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All For Love 3rd in Rivalry Series	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2173 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-All For Love
- 2-AFL 2
- 3-AFL 3
- 4-AFL 4
- 5-AFL 5
- 6-AFL 6
- 7-AFL 7
- 8-AFL 8
- 9-AFL 9
- 10-AFL 10
- 11-AFl 11
- 12-AFL 12
- 13-AFL 13
- 14-AFL 14
- 15-AFL 15
- 16-AFL 16
- 17-AFL 17
- 18-AFL 18
- 19-AFL 19
- 20-AFL 20
- 21-AFL 21
- 22-AFL 22
- 23-AFL 23
- 24-AFL 24
- 25-AFL 25
- 26-AFL 26
- 27-AFL 27
- 28-AFL 28
- 29-AFL 29
- 30-AFL 30
- 31-AFL 31
- 32-AFL 32
- 33-AFL 33
- 34-AFL 34
- 35-AFL 35
- 36-AFL 36
- 37-AFL 37
- 38-AFL 38
- 39-AFL 39
- 40-AFL 40
- 41-AFL 41
- 42-AFL 42
- 43-AFL 43
- 44-AFL 44
- 45-AFL 45
- 46-AFL 46
- 47-AFL 47
- 48-AFL 48
- 49-AFL 49
- 50-AFL 50
- 28
- 29
- 30
A/N: This is temporarily an older draft of this fan fiction that I am posting here. I will revise to correct inconsistencies ASAP. Please have patience. This note will change once revised.

CHAPTER 29

Keisuke held the door open for Takumi. The teen hopped into the visitor center restaurant at the foot of Akagi pass. Keisuke followed him. Takumi dreaded seeing Fumihiro, and Matsimoto again. They knew about his involvement with Keisuke because his lover felt he had to tell them the truth. The nineteen-year-old had no idea how they would react upon seeing him again now that they knew. Knowing he would soon be wearing a ring that matched one on Keisuke's hand gave Takumi even more reason to be open about their being together, yet he was still uneasy about their agreement.

As he and Keisuke came abreast of the cashier's station, Fumihiro stood up, waving them over. They headed toward their Project D teammate standing at the back of the room. Fumihiro and Kenta were at a long semicircular booth Takumi saw. Two others were sitting at the back of the table. Takumi swallowed hard, hobbling up to the group. He stopped next to the table, uneasy about his welcome.

"Hello, Keisuke-kun. Long time no see." A strange woman with shoulder length hair was sitting at the table. She spoke in a familiar tone that irritated Takumi.

"Onēchan Shinobu, this is Fujiwara Takumi. Takumi, this is one of the twin terrors, . . . I mean, self-appointed onēsan in my life, Yoshiyuki Shinobu. I told you about them both a while ago."

Shinobu glared at Keisuke, pushing Fumihiro over and bouncing out of the booth to smack him in the shoulder. "Oh you brat! Sachi really should put a leash on you, Keisuke-kun. Better yet, she should put you in a muzzle." She turned to face him and smiled. "Nice to finally meet you, Fujiwara-san. Don't let Keisuke-kun fool you. He's our spoiled, cute little 'Nīchan. Sachi Onēsama, and I have been doting on him since he was in middle school."

"Nice to meet you too, Shinobu-san." Takumi smiled and relaxed. Keisuke had told him about the Yoshiyuki twins. The older sister and Sammy-chan were similar in their dominant personalities he recalled. This was the quieter of the two sisters Ryosuke-san had gone to school with for so many years.

"Hey, Fujiwara, Glad to see you getting around so well. Where would you like to sit?" Fumihiro greeted him with an easy smile as he continued to rub his elbow where Shinobu had shoved him out of her way.

"Anywhere is fine with me, Fumihiro. Hello, Kenta." Kenta scooted farther into the booth, patting the seat next to him. Takumi handed his crutches to Keisuke and slid next to the other downhill racer. Keisuke leaned his crutches against the booth's side panel and sat beside him. With so much room available in the high-backed booth, Shinobu slid into the booth's depths, next to Sagiya Takumi noticed as he settled into place. Fumihiro sat back down after glancing at the door.

Keisuke grinned. "How's Onēsama doing, Onēchan? Is she still busy with the family Kendo school right now?"

Takumi watched their lively interaction, surprised by Keisuke's behavior. He was used to Keisuke reserving this lighter, playful toned banter for his ears alone. The blond obviously respected the slender onna. "iie, Onēsama's still in town. She promised to drop by and check on her favorite trouble maker tonight, 'Nīchan."

"How have you been the last couple of weeks, Fujiwara?" Kenta asked before Keisuke could reply to Shinobu's quip.

"I'm really worried about Itsuke now. It's been twelve days since his accident when he was drug out of his car and vanished. Okasān Benika-san told me the Kēsatsu checked every hospital in the neighboring prefectures searching for him, Kenta. They have started asking her questions about everyone Itsuke knows. They think there may be something sinister behind his disappearance. They think he may have been kidnaped on purpose."

Keisuke shifted closer to him. Their knees touched under the table. The blond wrapped his arm over the booth's back panel without touching him. Takumi looked down, finding his hands fisted on the table top. He forced his fingers to uncurl, taking a slow, deep breath as he sought to calm his nerves.

Kenta spoke as if nothing unusual had happened. "Takeuchi's disappearance must be really hard on you, Fujiwara. He said you guys have been close friends since elementary school. The Kēsatsu will find him if they're doing active searches. Takeuchi isn't the type of person to get mixed up with gangs or things like that. I wonder who could want to do something insane like kidnaping him."

Fumihiro sat his cup down, also dismissing Keisuke's rude behavior. "Takeuchi's missing? Where did this accident happen? Are you going to be okay, Fujiwara?" Sagiya and Shinobu glanced at each other looking equally stunned.

"Someone rammed into the rear driver side of Itsuke's car twelve nights ago. Whoever hit him took Itsuke with them, leaving his wrecked car on the side of the highway. The Kēsatsu told Okasān Benika-san they believe Itsuke was hurt, but that's all anyone knows for sure right now. The other day they changed their opinion about everything. They think Itsuke's been kidnaped and want to know who he might have owed money too." Takumi explained as he faced Fumihiro. The dark-haired man shook his head, looking troubled.

"Fujiwara's had a very rough time since he found out about this. Takeuchi's really is like a 'Nīchan. Hearing the news that Takeuchi's missing hit him very hard." Keisuke's arm dropped around his shoulder, steadying him. The blond's voice held a commanding tone. Takumi sensed that he was telling the table's occupants to change topics.

"I'll be fine, Keisuke, . . ." Takumi wondered if he should add san for propriety's sake. He looked at his mate wondering about Keisuke being so forward in public. Even though they had to be open about being together, the kind of hold Keisuke had on him was still considered rude in polite society. Men never touched their girlfriends in public the way he was touching him at the moment.

A waitress stopped at their table. Keisuke released his shoulder after a quick squeeze before the waitress had time to notice. Shinobu passed her tea pot over to Fumihiro who handed it to the waitress. "Nani can I get for you?"

Keisuke took charge. "Coffee, kudasai. Nani do you want, Takumi? They have different types of tea, decent coffee, hot chocolate, and sodas here."

"Could I get coffee also, kudasai?" Takumi asked, looking up at their waitress. She jotted his order down, flashing a smile. Everyone else asked for refills.

"Here are some menus. I'll be back soon with your drinks." She trotted off after flashing another bright smile toward him and Keisuke.

Keisuke vented a cranky huff as the waitress left. Takumi turned to look at his agitated spouse. Fumihiro chuckled. "Do you usually get so upset over Fujiwara's fans, Keisuke-san?"

"Eh? Naze did you say that, Fumihiro?" Takumi was confused.

"Our waitress smiled at you a lot, Fujiwara. Seeing you at her table probably made her day. It's obvious she REALLY likes you." Kenta openly teased him. Takumi's face got hot. Glaring over his head at Kenta, Keisuke vented another soft inarticulate growl.

The waitress returned a few moments later. She set their cups on the table. She passed Shinobu a fresh tea pot. The waitress poured coffee for everyone else from the large carafe she had with her. "Can I get you anything else?" Again, the waitress smiled directly at him. Takumi was uneasy about her friendliness. His face burned. She was trying to flirt with him the teen recognized now that Kenta had pointed it out.

Fumihiro spoke before Keisuke could snap at her. "We'll decide after the rest of our group arrives. Domo for your patience." She left with a slower step, clearly disappointed by his timely dismissal.

Nakajo and Kashiwazaki entered with Hiroshi behind by a few steps. Fumihiro waved them over and scooted into the booth to make room. Takumi took a sip of his coffee to see if it needed sugar and cream to mask bitterness. He found the hot beverage had no bitter aftertaste, so ignored the condiments.

Kashiwazaki grinned as he settled into place. "Man, but it's sure easy to find you, Keisuke-san. We heard two booths and a table filled with onnas squealing about you and a cute shonen on crutches the second we walked in. They were all looking this way, so we knew where you were."

"You and Ryosuke-san are way too popular for your own good, Keisuke-san." Nakajo added dropping onto the seat next to Kashiwazaki also smiling.

Hiroshi chuckled as he sat on the end. "You can say that again. That's the nicer side of fame, minasan."

Keisuke snorted as his brows plunged toward his nose. "Baka no onnas screeching at me have become a real pain in the ass, Hiroshi. I wish they'd stop."

"You should be used to it by now, Keisuke. You have lots of fans." Takumi offered. He lifted his cup to take another drink.

Keisuke complained. "Back me up, Kenta, Fumihiro, yoroshiku. Fujiwara says all the onnas are after me and Aniki. He claims he doesn't have rabid onna fans. Will you give him a reality check here? He won't believe me."

"Hey, every onna that has ever spoken to me asked about you or Ryosuke-san's status, Keisuke." Takumi glared at him, sitting his cup down.

Kenta choked on his own drink. Fumihiro and he were barely suppressing laughter as the sandy haired downhill racer spluttered and coughed trying to dislodge fluid from his throat. "Fujiwara, Keisuke-san's right. We got cornered by onnas wanting to know your status all the time at last summer's battles. They would hound us while you were on the course."

Takumi turned to stare at the other downhill racer, shocked by the revelation. "Matte. Onnas were asking about me?"

Keisuke snorted. "Che. I told you you're a blind baka about your own groupies. Naze would I lie about onnas asking me for your relationship stats?"

Fumihiro intervened. "Fujiwara doesn't make assumptions because he's humble, Keisuke-san. His fans are also much quieter than yours and Ryosuke-san's."

Hiroshi added. "Keisuke-san, Rotary brother fans are well known for being overwhelmingly loud. I keep aspirin in my dash whenever I go to battles with you or Ryosuke. I'm not the only Red Suns driver that keeps pain relievers on hand whenever you and Ryosuke are with us."

Keisuke scratched his head, frowning at the grinning group. Takumi caught the blond's eye. "I felt like your fans elected me as the president of their Takahashi Brothers' Insider Information Club last summer. I have no idea naze they picked me."

Another ripple of snickers followed his wisecrack. "Akimoto, Tohji, and Shinsei are supposed to come to this meeting. Where are those three?" Keisuke changed subjects. "Wasn't Matsimoto supposed to be here too? Etsuya said he was working late so couldn't come tonight, Fumihiro."

"Several things could make Tohji and the others late. They are coming from another town, Keisuke-san." Hiroshi pointed out.

"Maybe, but, Matsimoto's always prompt to meetings. This isn't like him." Fumihiro looked at Keisuke. "Is it, Keisuke-san?"

"Naze don't you call Matsimoto and find out where he is? I'd call Tohji if I thought he was in my cell's range, but I doubt he's able to answer his home phone. I don't have his cell number on me." Keisuke asked. The blond pulled a cigarette out of his pack and lit it.

Fumihiro pulled his phone from his pant's pocket and pushed buttons. The rest of the table buzzed with quiet conversation. After several moments Fumihiro pushed another button and shook his head. "It's his answering service. I guess we'll see him whenever he arrives." Fumihiro shrugged.

Hiroshi caught his attention. "Fujiwara, how are you feeling? Ryosuke-san said you had serious health issues so couldn't' come with him when he gave the apology letters to us a couple of months ago."

"I'm much better now. My leg should be strong enough to take out of the special brace I'm in a little after Christmas. I'll have to do some therapy, but I may be training starting in February it looks like." Takumi answered.

Nakajo smiled. "That's great news, Fujiwara-san. A lot of rumors claim you can't race anymore. Keisuke-san said you'll be training for the Iron Will Endurance too, once you start driving again."

Keisuke sat his cup down and answered. "That's right. Fujiwara's planning to train hard once the senumon-i tells him he can. Like I told that fat ass, Arai, . . . rumors are more lies than truth as a general rule."

Takumi addressed everyone present as he dipped his head in a short bow of respect. "Domo arigato gozaimasu, for your concern, and for coming tonight. I owe you all more than gomen nasai gozaimasu can cover for Mogi's insane behavior that night. I really don't know how to make up for everything that went wrong because of my personal problems. None of you should have been drug into my trouble, and I really am ashamed that it happened in front of minasan too."

Fumihiro chuckled. "It's fine, Fujiwara. Keisuke-san told me that you feel bad about giving us an apology letter, instead of facing us. I don't think you need to apologize for Mogi's behavior. I would like you to know the only thing I got upset about was you not feeling you could tell me about it since we're friends."

Nakajo spoke. "Fumihiro's right about you not needing to apologize. You had a complete nut job fixated on you, Fujiwara. Anyone else would have gotten rid of her too. I don't see any reason for you to apologize over her actions that night."

Keisuke's mouth opened, then snapped shut as the waitress returned. Takumi noticed that she smiled at him, making eye contact before greeting anyone else at the table. Again, Keisuke's arm slid around him in a blatantly possessive hold. Takumi frowned at Keisuke as his partner remained focused on the onna. Several odd looks flashed between the Red Suns at the table. Keisuke's expression was sterner than normal. Takumi picked up his coffee cup, taking a drink as he considered how to deal with Keisuke's display of rampant jealousy.

Once the waitress left with the newest orders, Keisuke released him and cleared his throat. "Minasan, as much as I know this will annoy Fujiwara, I want to clear things up about the damned rumors concerning us. I'd rather tell you the truth than have these damned rumors screwing up the facts."

Takumi looked at Keisuke, feeling his stomach plunge toward his toes. Even knowing they had to be honest, he still felt coerced. He and Keisuke had talked about how to deal with the rumors floating around. If asked about the changes in their behavior, Keisuke would explain their situation. Tsuchia had told them that his angry stance made a serious impression on him also. Tsuchia told them winning their fans over was important to keeping their chances of going to the professional circuit alive. Takumi was still uncomfortable with the arrangement. He knew Ryosuke-san and Tsuchia were right, but did not like being others' business.

Hiroshi leaned forward and rested his hands on the table top. "The rumors will die down soon enough if you let them, Keisuke-san. There's no need to rehash it. Your way of shielding Fujiwara from our interested waitress will only add to the problem though."

"You're wrong, Hiroshi. The rumors won't go away, especially with everything that's been happening of late. If one of us gets into the professional arena, we can kiss privacy good bye permanently."

"That's true. Famous people do lose most of their privacy. The rumor mill's already done damage for both of your reputations. That will come back to haunt you again when one of you signs with a pro team." Fumihiro readily agreed.

Keisuke nodded. "The thing pissing me off about the rumors is simple. It's not that the rumors have us together pissing me off. I'm the one that fell for Fujiwara, not the other way around. I was mad as hell about falling in love with him, and made him miserable because I didn't want to be in love with him. Once I got over being angry about it, I started badgering him to give me a chance. Fujiwara's been dealing with this mess for several months. It has taken lots of effort on Fujiwara's part to even comprehend my being bisexual because he's never even thought about men as potential partners before I made him do so. The rumors are completely backwards and screwed up. If we're going be talked about anyway, I'd rather know there's truth to the gossip that's making rounds on the streets."

Takumi swallowed hard, uncertain of where to look as the table erupted in confusion. Most of the table's occupants stared at them, trying to accept Keisuke's news. Fumihiro picked up his drink, smiling into his cup. Kenta followed Fumihiro's lead trying to hide his own amusement.

Hiroshi replied. "Well, that explains your glares and rude behavior every time the waitress comes over here, Keisuke-san. You're actually trying to make it clear that you have a claim on Fujiwara."

Takumi squirmed, staring at the table top. Keisuke's arm wrapped around his shoulder again. He was finding it harder to breathe as his anxiety grew. If he had not needed the support so much, Takumi would have objected to Keisuke's bold move.

Kenta came to his rescue. "Don't worry, Fujiwara. Minasan here knows about Keisuke-san being bisexual. We've all seen how focused and determined he gets whenever he wants something badly too. We can all assume Keisuke-san's been very determined to get you to agree with seeing him after he stopped fighting himself over liking you."

"Our situation's complicated. We didn't even get together like normal people do. Like Keisuke said, this wasn't something either one of us wanted at first. Explaining how things got to be this way takes time." Takumi found himself answering.

Shinobu glanced around the table. "Since we're waiting on several people anyway, I propose listening to your explanation, Fujiwara-kun. After all, I can see my baka 'Nīchan pushing you into agreeing with seeing him." The rest glanced at each other and nodded their own agreements.

Takumi recalled Tsuchia's advice about letting anger help him to say things clearly. Other advice about getting solid support for their romance's existence to help him and Keisuke also rose to the surface. Takumi took a bracing breath.

"After I won the Akina downhill battle, Keisuke started coming to Akina almost every week, early in the morning to interrupt my deliveries. He always demanded that I accept every challenge I got even though I didn't really want to be pushed into street racing. He was always telling me that I wasn't allowed to lose to anyone but him or Ryosuke-san when he demanded I race too. I had no idea how to take his bossy attitude toward my life. The next thing I knew Keisuke's badgering every few days had turned my world upside down. I started going through a lot of radical changes. It was the first time I did something that made my friends happy. Keisuke kept coming to Akina to force me to think about career goals, and even joining Project D once Ryosuke-san asked me if I would think about joining his team. Once Project D started, I was working two demanding jobs simultaneously. I passed out behind the wheel during an earlier Project D expedition because of acute exhaustion and a health problem I didn't know I had. The hospital discovered I had stomach problems that was making things worse. Keisuke badgered me into telling him about the nonstop tantrums and guilt trips I was getting from Mogi. He helped me find ways to cope with her. Then, I found out about Keisuke's feelings. I had trouble coping with it because we're both men. I had been relying on Keisuke's judgement, but, . . . I didn't know he was doing those things because of how he felt about me. His attachment made things even harder for me to handle."

Nakajo whistled softly. "Man, complicated is an understatement, Fujiwara." The shoulder length bleached blond lit a cigarette looking at him with wide eyes.

"Neither one of us was happy for several months. Our situation happened slowly, minasan. It really shocked us both. Fujiwara had tons of stress so he became a workaholic to avoid Mogi, and his rotten home situation." Keisuke added to his explanation.

Kashiwazaki interrupted. "Keisuke-san, I don't get naze you ripped Arai apart after hearing this. You've put your arm around Fujiwara several times and he hasn't done anything to stop you. You are even admitting that you're together. Isn't that the main point of the rumors?" Several muttered soft agreements followed his remark. Takumi took a drink of his coffee. Keisuke flicked an ash into the ashtray as he snorted.

"First off, the Red Suns code upholds professional behavior. Arai ignored our team's code. He crossed the line, forfeiting his spot on the team by pushing the rumors about Fujiwara to discredit his place on Project D's roster. Arai wasn't doing that to tell the truth. Aniki and I knew about him before I got out of the hospital. Arai was already getting canned that night even without the scene he caused." Keisuke paused to take another hit off his cigarette.

"Aniki and I alone had the authority to axe team members. I changed that rule. Hiroshi and Fumihiro can axe anyone that ignores our team's ethics code with or without Aniki or myself being there now. I changed that rule because of how long this mess with Aria went on without being stopped. I couldn't axe the asshole because I had no way to get to Akagi until I was cleared to drive. College has tied Aniki up with Uni, and several major papers he has to complete for his degree. Arai hurt the team's reputation longer than he would have if Hiroshi or Fumihiro could have forced him to stop months ago."

Hiroshi and Fumihiro both looked startled. Hiroshi answered. "It makes sense to have extra people with enough authority to keep the team in line during emergencies. Fumihiro and I have been acting as temporary team captains in your absence. Giving us concrete positions solidifies the chain of command too."

"I know. I have another reason for shredding Arai. He's way too freaking obsessed with Fujiwara's sex life. Arai's acting the same way Mogi did the month before she tried to kill Fujiwara and me. That worries me over Takumi's safety right now. Fujiwara can't face off with another nut job yet because his leg's still mending. He can't take the stress right now. He's still recovering from Mogi, and everything that happened this summer. Fujiwara's ex put him in two different hospitals. He was working a full time and part time job, plus racing for Project D almost every weekend. Takumi was even dealing me being so pissed off over having fallen in love with him, and resenting him over my situation. Fujiwara had promised minasan involved with Project D to fill the downhill ace slot. His team commitment made it impossible to avoid my foul moods. His commitment to the team forced him to work through our mess once he found out about the real problem."

Shinobu shook her head. "Good grief, Bratlet! Onēsama really should put a leash on you. After hearing all of that, I'm amazed Fujiwara can even stand you."

Takumi shook his head. "Keisuke obviously didn't want to love me. He made himself miserable trying to make his feelings go away for several months and failed. I didn't know Keisuke was doing everything I mentioned in the apology letter because of being in love with me. He was hurting because of my ignorance, and listening to my personal problems. He couldn't stop me getting myself backed into corners. I've been frustrated for a long time by my own problems so I was making things harder without meaning to. I kept insisting I had to deal with everything on my own when he offered to help. No matter how hard it was seeing me, Keisuke wouldn't walk away because of how he felt."

Kenta tapped his arm. "When did you and Keisuke-san work things out?"

Takumi was grateful for Kenta's subtle prompt to get to the point. "When I woke up in the hospital after Mogi shot us. I thought Keisuke died trying to protect me until Itsuke told me he had survived surgery. That's when I lost my same gender hang up about Keisuke loving me. I'm not sure how, or when Keisuke became so important that I started to love him. All I know is, I found out that I can't stand losing Keisuke because Mogi almost killed him."

Keisuke took over the conversation. "Anyway, Fujiwara doesn't need the stress these backwards rumors are causing. His best friend and surrogate 'Nīchan, Takeuchi has been missing for two weeks. Oyaji-san is making him miserable because Fujiwara refused to break his word to me that he would be fair and give me a chance to prove we belong together. He lost both of his jobs because of the shooting and hates being idle with a passion. My family yells at him to stop trying to do chores while he's on crutches every day. He has lots of isha san appointments because his leg was put back together using experimental techniques. There have been minor complications too. Okasān's making Takumi uncomfortable because she's decided to get bossy over anything that involves him. He's been caught in the middle of our arguments over his welfare for several weeks now. I've had it with Okasān meddling. I talked Fujiwara into letting me get our own place to stop her interference at least."

"Have you decided to settle down together then?" Fumihiro asked.

"Keisuke has asked me to be his life partner. I wanted to wait until I had another full time job to decide anything. Now that 'Kasān Yukiko's overwhelmingly bossy over me, . . . toward Keisuke, . . . I agreed, but it's sooner than I wanted to think about."

Hiroshi sighed heavily. "You two do realize you'll have to face serious fall out when you move in together. You're both famous. The fans will notice you living together and the rumors will get a lot worse instead of better."

"Hiroshi's right. The street racing scene will go ballistic. Minasan will view Fujiwara's apology letter as a poorly executed cover up, if not an outright pack of lies." Sagiya backed the other dark-haired racer.

Takumi snapped at the other man. "I didn't lie. I meant everything I put in that letter. There's no possibility of my ever apologizing well enough to make things right. That's naze l wrote my honest feelings in the letter. I was trying to help minasan understand. I took responsibility for Mogi's insanity, didn't I?"

"Take it easy, Fujiwara. We know you took responsibility for that night. That's not the point I'm trying to make." Sagiya kept his voice level as he answered him.

"Tell me exactly where I lied then." Being called a liar made Takumi livid.

Kashiwazaki jumped in. "Whoa, Tiger. Sagiya isn't saying you lied about anything. He's talking about your fans saying that if you two get your own pad and are obviously together as a couple. The way your letter reads, it sounds like you have a onīsan feeling towards Keisuke-san after all."

"Naze should they call me a lier? Keisuke's very important to me, which I said. I told minasan that I'm not ashamed of loving the important people in my life because I'm not. Even the comment about Keisuke saying things I don't want to hear is the truth. Keisuke is one of my closest friends too. He believed in me before I understood there was anything worth believing in. I told minasan that too!"

Keisuke shook him hard. "Stop, Takumi! You need to calm down. Kami-sama, you've really got one hell of a temper at times." Keisuke sounded shocked as he pulled him back against his side. Takumi glared up at his partner. "Will you calm down and listen for a minute?"

"Hai. But, I really hate being called a liar when I didn't lie." Takumi snapped.

"Sagiya's not calling you a liar, Takumi. He's pointing out how our living together will jeopardize your reputation in the fans eyes. Fans will decide you lied without giving anything a second thought. I know you still don't get it, but we're both famous enough for that to happen, Takumi. Sagiya and Hiroshi are trying to help you." Keisuke kept a firm hold on him as he emphasized each point he made.

Kenta began talking before Takumi could say anything. "Speaking of famous people, the street network is linking the Drift King to Fujiwara now. It's the hottest topic on the streets. With that rumor going around though, it could be bad for you both if you get your own place right now."

Nakajo picked up the new topic. "I've heard it too. The word on the street is that Tsuchia-sama came here to meet Fujiwara. Tsuchia-sama went back to Tokyo, and is trying to get Fujiwara a slot in the professional circuit now."

Takumi found his hand covering part of his face. His world tilted at a radical angle. His voice throbbed with barely contained anger as he snarled. "He better not be."

Keisuke was quick to correct the group. "Che. Tsuchia's not trying to get Fujiwara a spot in the pro's. This is the reason I hate rumors so much. Rumors are usually less than ten percent truths, and over ninety percent bullshit. This one is no exception."

Kashiwazaki lifted a hand to ward off Keisuke's glower. "Whoa. Take it easy, Keisuke-san. We only brought it up because the rumor specifically says Tsuchia met with Fujiwara. Kenta's trying to warn you that Fujiwara's still really big news right now."

Takumi vented a heavy sigh. He was furious, but knew he owed the group an explanation. "Tsuchia heard I almost lost my leg, so he took some emergency vacation days and came out here to check on how I was doing."

"Nani?" Voices blended as the table erupted with questions and excited chatter. "The Drift King made a personal visit because he heard you almost lost your leg, Fujiwara? How come he came to see you, Fujiwara? Are you serious? Maybe the Drift King really is trying to get Fujiwara into the pro circuit." Takumi could not keep track of the babble coming from so many speakers. Keisuke tightened his hold around his shoulders.

Takumi swallowed hard. "Matte, minasan. The last time I saw 'Kasān's cousin, I was a little kid. He usually calls Oyaji a couple times a year to see how we're doing, but, that's all. I had no idea he would get so worried and come to Gunma."

"You're related to the Drift King, Fujiwara?" Kenta stared at him with wide eyes. Takumi found himself squirming over the higher pitched, and much louder voices surrounding him as everyone sought verification.

Keisuke smirked at the shocked table occupants. He smacked the table top to get everyone to quiet down. "Would you keep your voices down? Hai, Fujiwara and Tsuchia are related. It shocked the hell out of me when I found out that he was keeping Tsuchia a secret too. He hasn't seen his distant cousin since he was a little kid, minasan. Fujiwara doesn't talk about his family with anyone."

Hiroshi protested. "Because Fujiwara is related to him, Tsuchia probably is trying to get him into the circuit, Keisuke-san. This is mind-blowing news."

"The first opportunity Tsuchia got, he came to see Fujiwara to make sure he's getting the best medical care money can buy. Tsuchia was afraid Fujiwara was going to be crippled because he's heard the damned rumors that Fujiwara can't ever race again. He was also curious about Project D's web page on the Iron Will Endurance. Takumi and I explained that to him. He even knows about my being in love with Takumi. Tsuchia still offered to help us out by asking around to find sponsorship leads for Project D even though he has no idea of how to look at our situation. I do know that he's not going to piss Fujiwara off by pushing for him a slot on a pro team."

"Keisuke's right. If I ever go to the pro circuit, I want to know I earned my place. I don't want to be there because of Tsuchia's help. I didn't want people to know about him because nothing I do by myself will matter anymore. From now on, you'll probably always see Tsuchia in anything I do when I start racing again because you know bout it now."

"Naze would we think that, Fujiwara?" Kashiwazaki asked him with a puzzled expression.

"Uh, two of my Speed Stars sempais found out about Tsuchia being related to me. They started teasing me that being related to hard-core street racers' and professionals means I have motor oil in my veins." Takumi fidgeted with his cup's handle.

Kenta chuckled. "It's easy to see how their teasing got started. Oyaji-san's still Akina's number one downhill expert that you can't even beat. Takeuchi told me that Bunta-san and Tsuchia were on the same street racing team years ago. Bunta and Tsuchia had even dominated parts of the Kanto Plain before Tsuchia went to the pros. He said his boss was on the same team and tells minasan stories about their hard core rivalries and such. From everything Takeuchi told me, Bunta-san was as good as Tsuchia, but got married instead of going to the pro circuit."

Nakajo leaned forward to make eye contact. "For real? Your otosan's as good as the Drift King, Fujiwara?"

Keisuke replied before Takumi could. "Tsuchia told Fujiwara he had heard his drift was getting as terrifying and beautiful to watch as Oyaji-san's right before he left. He made Fujiwara promise he'd display his once he can drive again. Some Speed Stars go to Akina around four A.M. to watch Oyaji-san's return runs most mornings now that he's doing his deliveries full time again. His drift is insanely intense. I've seen it for myself so I understand their desire to see it repeatedly. I thought it was Takumi when I followed, but realized fast that it wasn't because Oyaji-san's driving style's a little different. Aniki has no chance of beating Oyaji-san on a downhill course. I believe Bunta-san's the ultimate downhill specialist in our nation."

His lover's respect laden tones surprised Takumi. "If you ever want to get to Oyaji's level, you'd better focus on training with the cup then, Keisuke. Like Oyaji says, even when he's sleeping he's still flying down Akina's course. After we finish here, you can practice for a while to improve your techniques."

"Takumi? Naze do you always go slave driver on me without warning?" Keisuke gave him a long stare as he asked the question in a petulant tone.

"Someone has to keep your priorities straight. Going pro was your idea. I'm only doing my part by making sure you stick to the plan that you gave me." Takumi shot back. Snickers greeted his ears as he stared his spouse down.

Shinobu's voice broke their eye contact. "Well, well, looks to me like you finally found someone capable of standing up to you, Nīchan. It's about time that happened. Maybe Onēsama won't need to put a leash on you herself. I think I'm going to enjoy telling Sachi all about this new development."

Sagiya's voice held obvious amusement. "Looks like we need to help clear things up on the street scene too. If Fujiwara can keep Keisuke-san out of trouble, we really need to make sure their fans are behind them, sweetheart. Agreed minasan?"

Takumi watched as the table's occupants nodded and several sly comments flashed among the group sitting at the table. Although they were mostly Keisuke's teammates, all seemed calm about their relationship. It was a good sign.

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All For Love 3rd in Rivalry Series