Author's forward: Is this a miracle happening? No, it's me back in action to continue this story about guys, skating and love. It's been a while, but this chapter is ready and it's gonna be a roller coaster of emotions only for you, my creatures of the night.

Happy reading!

…

Chapter 4: Night's over, boys and girls

"Can you believe Adam is here?" One guy in the crowd said to his friend right next to him.

"I know. What is he planning to do tonight?" His friend wondered.

The air was full of tension, doubt and mumbles while Adam slowly skated towards the group of friends who were just celebrating just a few moments ago, but now none of them were even saying a word and their expressions were too serious, as if all the bad times Adam made them put up in the last year were passing through their minds at the same time.

"Well, hello there, my dear friends, it has been a while, hasn't it?" Adam said with a vigorous smile. Not even a word was said from any of the people in front of him. "So much tension in the air, is this a funeral?"

"Just what do you want, Adam?" Joe finally said, not in the mood from the matador's humor.

"Joe, darling, where is this hostility coming from?"

"Are you really planning to play naive with us?" Joe's gaze warned Adam he was ready to go to a full combat, not skating needed. And even more fierce than his looks were his toned muscles, if the situation wasn't that threatening, surely some of his fans would already be crying in enthusiasm, but even they could read the mood right now.

"Alright, I know, there's no need to lose our calm." Adam said not using his snarky tone, showing his awareness of his previous attitude. He then proceeded to do something that led the entire crew at S completely astonished. He vowed his head towards the group of skaters, showing complete humility "I'm coming in peace, you have my word."

"And why would any of us ever take the word of a dirty player, Adam?" Cherry asked, standing ahead of the group.

"Because right this instant my word is the only thing I have left to give!" Adam continued in his humble posture, then raised his gaze to the other two founders. "Joe, Cherry Blossom, I came here with nothing but regrets from my past actions. You were the most talented, loyal and thoughtful friends a young brat could have ever asked. Yet I was so lost in ego and self loathing I could see I was the one making everybody suffer!"

"At least you got that last part right." Joe led out that snarky comment without regret.

"And Cherry, my old friend, your performance tonight was splendid! Such a fresh yet as always intelligent approach to the situation! this is for you." With a fast move, The Matador of Love pulled a beautiful bouquet of fresh pink roses, it was so big nobody was really sure of where he was hiding them all this long. "Take this as a statement of my regrets and the little hope I still guard about you accepting me as a friend once again."

Cherry took the bouquet and Joe looked at him while doing it. The pink skater almost seemed like he was analyzing every single petal. His green haired friend was even more tense than before, his fists were so firmly tightened it was hurting him, yet he didn't seem to care at all. All he wanted right now was to hear his comrade's response, yet he was extra distressed about what he could say right now. Just a few months ago he could have been confident of what Cherry would have said to his ex friend if they found each other in that situation, but for some reason he was unsure about it now, it didn't help Adam was waiting for him with a big smile.

"Adam, do not get yourself confused." Cherry answered, cutting the intense tension in the air. "I'm only taking this because, as a great admirer of the art of ikebana, I solemnly can't let something as delicate and dependable as a flower get thrown away to perish all by itself, but that's as far as my mercy can go. I'm not interested in anything you are proposing to me right now."

"I know what I did was inexcusable, and asking for forgiveness is too much, but I hope you could really understand how much I regret everything. My lust for power went too far at that time and I should have thought about it before throwing my Full Swing Kiss at you."

"Tsch, Are you still insisting on calling that with a special move name?" Everyone looked at Cherry, surprised by that sarcastic laugh he led out just before his comment. "All your anthems about regret and redemption have little weight when we both know actions speak louder than words, and you do know pretty well you can't just give a little present and call it and apologize the same way you can't plainly assault someone and just call it a "new trick". They just do not correspond with each other, Adam."

Whispers and gasps filled the distance between the two skaters. Cherry Blossom was always known for being brave, but no one was really sure of what to expect about Adam, the most unpredictable skater at S. What was about to happen right now? A beef? A fight? Will any of the presents here survive?

"Is this really your final statement of the night?" Adam asked Cherry.

"Did you hear him stutter?" Joe backed his friend up, ready to face any of Adam's tricks.

"Very well, then…" The Matador of Love stood quiet for a couple of seconds looking down in meditation. Everybody was waiting for his response. "I won't pursue it more tonight!"

"What?!" The entire crow at S screamed at unisound, dumbfounded about the anticlimactic resolution.

"Now now, my thirsty savage crew, there's no worse turn off than a man who can take a no for an answer. Even in our most passionate times, consent must always be prevalent, I know that now!" Adam said to the people all around him, the pro skaters still not amazed by his attitude, they were experts enough to know this was not the end of his performance, and they were right.

"We might not have the main course we all expected, But that doesn't mean we have to deprive ourselves from the joy and emotion of what, someone here once told us, was the most important thing in our control: Fun!" All of sudden, a black sailcloth on top of the building was uncovered revealing a giant sign with big lights turned on, the full content of the same was made out of a big photo of Adam, with the words "Adam's fun time" written below it, and the dark blue skater positioned himself bellow it, imitating the pose he had on it.

"Come on, my attractive fellas! The night is young, so are our hot burning bodies, and I think we are ready to turn up the intensity a little more, so, who wants to make this night a session of never ending passion with daddy?"

"Nop, I'm good." Reki said, turning himself away from the situation.

"I think I'll pass." Langa followed Reki, uninterested in the Matador's proposal.

"My order of veggies arrives at 6, I don't wanna miss it." Joe said while looking at his phone.

"I could take a drink before I go to sleep." Cherry said to Joe, and they walked in the same direction. In reaction to the pro's responses, the rest of the people gathered also looked disinterested and ready to call it a night so they started to move slowly.

"Wait, Where are you going?" Adam was finally able to shout after a couple of seconds hitted by the unanimous decision.

"Dude, you arrived too late, we've been skating non stop for hours already." Reki answered Adam, whose color palette went blank after realizing the big mistake on his master plan.

"We've got nothing against you, but you should come up earlier next time." Langa backed up his friend, being himself the most tired one of the night to take another beef. The rest of the crowd agreed to the snow skater, having every single one of them given his best for the time, and one by one they were all retiring from the place. Adam, who stood frozen on the result of his miscalculation, couldn't support himself any longer and got on his knees for the new defeat.

"But.. I was hoping we will get to come together this time." His last words of the night.

—-

"Men, I'm so exhausted tonight! I think I used some muscles I didn't even know I had!" Reki said while moving his sore shoulders.

"I know, I feel the same, but at the same time I could go and grab some food before getting home."Langa replied to his friend.

"Are you in the mood for some cheese burgers? We could go first for some, we have the cash to do it." Reki offered Langa, his hands touching his inner pocket with the profits of the night. The snow skater's face was shining by the proposal of getting some well earned food, there was no need for a reply to Reki, he understood pretty well. "What about you, Miya? Wanna come with us?" Reki asked the young pro who was heading in the same direction as them.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass." Miya answered with his usual stoic tone "After all, I have someone else here I have to take him out of trouble so he will send me home."

"Uh?" Reki and Langa both gestured not understanding what the pre teen skater was saying. To their doubts Miya simply pointed up in the ceiling the figure of Shadow still hanging on the roof this whole time, unable to let go of the beam that Cherry used to defeat him.

"I can believe you forgot I was here, you bastards!" Shadow shouted to the group with tears still in his eyes. The best friends looked embarrassed by the situation, yet the young boy was still unshaken.

"See you around, Snow and Slime." Miya said before retiring from the scene, part of him wanting to get Shadow to give him a free ride home after a long day of skating, but mostly doing it because he didn't want to be the third wheel in the close dynamic his two dumb pals were having that night without them even noticing. Even if those were two dufus, Miya was still a good friend who could read the room.

"And then there were only two left." Langa said in a calm voice, Reki was already aware of his friend's sense of humor, so the comment didn't sound weird for him. "Are you ready to go?"

Reki was just about to say yes to Langa, but suddenly the red haired boy noticed a pair of eyes who were looking at him from the other side of the room.

"Hold on a second, I think I saw someone." The red haired skater said.

And indeed, there was someone. Like the other times he competed, he was covering his face with a red cap and a hoodie. Adam's mysterious assistant was standing there in a corner while looking at Reki, his eyes were calm, but clearly ready to have a conversation with the red haired boy.

"I'll be right back!" Reki said and left Langa without waiting for his reply. Langa did as his friend said and waited for him, yet still he felt really confused about Reki knowing some other person he was not aware of.

"Hey, you! you are Adam's secretary, Adachi, right?" The red haired boy asked the stoic figure once he got to reach him.

"Good night, sir, my name is Tadashi Kikuchi, it's a pleasure to meet again." The man corrected him with a calm and well-mannered tone, unshaken by the wrong calling of his name,

"Right, look, I'm just here to say hi, I got the vibes you were looking to talk to me about something."

"Indeed, I was looking to have a conversation about some points regarding your efforts made to my master's well being."

"Uh? I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean." Reki was confused.

"I'm seeing you already have your own compromises to attend this night, so I'm not planning to take much of your time." Tadashi said, referring to the Canadian skater trying to take a look at the situation from a distance. "To keep this simple, I'm saying I'm completely grateful to you and all the work you performed last year for the wellbeing of my esteemed master, the one you all know as Adam, and I simply want to make sure there is some way I could repay you for all."

"I'm quite sure I didn't do any of that…"

"But you did." Tadashi interrupted Reki, his face was so close the red haired skater was uncomfortable for the personal space taken away from him "The more I look back into the chain of events that lead my master to his new self, the more convinced I am that you were the first link forcing those events. We are surrounded by excellent and stunning skaters, yet you were the only one who never gave up. Even after losing, that level of conviction was so foreign to my master it was impossible for him to not break his own concept of reality."

"Look, about that, there's nothing to thank me about." Reki replied, a little embarrassed from the amount of compliments he just received from this unknown man. "I swear, I just did what it felt right at the moment, I'm just a guy as simple as that, nobody owes me anything, I promise."

"Your modesty is quite a virtue to admire, and I still feel myself in a big debt." Tadashi backed up more relaxed. He then took a piece of paper out of his pocket to give it to Reki, it was a presentation card with the words Tadashi Kikuchi personal assistant and a cell phone number. "Please, don't underestimate the benefits of a big favor in your future. If you ever want to ask anything in return, don't doubt nor assume it is a betrayal of your morals, I will be happy to assist you in anything."

"Thanks, I guess." Reki answered, more interested in the idea of finishing that conversation rather than the offer itself.

"To you, now if you could excuse me, I have some important matters to attend to." And the mysterious assistant directed himself towards the remains of Adam, who was still petrified in oblivion and definitely needed a ride home..

Finally released, Reki ran towards his friend, eager to continue the night with some chill fun well earned after all their hard work. The young skater would never admit it out loud, because he wouldn't want to look lame in front of his friends, but sometimes his favorite part of the night was right after the beefs were over, when they did their best and the pressure was off and the only thing left was to enjoy themselves. A simple reward that meant everything for him. He wondered if it was only him who felt like that, because he couldn't imagine his friends in the same position as him.

After a few minutes, Reki was finally reaching Langa, who, to his surprise, was dealing with his own unexpected social interaction. The Blue haired boy found himself surrounded by a group of pretty girls. They looked mature, but not older than them from too much, all of them were dressed in blue tones, they outfits were sportive, yet sophisticated, like they took their time to choose every accessory, and what most stood of between them was all of them having light blue hair, not easy to say if all of them dyed their hair or if they were just wigs. All together even looked like they were a k-pop group ready to make a show.

"Hey, did I miss something?" Reki asked, very confused about this unexpected scene.

"There you are, Reki!" Langa said, truly happy for his bestie's return. "Ready to go?"

"Wait, Snow! Hang on a second." One of the girls asked him, worried about Langa's departure.

"Hey, I know you, aren't you one of Cherry's groupies?" Reki questioned her after seeing her face better.

"I was, but that's in the past." The girl replied a little embarrassed.

"Girl, there is nothing wrong with that, I used to cheer for Joe." Other girl reassured her friend.

"And we just started at S, but we are totally dazzled by the way you move in all your beef!" Other girl referred to a small group on the crow.

"Whose ollies were out of this world!"

"I couldn't keep my eyes away for you, not even for a second!"

"Snow is simply so cool!" The girls accompanied their cheers with some screams of emotions, like they were meeting an idol, and for them it was.

"I don't think I'm following this." Langa said a little bit confused because of the big display of emotions in front of him. The snow skater turned towards his friend to look for some logic, but he found him in some kind of crisis, his face was blue and he had a worried face. "Reki?"

"No way! Langa has a fan club now?" Reki was finally able to say.

"We call ourselves your Snow's Angels, and we are totally at your service." One of the girls introduced the group with a cheerful tone.

"Ask us for anything." A more flirty one said, her hand put her fingers together making the asian hearth sign, but Langa was unaware of their meaning.

Reki couldn't be in more panic than at that moment. S was their safe place for all the classmates crushing over Langa, but now they were facing a completely new team of them. All of the girls were young, charming and pretty attractive, probably all skaters who also enjoyed his friend's passion for this sport. Would they actually be at Langa's level? The simple thought was twisting Reki's stomach just like the first time some girl confessed to Langa at school. A sad expression took over Reki's face, already defeated under the new situation.

"Are you free now? We are heading to a party outside town, we can take you if you want." The girl who used to be Joe's fan proposed to him.

"We have a car, so it's no problem for us to take you both."

"Please, say yes, Snow! We promise it's totally going to be a blast!" One of them pleaded in a cheery voice and the others followed her, looking very cute for their enthusiasm.

"So, what do you say?"

"Langa.." Reki said in a very low voice, he was not sure of what to actually say next.

"I'm sorry, but we already have plans." Langa said firmly but not impolitely, the same tone Reky taught him to reject their classmates was being used one more time by the Canadian skater, secretly filling his friend with an equal amount of surprise and relief. The Snow's Angels all screamed a disappointed "Eh?" at the same time, like they were teenagers surprised by their parents denying them to go out.

"Are you sure we can't make you change your mind?" The smallest one of the group pleaded with her cutest tone, her ultimate weapon to convince him,

"Given the situation, I think it's better to be honest." Langa said to Reki, then turning back to the Snow's Angels very decisively. "I sorry, but I think I cannot correspond to the things you girls are asking me for, I'm sure you all are amazing, and your commitment to my beef really flattered me, but I don't think I can give you all, or any of you, what you are looking for."

He even ended his rejection with a small bow in front of them, like he did in school. But what he didn't expect was his new fans cutting the tension with a new horde of joy screams.

"Snow, you are so polite! How many times did you practice that speech?" The ex Joe fan complimented him.

"You sounded so mature, totally like a celebrity!" another one said, looking like she was with her head on the clouds dreaming.

"So, you are not mad at me?" Langa asked them, confused about this new situation.

"No, silly! We were just asking!" A more energetic one said.

"We are totally fine about it, don't worry!" The ex Cherry fan reassured him.

"I thought you guys would be upset because I didn't agree to go with you." Langa said in a more relaxed tone, the relief of not getting in more problems at least at S was slowly filling his whole body.

"Snow, we are your fans because we want to, you don't have to do anything for us." The ex Joe fan explained, clearly the more mature of the crowd.

"Yeah, it's not like we were expecting you to take any of us as your girlfriend, we just love to admire you."

"The only thing we ask for you is to let us cheer for you on every beef with all our hearts!" The cutest one cheered with all her enthusiasm, followed by the others.

"And if you ever need anything for us, we'll be ready to jump for you!" The energetic one added, the rest of them agreeing with her.

"Kay, I'll keep it in mind, them." The stoic skater's simple response left his fans screaming with joy all over again, not so menacing anymore to the two teenagers now that they understood their unproblematic intentions. The Snow's Angels started to head to the exit of Crazy Rock while giving him some final goodbyes.

"Bye, Snow! You are the best!"

"We love you! You rock!" And with those final words, the two friends were alone at last.

"I think it's finally time to get some food." Langa broke the silence between them with his very relevant observation, good enough to make Reki get over himself.

"Alright let's go!"

—-

On another side of the city, the quiet streets found themselves moved by the lights and sounds of two motorcycles entering the parking lot of a closed bistro. The two drivers, Joe and Cherry Blossom, took advantage of the solitude of the night to move around still wearing their signature S outfits and slide like shadows to the black door of the Italian place with the sign "Sia la luce" on front.

"I just stock the wine cellar, so ask for whatever you want, Kaoru." Said Joe as he came out of his dressing room, now wearing some casual clothes: a tight shirt with baggy pants and an apron, in which he was better known as Kojiro Nanjo, a highly esteemed chef claimed for his enviable skills in Italian cuisine.

"Thanks for the offer, I feel like I could take a glass of rosé to relax." Answered Cherry, who also has changed into his Kaoru clothes, a traditional kimono that helped him with his whole aesthetic of an academic of the Japanese arts.

Kojiro took a bottle of pink wine and two glasses. He served the drinks with the grace and elegance he was well recognized for and then he took a seat beside his long time friend.

"All right, there you have it, you sure you don't want me to prepare you some quick pasta? All the ingredients are just here."

"That won't be necessary, I'm not hungry."

"For real? After a beef like that one would expect you to have a big appetite." Kojiro was casually moving his drink on the glass and then extended it towards the pink haired skater "Cheers, for your come back at S."

Kaoru imitated him and they clinked their classes and took a sip. They have always been like this, two friends alone in the world, but at the same time always together.

"A fine harvest, I must say." Kaoru praised. Kojiro was looking at him with a warm smile, the situation of clearly being examined by the green haired chef made the calligrapher turn his head to any other side. As he looked evasively around the table of the bar he found the restaurant's menu and started to check the new main dishes added since his last visit. "Looks like you are also learning new tricks, are you afraid your regulars won't keep interested in your same old food?"

"What are you talking about? I'm always into trying something new!" Joe said with a big smile, so proud of himself. "A great chef is always recognized by his ability of innovation!"

"I'll never imagine you like that." Kaoru said, looking at the dishes listed, being the number 3, pasta carbonara, his favorite. "I never looked too much at your menu, I always ordered the same plates."

"Yeah, that's why I never change plate number 3!" Kojio commented while laughing, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Are you really implying that for all these years the reason for you to never have changed that one dish is only for me?" Kaoru was very surprised by the revelation.

"Let's be real, Kaoru, if I ever change that one thing on the menu I don't think you would have continued being my customer."

"Don't be so full of yourself, gorilla!" Kaoru said with an annoyed expression, maybe a little embarrassed about the accusation. "I've tried other dishes you've prepared, I can be more flexible than you suspect."

"Relax, I'm not making fun of your taste, I simply know what you like." Kojiro leaned his back on the bar, his head looking at the ceiling not focusing on anything in particular. "This was a very eventful night, I even saw Snow have gotten some new pretty fans, some of them used to be ours, soon we are going to see who of us three gets more ladies."

"That's not something of my concern." Kaoru said in a dry tone. He finished the wine left on his glass with one last sip and then he stood up calmly.

"Are you leaving already?" Kojiro questioned the sudden action. "Stay a little bit longer, we can compare thoughts about the skaters."

"That activity would have to wait for another time." Kaoru took some money out of his pocket and left it at the table. "I just finished my drink, so I'll go my way."

"Hey, what's the rush all of sudden?" Kojiro was confused about this change of pace in the conversation, especially for the money. "What is this? Are you really trying to pay for this consumption? Since when are you not demanding me free drinks after midnight?"

"It just seemed the most appropriate given the situation."

"The situation?" Now Kojiro was concerned "Seriously, Kaoru, What is going on with you?"

"Nothing is occurring, I'm simply going home." Kaoru stood up from his seat, ready to leave.

"Don't give me that, it's obvious something is happening." Kojro stopped him, not ready to leave the conversation without saying what he was thinking. "Even at S you were distant, you are acting so differently from yourself."

"You are someone to talk about being different." The calligrapher recriminated.

"What do you mean?"

"Look who is playing dumb now, I mean about this whole polite facade of yours!" Kaoru said, his tone showed his frustration. "Giving me compliments at every moment, calling me by my name and not "princess" or "skinny", not even once you tried to push me or mock me!"

"I was just nice to you, Kaoru." Kojiro argued, more defensive than he meant to sound.

"Don't lie to me! You are not being nice to me, you are having pity for me!" Kaoru finally snapped at his friend, clearly offended by the whole situation. "Ever since my last beef with Adam you have been acting like I'm some fragile object about to get broken!"

"It's not like that, I swear!" Korijo stopped him. Seeing how now he was the one raising his voice, the green haired skater took a deep breath to gain some composure before facing the heavy topic. "You are right, I've treated you differently, but it's not for pity, Kaoru. I just got tired, we have been friends for as long as I can remember and ever since we were kids we have been competing with each other more and more. And I thought it was fine, after all we were always like that. Being each other's rivals was always what pushed us to improve, to be the best of ourselves." Kojiro looked at the floor, remembering something dark from the past.

"But ever since Adam attacked you in front of everyone, all because he needed to prove he was the best, and when I think about Reki and Langa, those kids that are always looking out for each other. I've been wondering if it is right for us to continue our lives like that." Kojiro lifted his gaze, at last ready to face a quiet Kaoru ready to listen to him until the end. "You are an important part of my life, Kaoru, and I don't want to keep pretending that you are not, I wanna openly be happy for you winning a beef, get mad a whoever mess with you, and, more important, I want to laugh out loud with you when you see something is simply too funny to handle it."

A moment of silence filled the place, every word coming from the green haired skater was as honest as they could get, yet his stoic friend didn't change his expression.

"That's what annoys me more about you in this situation." Kauro broke the silence after some time. "You always act like you get me better than anyone else in this world, like being with me is naturally your role as my rival because of the time we have formed part of each other's life. But let's be honest, we were never the kind of pals who invested their time opening up about their feelings, so stop trying to dig deeper that it actually is our relationship!"

"Kaoru, wait!" Kojiro screamed at Kaoru, who was walking towards the exit.

"Good night, Kojiro." The pink artist was just a few steps away from the front door, but he found himself stopped by a big hand holding his. He was not walking anymore, yet he didn't dare to turn around to see the man grabbing him.

"Please, stop!" Kojiro pleaded, the desperation and pain was audible in his voice. "How could you say that? Did you really see our friendship as only superficial after all this time?"

"Let me go."

"Tell me what I'm not seeing!" The demand was intense, enough to make Kaoru now the one who takes a deep breath before turning around and facing him one more time with his cold gaze.

"You don't know me as much as you think." He opened his speech with that introduction. "You might have done it when we were young, but we changed with the passage of time and now you live in denial of this new equation."

Kojiro was still holding Kaoru's hand, his grab was firm, yet he was making sure of not hurting him.

"I won't deny what you said about us not being the brats that we used to be back then." Kojiro replied, taking care of every word he was pronouncing. "But, Kaoru, you and I, how we cared about each other, the relationship we have is not that different than before..."

"But it is." The pink haired calligrapher interrupted him. "We skate and we compete, that's all we are now, I'm the distant Cherry Blossom who keeps himself far away, and you are the all mighty Joe, always surrounded by your admirers and your shallow girlfriends."

"Is this what this is all about? About saying Langa was getting some of our fans, does that bother you?" Kojiro asked, catching up with the indirectness of his friend's recrimination.

"What's bothering me is for you to think I would ever care to lose those admirers."

"Come on! I was messing around, of course I know you don't care about people throwing themselves at your feet!"

"You are wrong, Kojiro." Kaoru's tone was firmer than before. "I don't care about women admiring me, or better say, I never cared about women at all, not like you do about them at least."

Kaoru's eyes turned even colder than before. That last declaration left Korijo freezed as his friend's gaze cut him like a knife.

"What do you mean?"

"That I rather receive some attention when the one who gives it is a man." The room was death silent for the impact of the revelation. The noise of the clock and the fridge in the kitchen was audible even for those two on the entrance. "Now, tell me, Kojiro Nanjo, Can you really say you want to keep cheering for me knowing who I actually am now?"

Kojiro didn't move a foot in his place, yet his firm grip got weaker enough for Kaoru to slowly slide his hand out.

"Kaoru…"

"Good night, Kojiro, I see you around." And without any other word, the pink skater left in the middle of the night. The green cook could only look at him as he left, the eyes of his friend were cold as ice, yet he still had the warm sensation of his skin on the palm of his hand.

—-

Not so far away from that emotional scene inside the Italian joint, a popular skate store was also having his own night owl moving around.

Manager Shokichi Oka preferred to stay up late when he balanced some numbers at the end of the week. His tumultuous and adventurous daily life could only be well-adjusted with some peace and quiet at night. He didn't mind staying late since now he didn't have to bother to assist in all the S competitions thanks to his two star workers doing the heavy job for him. Just as he was finishing some last bills he received a picture of Reki and Langa. The inseparable duo was eating at a 24-hour restaurant a couple of burgers and some poutine. Langa appeared enjoying his meal with his typical aloof gaze he tends to have when eats, while Reki smiled at the camera making a "V" with his fingers. A message was written with the picture "The night was out of this world. We collected a ton of cash on sales!"

"Those two." Oka said while giving a small chuckle. "They can't help out being always together, Am I right, Sketchy?"

A long yawn answered Oka. Sketchy, his beloved pet fox rested peacefully on his lap. He was the only human the little fox tolerated and let touch him, all the rest of the people were simply not good enough to deserve the small creature's affections. His owner knew this, and was proud of it. Caressing his big ears, the shop manager looked around the empty store, wondering what big adventure will arrive tomorrow. Ever since the two skaters joined the store, not one day was the same as the other. There was always a new trick, a new competitor or a new fear, and as the oldest one in the team, he had the obligation to be also the wiser and advise them the best he could. A prudent and a little bit solitary life.

Oka left out of his meditation with the sound of a knock on the front door.

"Sorry, dude. We are closed." Oka shouted from his seat, not interested in standing up.

"I know! Look, I'm not trying to be a pain in your butt, but I could really use a hand!" The one knocking the door replied. Oka recognized his voice immediately, so he had no other choice than to step out of his comfortable seat and move, all to the displeasure of his pet. The manager took his keys and opened the front door to no other than Shadow, who was now facing a new struggle.

"Good evening, Shadow, I see you need some assistance." Manager Oka said while looking at the tire of his truck, the one that was deflated and in no condition to ride.

"Sorry for bothering you, do you have something to fix a tire?"

"Sure I do, but I have to say, I'm usually not a car mechanic."

"I know, I know, but I couldn't change after my last beef at S, and I cannot go to a mechanic looking like this without getting in trouble." Shadow said referring to his bizarre outfit with all and make up included.

"Well, the dressing room is on the back, Why don't you go and change while I start taking care of your tires." Oka proposed, he had taken a tool box behind the counter and he was ready for the action.

"Thanks, man, I owe you one." Shadow walked with no hesitation towards the changing room. When he was not skating as the self proclaimed villain of S, his looks were more peaceful even with his big body and muscles. His job at the flower shop taught him how to be polite despite having a rough face composition, making him the number one florist for the elderly ladies who appreciated him like a son.

"How's it going there?" Shadow, or better say, Hiromi Higa, asked the manager as soon as he went outside with his more appropriate outfit.

"Actually I'm almost done!" A very happy oka replied, looking satisfied at the changed tire he only needed to set a little bit more.

"That was fast!" Hiromi claimed, surprised by the speed of the job. "I thought you said you were not a car mechanic!"

"I said I'm not usually one, but I've faced the need to fix my own vehicle to save money from time to time." the manager finished adjusting the screws and then stood up stretching all of his tired muscles.

"You're really a life saviour!"

"I can have my moments."

"How much I own you?"

"Don't even ask, I was just helping a friend." Hiromi didn't say anything, but on his face a discreet smile was taking form from the amount of appreciation he felt towards the word friend said so naturally. It has been a while since the last time someone did something so fully amicable for him."If you are not in a hurry, do you want a cup of tea before leaving, my pot is ready to be served."

Hiromi was surprised by the amount of kindness. The truth was, besides his attempt to hide it, Oka clearly saw in the lonely florist the need of a pal to listen, and something inside him told him he wouldn't regret doing something about it.

"I can't deny that offer." Hiromi answered calmly, trying to not make his joy so notorious. He sat on the chair beside the counter while manager Oka poured some tea mugs for both of them.

"Here you go!" Oka said. The warmth of the tea made an instant cozy environment. None of them had too many words to exchange at the time, or maybe they were not so sure how to establish a good conversation between two people who had only seen each other from time to time. That was until Hiromi noticed the lonely flower standing up in the middle of the skate store.

"I can see the plant I gave you a couple of months ago is still in good shape."

"I've been trying to keep it alive, but I don't know much about plants actually." Oka said a little bit embarrassed about being caught taking care of a plant.

"It's a pink geranium, it can be as well as a houseplant or outdoors depending on climate, and its leaves can be used in potpourri as they are quite aromatic, I thought it would be good for you." Hiromi explained in full florist mode, his eyes were shining as he talked and some comfortable aura was emerging from him, something that was strangely pleasing to his only listener. "But I think it needs more soil, I can get it for you."

Only after finishing his explanation, the pro skater felt a wave of self-consciousness out of over showing his other side. He hadn't expressed much to Oka since the day he celebrated Langa, and he didn't want to make him feel like he was pushing too much. A simple grab of his shoulder from his new friend was the only gesture he needed to be reassured he wouldn't be judged.

"Thanks, Shadow." Oka said with a friendly smile.

"Please, when I'm not at S you can call me Hiromi." He replied with the same energy, but then his gaze turned down in displeasure. He has tried to block the night from his head until he could be alone in his house, but the scene of his failure was still recorded free of charge on his head.

"Rough night?" Oka asked about his notorious expression.

"Hell it was! I was having a decent time, some victories, some losses, but at the last one Pinky Princess Cherry appeared out of nowhere and defeated me in the most humiliating way like it was nothing!" Hiromi finally snapped as he sat again on his chair. "And then I have to take that little brat back to his place like I am a chauffeur, only to suddenly end up with a broken tyre in the middle of town looking like that!"

"It seems it just wasn't your lucky day."

"More like this isn't a lucky life." The florist replied looking at his reflection on his hot tea.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I'm losing my touch."

"I don't see you going that bad."

"Don't get me wrong, my skateboard is great, so my tricks, my technique is sharper than ever, I'm in my best form!" Hiromi explained vigorously. Even in his down moments he was proud of his hard gained abilities.

"What's the matter, then?"

"What matters to me is that no one seems to appreciate my talent! Ever since that punk defeated me they all see me as a joke, I used to scare them, make them fear for what they could lose on their next beef, but now they think I'm just funny!"

"Easy, I think you are just seeing this from the wrong angle." Oka calmed his guest. One of the benefits of working with teenagers was developing the ability of dealing successfully with angsty people who needed to cool down. "If they don't appreciate you as a villain, maybe you could try to be someone else. I see who you are, and you don't need to convince them you are that person."

"But I can't give up my act!" Hiromi replied in a dramatic tone. The sole idea sounded like a menace to his honor. "I know I'm acting like a jerk towards everyone, and I can be too much, but being like that at S is just my thing! Every story needs a villain! I might not have been here when S was invented, but I'm giving the public some emotion, the angst to fight for! Without me, the rookies are gonna feel cocky, like this is just a playground to fool around!"

"I can see that" Oka seemed truly entertained with this very dramatic explanation that actually made the scene in all its right. "Then I have to say, don't give up! Every performance has its ups and down, but I think it's actually nice of you to know you do all this for them, you try to give them something to look up to, or at least to be careful of, that is pretty cool in my book. "

The manager's words might have been simple, but they truthly cheered up the villainous skater. The fact he could share his vision and not being rejected was the simple motivator he needed. Now more relaxed, he felt he could keep sharing with his new friend.

"Jeez, I'm so pathetic, even the woman I loved thinks I'm a joke, that's not good enough to be her dream guy."

"You mean your boss? Is she still with her boyfriend?"

"More like her fiance right now." Hiromi took a piece of folded paper out of his jacket and handed it over to Oka. "She even sent me an invitation for her wedding next month."

"That's a hard pill to swallow!" Oka was reading the delicate invitation, every pink pastel letter must have seemed like a dagger to the florist's heart."How do you feel?"

"The funny thing is I was sure I would be more devastated, like I did when she appeared with him for the first time you know?" Hiromi said in a cool tone. The act of opening up was turning up more healing than he ever expected. "But it's like, I know about them already for a while, so now I just feel disappointed I cannot seem to move on."

"But Hiromi, I can see you moving on right now." Hirome looked at Oka, the warmness of being called by his name was an unexpected feeling. "Maybe love hasn't knocked on your door yet, but I don't think you are keeping yourself behind in making relationships. You used to be so shady and lonely, and now you communicate more with people, you are surrounded by friends all the time."

"Yeah, what quality of friends they are, they abandon me all the time."

"I didn't, and we are friends, aren't we?" manager Oka smiled again. Being called friends so many times would have been something so childish to the villain skater in another time, but right now he was only sensing the seriousness of this interesting character in his life. "Just let me tell you that I'm not going around opening my doors to anyone and then changing their tires, you have to be a very special pal."

A little chit-chat kept going between the two men, then it was time to call it a night. The florist and the mechanic went back to the truck to say their last good nights.

"Thanks for the tea, and the tire." Hiromi said.

"Pass by the store any time you want."

"I'll bring you some soil next time, it will be good for your flowers." And then he left. Both of them went back to their lives, with a new relief they found they could get used to very fast.

—-

Inside a local 24/7 food joint, Reki and Langa, the dynamic duo, had enjoyed a good amount of burgers, fries and poutine with some sodas, and now were ending the night with an ice cream. They've already lost the notion of time as the next stop of the night were their homes. Ever since they got there to eat, the conversation went smooth and casual. Simple and typical topics went ahead with them, skating, school, what to do when summer finally arrives. Those were the best times of their lives.

"I swear, every time I see him, Adam gets weirder and weirder."

"At least we don't have to worry about him trying to hurt us, I think." Langa said full of relief , yet his mind couldn't avoid feeling some tension after thinking about all the dangerous situations they had to face last year due to the Matador of Love's crazy shenanigans. "Do you think he is finally done being obsessed with us?"

"To be precise, he was obsessed with only one of us, but I don't think I can answer that, he is so unpredictable." Reki reminded his friend casually, but seeing a little concern in the snow skater's expression, he reassured him quickly. "If he ever comes back to his old tricks, at least now we know how to deal with them."

"How?"

"Staying together!" Reki responded with full energy, his arm embraced Laga by his shoulder, making him put a big and honest smile on his face.

"You are right!" Langa also put his arm on Reki's shoulders, happy to have their physical interactions again.

After dinner, the two friends prepared the scooter to head back to their respective homes. Langa was the one driving, so Reki's place was his first stop, not so far away from where they were.

"Speaking of obsession." Reki took the opportunity to casually bring up the delicate subject as they put on their helmets. "It's so crazy you have a fan club now."

"I guess so, but at least they are more reasonable than the girls at school." Langa started the vehicle as soon as Reki hopped on his back, not losing time to get them to where they were heading. "It's a relief they don't want to date me."

"Don't get them wrong, I'm sure if you asked out any of them they would say yes." Reki corrected Langa while he drove them through the streets still with lights and some people around in the middle of the night, little by little getting quieter when they arrived at a more residential area. "They're simply the kind of people who knows how to take a no for an answer"

"Well, in the case of me asking a person out it wouldn't be any of them." Langa stated as he parked the scooter a couple of meters away from Reki's house. Reiki got off the motorcycle, suddenly curious about Langa's statement. The fact he was now asking about a case in which he would ask someone out sounded different from the previous statements.

"What did you mean?"

"Uh?"

"You know, What did you mean with "it wouldn't be any of them"?" The red haired skater asked.

"They simply are not my type." Langa answered uninterested.

"Hold on!" Reki stopped his friend abruptly, making him now pay full attention "Does that mean you actually have a type?"

"I wouldn't call it a type." Langa's response was nervous, a little of a shaking tone and a gazing to the side.

"Well, do you have a set of requirements for a person that if they were fulfilled you indeed would say yes?"

"No, it's not about putting a list of random demands on a person for me to be interested, it's not like I want to buy something." The blue haired offended tone made an appearance again since the school morning, yet he tried to be calm while explaining himself. "For me, liking someone is simply about getting to be with this one right person, no one else."

"Oh my god!" Reki took a step back with an astonished face, he was facing the biggest revelation in his life. "You do have a person then!"

"Reki, wait a second!" Langa tried to calm his best friend, but he was also facing the panic of being discovered.

"That's why you don't hesitate to reject them! You already have the one you want as your girlfriend"

"Reki, please, don't freak out!"

"I'm not freaking out!" He said, obviously freaking out so much he immediately took a big breath to make some damage control.

"Reki…" Langa's shoulders were firmly grabbed by both Reki's hands, the action was so sudden the blue haired skater didn't dare to make another move.

"I'm not, I swear." A more calmed Reki took control of the situation, but Langa could still see conflicted emotions on his face, some fear, some sadness and definitely some desperation to be heard by him. "You got me this time, I will support you, I promise"

"You don't have to do anything…" Langa was so worried about his friend he was sure he would have acted immediately if he was not the one holded on his place.

"Not right now, it's so much information." Reki interrupted him one more time. "It's too late. We will talk about it later, I promise."

Langa really didn't like the idea, but he was trapped with no other choice, seeing Reki with that expression, his gaze begging him to be listened to, was simply too much.

"Ok, we will." And that was enough for the red haired boy to finally release the guy he kept captive. Promises were made, so it was time to call it a night for both.

"Goodnight." Reki said slowly, like it was the hardest thing he ever had to say..

"Rest well." Langa replied before heading back home with his vehicle.

Returning home was so automatic for Langa he had arrived at his place before he could even notice. The house was empty, his mom had a night shift and wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. Alone at last, the only thing he could do was change into his pajamas fast and throw himself to his bed, but he couldn't sleep. The final events of the night left him dubious and with one question he could only say out loud when no one was around.

"Reki, why can't you notice me?"

To be continued….

…..

Author's note: We'll see each other for the next time, when I'll write all about the day after this big night of revelations. What will we learn? What will our conflicted skaters do? And when Am I gonna have the time to write the next time? All these questions and I don't have a precise answer to give!

See you next time!

Thoughts during the creation process: I can't believe I finally did it! New year and a new chapter ready to serve. I was doubting I would ever have the time to write again. I've been so busy, and the worst part was that my life turned upside down last month in a way I couldn't believe it. I'm two wrong steps away from falling into a full mental crysis. And the lamest part of all of this is the fact that SK8 the Infinity releasing their OVA this month was the only thing that helped me to keep myself sane, to the point I felt this massive urge to finally sit down and write like a maniac all the rest of this chapter. O swear, that OVA was all that is right in life, sometimes I forget Renga is actually not canon, because the way the interact doesn't give me a hand in not shipping them.