she had bypassed 'desperate' on the sixth day of spa treatments and soaking in hot springs, and their determination to go to the beach had provided the perfect opportunity. They would be gone for several hours, and she, given her not-quite-real illness, had the day to herself.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate being treated like a queen. It was certainly more than she had expected when Yuka had mentioned having an uncle that owned an onsen. The onsen turned out to be a large bathhouse based hotel with open baths and springs, as well as an amazing restaurant and spa. And it wasn't that she wanted to lie to her friends or hide something from them, because she had done more than enough of that when she was fifteen. But her plan was something her friends wouldn't be interested in, especially given Yuka's reaction months before, which was miniscule compared to the fact that she wanted the time for herself.
After half an hour, once she was positive they were gone from the hotel itself, she threw herself from the bed and quickly changed, barely taking the time to scrawl a note saying she had gone for a walk for some fresh air before grabbing her phone and wallet and leaving the room.
Luckily the hotel had several taxis on call, and it only took a few moments to be on her way, giving the driver the address. Her stomach felt filled with butterflies and she tried to take her mind off of the nervousness by watching the scenery as it passed. The driver didn't attempt to make conversation, instead turning the radio on to an old rock station, which didn't bother her in the least.
Each minute stretched into a small eternity, her eyes shifting from the window next to her to the front window to see if it had come into view.
"Not far," The driver finally chuckled, obviously noticing her fidgeting and inquiring gaze.
"Thank you," She said with a blush, looking back out of the passenger window. Feeling strangely like she was going to explode out of her skin, she couldn't remember the last time she had been so excited. Even if nothing was going to happen, she would have a chance, hopefully, to at least watch other people on motorcycles, and that was really all that mattered to her. If there were motorcycles there, she could talk to the riders, maybe learn more. If she could persuade someone to take her seriously at least.
Chewing her lip nervously, she gave the driver her fare and hopped out when he announced that they had arrived.
"I'll wait for you here," He told her.
"Oh, that's not-"
"It's fine miss," He said, giving her a good natured smile. She nodded, secretly relieved that she wouldn't have to wait when she needed to get back to the hotel. The possibility she wouldn't see any motorcyclists that day also lingered, even though the website's calender had confirmed that the track was open to riders for the day.
The sound of an engine in the distance echoed and she smiled, forcing herself to take measured steps past the empty ticket booths instead of running. Following signs pointing her to the stands, she took the followed the stairs to the bleachers closest to the track itself, surprised by the enormity of it. Tree hid different loops from view, but she could see someone speeding along the track itself, weaving in and out of the loops and hugging curves so tightly he looked ready to tip over at any second.
Her spirits sunk minutes later when she noticed other people in one of the pit areas. That area was closed off, and she saw no way to access it. Which meant, most likely, that she wouldn't be able to talk to anyone.
Hugging her knees, she watched the rider as he continued, weaving different paths around the complicated maze of the circuit. Briefly she wondered if he was a professional racer. He was more than good, he was fantastic, at least she thought so. Although she wasn't sure she could ever ride like he was. When he took curves almost on his side she hugged her knees tighter, held her breath and prayed he was okay.
It was addictive, watching someone ride like that. The dangers were obvious, but in the twenty minutes he rode, she felt like she was on a roller coaster, eyes on him every moment he was in sight, and when he went behind the trees and out of her vision, her heart paused, waiting for him to come back into view.
When it was over and he slowed, pulling over and stopping at the small group gathered in the pit area, she released an unexpected sigh of relief and relaxed her hold on her knees. Then the group disappeared into the building, the rider walking the bike into some unseen garage. She waited, hoping for a return.
After fifteen minutes, she realized that they had finished for the day and tried not to feel too disappointed. She was almost to the eerily empty ticketing area when she heard a voice call out. Assuming the person was shouting at someone else, because she didn't know anyone else, she kept walking.
"Damn it, wait up!" The voice called. Stopping and turning, she was surprised to see a figure running at her. What shocked her even more was the pony tail bouncing from side to side as he ran, and then familiar features becoming distinct as he finally got close enough to discern them.
"You," She stuttered, wondering at her rotten luck. Of all the people to have run into, she had to run into the one person she had probably offended the worst.
Obviously it was karma, almost instant and bitterly ironic, rewarding her for lying to her friends.
"You don't have to sound so excited," He muttered, stopping short and looking as if she'd smacked him for doing something nice. Which she had, however unintentionally.
"I'm sorry," She blurted, mortified that it came out half garbled in her nervousness. "That day, I didn't mean anything against you, not like you thought. I just don't accept rides from strangers. You seem like a really nice guy, and I was rude," She finished, the words just as rushed as her initial apology had been.
Certain she couldn't be any more embarrassed if she tried, she spun on her heel and began walking for the cab, determined to get to it before making an even bigger fool of herself. Instinctively guessing it would be her luck to trip on something, she took care to avoid the uneven pavement while trying to ignore his impatient shouting behind her.
"Wait up, hey, I said wait!" He demanded. She could hear his boots hitting the ground and the rustling of the armor built into his racing suit as he walked faster to catch up with her. Knowing that if he managed to catch her, she would say something even more foolish, she quickened hr pace even more, a spark of hope igniting in her chest when she saw the cab further down the parking lot.
"Damn it Kagome, will you just stop for two seconds?" He finally shouted.
She stopped.
She was fairly certain her heart did as well.
Desperately scanning her brain for a moment when she had given him her name, she scoured through the few moments they had shared and couldn't recall giving it to him.
Was he a stalker? Had he followed her? But he couldn't have known she would visit the track, which made no sense.
"Finally," He said, coming up to her side. "Will you just give me a minute to talk to you?"
"How do you know my name?" She asked dumbly, looking up at him.
"Like I'd forget you any time soon."
Had they gone to school together? But he looked like he could easily be three or four years older than her. Had they played together as children, or was he related to one of her childhood friends?
"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you," She finally admitted, searching his face for any clue to an identity. The shape and tilt of his head, the smirk reminded her of someone, but she couldn't figure out who. None of her friends had similar facial shapes, and she was positive she'd remember a friend with skin as dark as his.
"This is probably one of those discussions better had sitting down," He sighed, jerking his head back towards the track entrance. "Just, give me five minutes. You can leave after that if you want."
Wary of whatever it was he had to say, she nodded hesitantly. Obviously it was not going to go well if he thought she needed to sit down before being told. Likewise, only bad news was given in such a short amount of time. Almost afraid of what he would say, she ran through a hundred possibilities in her head as she followed, realizing he was taking them to the bleachers instead of the pit area.
An engine boomed to life, echoing over the empty track as they took their seats. Her earlier fascination with the riders and their motorcycles quashed beneath the weight of her worry, she ignored the track completely. Instead she watched his face cycle through a dozen different expressions, each one open enough that she could tell that he was as nervous as she was. Confusion, fear, frustration, anger, sadness and even hints of mirth before resignation seemed to weigh down on him.
"Ginta is the one on the track," He finally said, voice rough. "Hakkaku is in the garage working on the other bike."
For the first minute, his declaration made no sense. Then the names registered, and she wondered if she hadn't hallucinated him speaking.
"What?"
Because, really, she needed to make sure she had heard correctly, or she really would make a bigger fool of herself than she already had.
"I'm Yuuma to most people," He finally said. "But I'm Kouga to my friends."
The sound of the motorcycle completely faded away until there was only oppressive, deafening, stifling silence. She stared at him, wondering if she'd lost her mind. Maybe she really was sick and just didn't know it. Maybe Ayumi's observation that she had felt a little feverish hadn't been as off base as she'd believed.
Or maybe he was telling the truth, which was perhaps even more terrifying than her first guesses.
It wasn't a drastic change, and when she saw the small things, the eyes lightening into pale, steel blue, the hint of fangs swelling against his lips, the pointed tips of ears exposed by his pulled back hair, she felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner.
"Kouga," She whispered, stunned by the realization that, even though centuries had passed, he had barely changed.
"Kagome," He said, shoulders hunching, as if expecting her to either flee or strike him.
She threw her arms around him, completely ignoring the fact that she almost toppled them both backwards as she hugged him tightly, determined to make sure he was real and not a figment of her imagination. When his arms wrapped around her, strong and warm despite the leather and padding of his racing suit, she began laughing, joy bubbling up in her throat and escaping until she was gasping for breath.
When she finally pulled away, she saw that he was smiling his quirky, lopsided half smile that she remembered being uniquely his.
"I feel like such an idiot," She finally admitted, still smiling so widely her face hurt. Despite that, she was unable to tame it into something less exuberant, knowing she probably looked like an idiot and knowing equally well that she didn't really care.
"Not your fault. I was hoping you would recognize me. That day, I mean, shit. I just sort of lost my temper because you didn't."
"I'm sorry," She said again, settling next to him but not turning away, still amazed at his very presence. "It never really occurred to me that I would see anyone from back then, I guess that's why I didn't."
He nodded, looking irritated, although she wasn't sure if it was with her or himself.
"I realized it later, but by then you were in the wind. I tried to find you, but Tokyo has so many people. Kagome's an unusual name, but not that unusual," He added.
There was a moment of silence as they both contemplated one another, unsure of what to say next. She had a thousand questions, but all of them seemed rude, in a way. She was seeing him for the first time in three years, for her at least, but he was seeing her for the first time in centuries. Something felt incredibly inconsiderate in asking about others.
"So why did you come here?" He finally asked, head tilting towards the track.
"My friend's uncle owns the Kangetsuen, we're here for summer vacation. I found out this was here and had to come see it. I was hoping," She paused, feeling silly saying it aloud. "I was hoping to talk to some of the riders about bikes, riding, that sort of thing."
"Well," He said, smirk firmly back in place. "You have the incredible luck to be at the track, with not only a rider, but one of the best mechanics in Asia. Possibly Europe too, although I don't like to brag."
And he was the same Kouga she remembered. Oh, he had changed physically, but the pride in his voice left no room for mistake. Some things never changed. His ego seemed to be one of them.
"Well, since it's your fault I'm interested anyway, you could at least be nice enough to show me around."
"I can do you one better. I'll show you around and give you a ride back to the hotel," He offered. "Now that you know I'm not a stranger, you can ride with me, right?"
The image of him taking the course flashed through her mind and her heart stumbled and skipped several beats.
"I'm a safe rider when I've got someone behind me," He added, guessing her thoughts.
She nodded, taking a long, deep breathe and exhaling slowly. She had the grace to blush when he looked mildly offended. Instead of saying anything though, he shrugged his shoulders and uttered a small keh before standing and offering her a hand up.
Even though the changes back to a more human appearance were subtle, she was aware of all of them, she was watching him so intently. Dark eyes, rounded pupils, curved ears. But when she noticed they were heading for the parking lot, she looked from the cab to him, confused.
"You don't want him to wait for you when he could be driving other fares do you?" He asked. She shook her head, surprised by his forethought. When they got to the cab the driver opened his window, eyes narrowed on Kouga.
"Yuuma is a friend of mine from middle school," She said, not entirely lying. "He's going to give me a ride back to the hotel. Thank you for waiting," She added.
The driver's eyes did not warm, but he nodded once and his window buzzed as he hit the button for it to come up. Unable to understand his quiet hostility, she stepped back and watched him pull away before turning back to her friend, her smile still in place.
"So, bikes huh?" Kouga asked, brow raised.
"I could ask you the same thing," She retorted, trying to adjust to this new Kouga. He seemed more laid back, more ready to smile than she remembered, although she supposed it was because of the change of the times.
"Can't run around Japan like I used to," He chuckled, walking back to the entrance with her. "Bikes caught my attention when they first showed up. Humans aren't all bad, but most of their inventions don't really phase me. Bikes though," Here he shrugged, his lopsided grin back in place. He seemed almost shy about it with her, which was strange, because the Kouga she remembered had never been shy about anything.
"Do you race?" She asked, noticing that they were heading in a different direction after they walked past the ticketing booths.
"Professionally, no. I'm not patient enough for it. Besides, most professional racers are just jockeys, they don't get to build their bikes," He explained, opening a metal door and standing to the side so she could walk ahead of him down the stairs. When the door closed behind him, his voice echoed off of the concrete walls. "I build bikes for a few racers. It's what we're doing today. There's a race coming up here and we wanted to see how the bike would handle the track."
The stairwell ended in another door, which opened to a huge, space that reminded her of a parking garage. She saw two men kneeling next to a bike, examining it and muttering to themselves. However, within seconds both had looked up and one was standing and striding over to them, a grin lighting up his features. Now that she knew what to look for, she easily recognized Hakkaku, although he no longer sported a mohawk.
"Little sister," He greeted, pulling her into a hug and laughing as he spun her around. "I knew it was you."
"Takeo is the one that spotted you on the bleachers," Kouga grudgingly admitted, although his grin didn't fade.
"He's just mad he didn't see you first today," Hakkaku chuckled as he put her back down on the ground.
"But he was on the track," Kagome pointed out, blushing
"Hey, you're the one that waited to tell me until she was leaving, not to mention you kept saying you weren't sure," The taller youkai groused.
"Well, last time I thought I saw her and she was gone you almost-"
A warning sound, not entirely unlike a growl, rumbled in Kouga's chest and Hakkaku stopped, eyes widening.
"Anyway, Torao should be done with the other bike soon. Everything checks out with the GX," He said, jerking his head at the bike and the other man, who had hung back and allowed them their space, if not privacy. Their words echoed around the garage, making it impossible to keep them from reaching him, but he didn't seem disturbed in the least by her arrival.
"Kagome, this is Hayate, he's the track owner and he owns the team we've been working on the bikes for," Kouga explained.
"It's nice to meet you," She greeted, shaking hands with the other man, who was wearing a mechanic's jumpsuit covered in oil and grease stains. His short hair was all over the paper, peppered with gray, and his smile revealed laugh lines, softening his angular face.
"Good to meet you too," He replied warmly. "Takeo told me he thought he recognized you. You're welcome down here any time," He added, nodding at Kouga. "Any friend of theirs is a friend of mine."
Blushing and feeling distinctly out of her element, she nodded again, unsure of what to say in such a situation, and watched as he walked over to the bike.
"We build most of the bikes for Hayate's team, although we aren't normally in the pit lane for races. We will be for the race next week though, special favor since so much of both are one offs, and there's not enough time for the crew to get used to it."
"What's a one off?"
"It's specially created parts, we do a lot of that in our shop back in Tokyo. Umm, if you're still going to be in town, you're welcome to come watch. You can even bring your friends."
"Even the rude one?" She replied, voice catty. He looked distinctly put out at her question, but nodded anyway. Anything else he was going to say was lost as Ginta walked in, helmet still on and walking the bike before kicking down the stand.
"The binders need some work, but otherwise it's good," He said as he took off his helmet. When he spotted her, he repeated Hakkaku's actions, coming forward to embrace her and spin her around before setting her back down on the ground.
"Long time little sister," He said, a cheeky grin earning a giggle in response.
"Torao," She said, letting him know that she knew his new name. He had changed too, although not as drastically as the other two had. His hair was still white with the patch of black, shaggy and mussed from pulling the helmet off. His pupils were round though, and his fangs blunted, his ears also softened into human curves instead of demonic points.
She wondered if she would have recognized them, seeing all three of them together that day instead of hiding beneath the helmets.
"Well, you've put in a good day here, I'll let you catch up with your friend. See you tomorrow in the AM. If you need to borrow some gear for her, you can hit the stash," Hayate told them, giving an absentminded wave as he walked away. She watched him go, wondering if her presence had put a strain on their schedule.
"He's got paperwork to go over," Kouga explained. "Hates it about as much as I do, but that's the way it goes," He added with a shrug.
There was a silence, a slightly awkward one, now that they were all alone.
"Screw this, I'm hungry. Want to go grab a burger?" Ginta finally asked, breaking through the tension.
"I could eat," She said, not wanting to admit that, in the process of pretending to be sick, she had avoided eating to cement her ruse. While she hadn't even considered being hungry before, the mention of food brought the sensation of an empty stomach to the forefront.
"Let's go grab you some gear," Kouga chuckled, walking away. For a moment she wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow, but when Ginta and Hakkaku waved at her to follow their friend, she turned and followed, not entirely sure what he meant by 'gear' but excited, nervously, anxiously so, nonetheless.
He took her through a door at the far end of the garage and down a hallway to a locked room, for which he had a key, strangely.
"Hayate must trust you," She murmured quietly.
"Hayate's a good guy," He replied. "It's fun working with him, and we've been friends a long time."
"Is he-" She stopped, unsure if she was even allowed to ask such a question.
"No, but his mate is, so he's more than aware of what we are," He chuckled as they stepped into the room and he turned on a light. Several boxes lined the walls, along with a single, tall locker.
"One of Hayate's riders, his niece, she's about your size, maybe a bit taller, but her helmet should be a good fit, and one of her jackets will be fine."
"She won't mind?"
Kouga snorted, rolling his eyes as he went through the smaller boxes, opening one after the other. "She's a little prima donna. Hayate is a blast to work with, it's Doumen that's a pain in the ass. Here, try this on."
She accepted the pale blue helmet, pushing it down on top of her head, immediately struck by the warmth of her breath reflecting back at her and the muffling of sounds. Kouga moved her head a bit, tugged against it lightly before nodding his head in satisfaction. She pulled it off, inhaling deeply as cool air flooded back into her nose.
"Perfect, and she won't miss it, she hates blue, refuses to wear it," He added with another eye roll. Next he went through longer boxes, immediately discarding full racing suits before finding a box filled with jackets. He shuffled through them, pulling out a black jacket accented in the same light blue as the helmet. She tried it on when he held it out, surprised by it's weight and the feel of padding and reinforcements in the back and shoulders.
It zipped up, fitting her loosely.
"Perfect."
"It feels too big," She said, looking down at it.
"It's supposed to be a little baggy when you're standing, they're supposed to fit while riding," He laughed as he put the boxes back in order. "And she'll never notice the set missing, so I'll ask Hayate if he cares if you keep it."
"I couldn't-"
"Trust me, I doubt he'll mind. The only reason he hasn't booted her is because she's a top notch racer and because his wife's sister would never let him hear the end of it," He assured her, voice turning to a grumble when the wife's sister was mentioned. She wondered if he and the other youkai, she assumed youkai anyway, had crossed one another before.
"So, I mean, how is everyone else?" She asked as he locked the room behind them. He paused, brow furrowing for a moment before tucking the keys back into his pocket.
"Honestly, I don't know. It's been centuries. People drift apart, and times have changed a lot."
He was hedging around something, and it was something she was sure she wouldn't like, but probably needed to hear.
"Kouga, it's alright. I never expected to see anyone again."
He sighed, eyes turning inward before words starting falling from his lips automatically, as if he was an automaton giving someone else's memories while he sorted through them.
"Inu Yasha ended up mating another hanyou and dying in battle about two centuries later," He finally said, given her what she hoped was the worst news first. "They had a couple of pups, his mate took off to China not long after. I lost contact with her after that, too much was changing, and there wasn't any way to stay in touch like there is now. The kid, Shippou, he went with her."
"Oh," She murmured. She tried looking at the bright side, that Inu Yasha had loved someone enough to start a family with them, although the idea of him dying and leaving them behind hurt.
"Sesshoumaru is still in Japan, a bigwig at some corporation and still holding onto bachelorhood. I don't know what became of anyone else, really."
"What about Ayame?" She asked, distinctly remembering the red haired ookami and her claim on Kouga.
"When the times changed, I changed with them. Her clan viewed humans as a problem. When her tribe wanted to try and even the playing field a bit, I said no. I put a ban on humans, but they ignored it. In the end I left the pack and broke my mating bond with her. Ginta and Hakkaku followed, and some of the others from my pack. Most of them remembered you and what you did for us."
He didn't seem hurt as he said it, but then again, he didn't seem to be feeling much of anything as he made the quiet declaration.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dredge up painful memories," She sighed, hugging the helmet to her chest and staring down at it's shiny surface. The news of Inu Yasha's death was hitting harder than she thought it would. Though she had accepted that she might never see him again, the idea of him dying in such a way hurt, and she felt bad for having left him behind to that fate. Adding to that Kouga's own bad luck, because of her, no matter how indirectly, and she was wondering why she had asked at all.
"It was only a few years after you left," He admitted. "So it was a long time ago. She left Japan with the rest of the clan centuries ago for some place that wasn't so crowded."
In a way she felt responsible for his loss. It was only too easy to remember how responsible he had felt for his pack, even giving up on finding and battling Naraku so he could take care of them. And because of her, he had lost a majority of that pack, and his mate.
"Look, if you want, I mean, if you need some time alone before going back to the guys, we've got to change anyway," He offered, looking as awkward as she felt. She nodded mutely, her throat too tight to speak when he opened the door and slipped through it. It closed behind him with a heavy thud, and needing something cool, she leaned forward until her forehead rested on the smooth metal surface.
A world she had been a part of, that had shaped and changed her despite the brevity of her adventure. For him it had been centuries, for her, only a few short years. Hearing him speak of the past like that was mind numbing. It was as if her friend's lives had been condensed into three short years she had missed. Three years where every day was a decade, until they had aged and died and faded into wisps of memories.
She hadn't realized how much time had passed as she sifted through those memories and tried to correlate them with the simple, blunt truths Kouga had given. But the door was pushing open and she was reeling back, eyes wide and heart tightening painfully, arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance.
Both of his hands reached out and grabbed her forearms, steadying her. The helmet hit the floor, the noise of it hitting and bouncing once echoing in the hall.
"Are you alright?" He asked, although he didn't seem to expect an answer.
"It's a lot to take in," She admitted, unable to look up at him. Guilt gnawed at her. Had she brought him to where he was now? Was he really happy? Or was he merely getting by, surviving beyond his pack and his broken mating?
"I'm sorry, I should have waited-"
"No, no," She stuttered, pulling her arms from of his grip before bending down and picking up the helmet. "Better now," She added quietly as she straightened, noticing for the first time that he was wearing the jacket she had seen him in that first day.
"Come on, maybe a ride will help clear your head," He said, not moving to touch her again.
She selfishly wanted something to lean again, but resisted the temptation, instead following him back out to the garage. Ginta and Hakkaku had already cleared out, and there was no sign of the motorcycles they had been working on. Through another door and a maze of halls, up stairs and back into the light. He turned away from the entrance she had come through and led her down a different path, only stopping to unlock a gate and let her through before locking it again and leading her to a much smaller parking lot.
Ginta and Hakkaku were already waiting, although she couldn't tell who was riding the red bike and who was riding the green, as their helmets were on, tinted shields down.
"Always get on and dismount on this side," Kouga told her, voice quiet. "And just hold on to me, this wasn't really made for passengers, but you're small enough that we'll be fine," He finished with quiet confidence.
She stared at the bike.
There was no way she could get on it without some sort of step stool.
A minute later he seemed to understand her dilemma, and without asking or saying a word, grabbed her around her waist, his large hands almost completely spanning the distance, and sat her down on the seat. Quickly throwing her leg over the side so that she was straddling the bike, she shoved her helmet on ignoring that her unbound hair was sticking out of the bottom.
When he mounted the bike effortlessly, the whole thing shifted beneath her, stabbing her with anxiety. Her arms went down to the bike, searching for something to grab onto and finding nothing. When he kicked back the stand and the bike bounced again, she leaned forward and grasped the leather jacket, terrified she'd fall off.
"You alright?" He asked, the sounds muffled as they filtered in through the helmet. She nodded instead of trying to say anything, and he pushed his blue helmet down over his pony tail and face until it was in place.
"Hold on to me, or else you're going to fall off," He shouted, loud enough for her to understand despite the helmet muffling his voice. He leaned forward until it almost felt like he was laying on the bike, and she followed his example and wrapping her arms around his waist. The jacket tightened until it was snug, and she understood hat he had meant about the fit. If it had fit properly while she wasn't riding, she wouldn't have been able to hold onto him.
An uncomfortable thought.
"You ready?" It was vague and muffled, vibrating through her.
She nodded, turning her head so that she could see the others as they revved and popped before pulling out of the parking lot. Kouga started his bike and she felt it rumble to life, the whole thing vibrating so strongly that she felt like her bones were buzzing. Her grip unconsciously tightened and she almost yelped when the bike moved forward, the sensation itself unexpected.
It wasn't what she expected, not at first. Certainly nothing like what she had seen him do on the track. It was a smooth ride as they got onto the road, and she loosened her grip for a moment, until she heard him shout something. It was indistinct and lost to her before she felt the bike begin speeding up. A turn came and she tightened her grip, terrified he was going to take the turn leaning close to the ground, but he barely tilted, and she moved with him. However, he didn't slow, only sped up until he was behind Ginta and Hakkaku, and with a smooth lean he was going around them and leading them.
The world blurred by and the wind sheared against her sides as he sped up. At first she forced herself to keep her eyes open to try and take it all in, but when the world sped by in blurs of green, blue, brown, white and even gray and black until she couldn't even guess what she was seeing, she closed them and inhaled deeply.
The world seemed more alive with her eyes closed. Despite the muffled sounds, she could feel how the road beneath them dipped and swelled lightly, the vibrations of the bike, the air as they cut through it, and the solid weight of him guiding her to lean or straighten. It was nothing like she'd ever felt, and smoother than than holding onto someone while they jumped and ran, feet pounding the ground into submission. Instead it felt like she was gliding over it, almost flying, her feet firmly off the ground. It was easy to lose herself to the feeling, the roar of the engine drowning out her heartbeat until she imagined, for a brief moment, that it was her heart, thrumming and pounding for her.
When she finally opened her eyes again, it was when Kouga began to slow, and she looked around, surprised to see that they were back in the same part of the city her hotel was located. The drive to the track had taken almost an hour, but it had felt like minutes on the bike.
He turned into a small restaurant that didn't look like much at all and parked, nudging the stand down with his foot and bracing himself but putting both feet flat on the ground before pulling off his helmet. She followed suit, chagrined to notice that her hair was a tangled mess, knotted and gnarled beyond recognition.
"You alright?" He asked, dismounting fluidly.
"Yeah. That was, I enjoyed it," She admitted with a smile as she tried to comb her hair with her fingers and failed miserably.
"I forgot about that, here," He said, hand slipping into his back pocket and coming back out with a scrunchie. "I don't have a brush or anything-"
"It's fine, thanks," She mumbled, twisting her hair into a messy bun, hopefully hiding the snarls by making them look intentional as she wrapped the band around it. "I'll know better next time."
"You liked it that much?" He asked, a smile tilting up the corner of his lips. She nodded, getting ready to throw her leg over when he stopped her, a firm, gloved hand clapping onto her shoulder.
"Don't get off on that side, you might get burned," He told her, pointing down to the area her leg would have rubbed against the exhaust pipes. "Here."
And he was lifting her effortlessly again, helping her off of the bike and clearing the area he had told her to avoid completely. When she was on her feet she felt like her legs had turned to jelly and braced herself on the bike for a moment, trying to gain her footing.
"That happens," He laughed, watching her with no little amusement as she waited for feeling to come back to her legs. The two other bikes pulled up next to them, and she used figuring out who was who as a distraction to keep from thinking about how her knees wouldn't stop vibrating.
Ginta was wearing the green helmet, Hakkaku the red, and they dismounted as smoothly as Kouga had, no signs of the tremors in their legs at all.
She was almost mad at them for it.
"Stop that, or I won't let you on the bike again," Kouga laughed, tucking the helmet under his arm and offering his arm. Ignoring her own chagrin she laced hers around it and allowed hi to help her walk to the door and into the shabby little restaurant. Ginta and Hakkaku sat next to each other in a booth and she slid in, putting her helmet between herself and the wall. She took Kouga's and sat it on top.
"How did you like the ride?" Ginta asked.
"It was really fun," She admitted. "It wasn't like I thought it would be, but better."
A waitress came over and took their drink orders, but there were no menus.
"This place only makes one thing," Hakkaku informed her, smiling widely. "It's the best burger joint in all of Hokkaido."
"So why did you come to the track today?" Kouga asked as the waitress came back with their drinks.
"I was going to ask the riders about their bikes, maybe see if someone was willing to give me lessons for a couple of hours a day or something."
Said like that, she realized how childish it sounded.
"How much longer will you be here?" Kouga asked, brow furrowing in thought.
"Three weeks, give or take."
"I can't teach you to be perfect in three weeks, but I can show you the basics," He offered.
"But aren't you busy?"
"We don't have any orders waiting," Ginta piped up before Kouga could say anything.
"We'd be completely free after the race next week," Hakkaku added.
"We haven't had a vacation since-"
"We went to America a couple of years ago for that race."
It reminded her so much of the past and how they had once been, goofy and almost disconcerting in their ability to follow one another, that she burst in laughter, a true smile finally gracing her features for the first time since she had been told about what had happened to her friends.
"You don't have to convince me," Kouga grumbled, rolling his eyes as her laughter quieted. "A few weeks would be good for us. Besides, if she's going to learn from anyone, it's either us or Hayate," He added. "Not going to have some jackass teaching her something that's going to kill her."
"'Her' is sitting right next to you," She retorted.
"Fine, I don't want you taking lessons from some moron that thinks he's all that because he's got a little pre-made crotch rocket he managed to uncork and armor with some company's name all over it. Besides, are you going back to Tokyo after you're finished here?"
She nodded, wondering why he was asking.
"We live in Tokyo too, so lessons don't have to stop just because you leave Hokkaido."
She wasn't sure how to explain that she had planned for it to stay on Hokkaido, mostly because her mother probably would have a heart attack to learn that her daughter was interested in motorcycles.
"Whoo, vacation," Ginta sighed happily, raising his plastic glass.
"On the beach," Hakkaku added.
"With motorcycles," Kouga added with a wolfish grin as he raised his own glass.
"And with good friends," She finished, raising her own and clinking it against the other glasses.
Author's Notes: I'd like to thank those that reviewed and encouraged me with the story. I am having a 'tiny' affair with Kouga/Kagome, cheating on my SessKag with fairly wild abandon. I am enjoying writing Kouga now that I'm getting more into the swing of the character, at least I hope so. As always, reviews and thoughts are appreciated. I'll see you next Saturday.