Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

As the Smoke Clears #4 in Rivalry Series	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2672 -:- 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-As the Smoke Clears
- 2-Smoke 2
- 3-Smoke 3
- 4-Smoke 4
- 5-Smoke 5
- 6-Smoke 6
- 7-Smoke 7
- 8-Smoke 8
- 9-Smoke 9
- 10-Smoke 10
- 11-Smoke 11
- 12-Smoke 12
- 13-Smoke 13
- 14-Smoke 14
- 15-Some 15
- 16-Smoke 16
- 17-Chapter 17
- 18-Smoke 18
- 19-Smoke 19
- 20-Smoke 20
- 21-Smoke 21
- 22-Smoke 22
- 23-Smoke 23
- 24-Smoke 24
- 25-Smoke 25
- 26-Smoke 26
- 27-Smoke 27
- 28-Smoke 28
- 29-Smoke 29
- 30-Smoke 30
- 31-Smoke 31
- 32-Smoke 32
- 33-Smoke 33
- 34-Smoke 34
- 35-Smoke 35
- 36-Smoke 36
- 37-Smoke 37
- 38-Smoke 38
- 39-Smoke 39
- 40-Smoke 40
- 33
- 34
- 35
Author note: I know I have skipped my normal two for one chapter format. However, this scenario won't let me get back to USA where Ryosuke and team are hanging out yet.

CHAPTER 34

"Get Hikaru to our bedroom now, Itsuke. Lock the door and don't come out unless Keisuke or I tell you it's okay." Takumi's softly snarled voice captured Keisuke's attention. Itsuke was quick to hustle Hikaru from the room. Their exit brought a touch of relief. However, his consolation was very short lived. Takumi's expression matched the one he had seen during the evidence review when Takumi beat the hell out of guards.

"Back the fuck off if you value your ass, Sobo. Making threats against Hikaru is the worst thing you can do. Takumi's about to lose it, and you're pushing him into a berserker fit." The blond warned his irate grandmother.

Uncle Emori entered the argument. "Keisuke, show respect for your elders. Mouthing off to Okāsan is unacceptable. Okāsan knows something's wrong with Takumi's friend or she wouldn't be trying to get to the truth!"

"Matte, Takumi! They're mine!" Keisuke barked at his mate whose eyes had turned glowing white with flecks of black and ringed in emerald. Dangerous as it was, Keisuke stepped between Takumi and his relatives. Hoping Takumi would recall who was standing in front of him, Keisuke faced his family.

"Shut the hell up and listen before it's too late, minasan! Takumi never tolerates anyone attacking Itsuke kun! He has genuine berserker rages when his closest friend gets threatened. Keep pushing and you'll get your asses handed to you the hardest way imaginable! My temper's nothing compared to Takumi's when there's a threat to Itsuke or Hikaru! So watch your fucking mouths!"

His eyes met his grandfather's sad gaze. The only person present beside himself that understood this situation could get dangerous cleared his throat. "Minasan, cease your appalling behavior. This is Keisuke and Takumi's home as much as mine. None of my family appreciates your reckless cruelty."

Most of Keisuke's mother's family subsided with obvious shame. However, Sobo was in one of her intolerant moods. "Is it any less cruel to force us to watch Takumi's friend acting like a love sick puppy on the eve of your vow exchange, Keisuke?"

Getting in his grandmother's face, Keisuke snarled, "You're wrong, Sobo! You don't know Itsuke, so shut your mouth before I slap some sense into you."

"If you ever raise a hand to me, I'll make you wish you'd never been born, grandson." She snapped back.

Narrowing his eyes, Keisuke refused to back down. "Keep pushing me, Sobo. Go ahead. I'm not a shonen that you can put over your knee any longer. I'm mad as hell right now and I will kick your ass out of this flat and never again speak with the Ogino family if you continue. I always put Takumi's welfare first!"

"Then we're on the same page so we shouldn't be fighting, grandson. I'm trying to put his welfare and yours first. Mark my words, that interloper is going to cause trouble." Sobo tried to wheedle him into compliance.

Hearing that tone increased Keisuke's anger. "You're off your rocker if you think that's the case, Sobo. After everything Takumi and Itsuke survived together, I'm the last person that will ever fuck with their connection. Takumi would be dead if it wasn't for Itsuke!"

"How can you keep saying that? Where's your proof, grandson?"

Feeling himself getting shoved aside, Keisuke stumbled before regaining his footing. Takumi was standing eye to eye with his grandmother. "You want even more fucking proof than Itsuke's mangled hand already gives you? You're really turning into a mean spirited bitch, Sobo san! I'll show you more damned proof just to shut you up!"

On the heels of his vicious growl, Takumi yanked his T-shirt off, exposing still healing scars. The antique gold hunting-bow shaped skeleton key necklace bounced, twirled and glittered before resettling against his breastbone. Livid hues striped Takumi's torso, shoulders and back. They were writhing mementos of agonizing violence endured. Unlike the bullet scar which had lost its angry tones, Takumi's battle scars were screaming their existence from his pale skin.

Covering her mouth, Keisuke's grandmother stumbled back, eyes widened by shock. A twisted sense of amusement snaked across Keisuke's conscience. It was exactly the kind of thing she deserved to have rammed down her throat the blond felt.

Without raising his voice, Takumi stalked his grandmother, lips curled in a sadistic sneer. "You have a lot of fucking nerve to question Itsuke's integrity, lady. You don't know about the nightmare Itsuke got trapped in because of his loyalty to me. Itsuke agreed to incredibly humiliating things trying to keep me alive until Keisuke found us. Itsuke survived that place an additional two and a half weeks longer than me! Take a damned good look at the compound's handiwork. Increase this damage several times over! Then you tell me how much right you have to fuck with Itsuke's mind! Are you even capable of considering the price Itsuke paid because of me! I dare you to say another shitty thing about Itsuke, lady!"

"Kami sama! Oh, Takumi kun. Nani did they do to you?" Sobo choked out, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Keisuke vented his disgust. "Isn't it obvious, Sobo? Unlike Takumi, they never gave Itsuke any drugs to dull his agony during torture sessions. Several fucking times each day they strung up and tortured Itsuke trying to force Takumi to obey them. The sick pricks drugged Takumi and hurt Itsuke until Takumi lost his mind! The fucking slaver figured if Itsuke screamed enough, Takumi would become an obedient brainwashed slave faster. I went to the evidence review concerning Takumi and Itsuke's imprisonment. Unlike the rest of you, I saw every sick thing they did to Itsuke in that Kami sama forsaken cell! I watched them drug Takumi, then torture Itsuke to break Takumi's will! The looks you're so worried about are Itsuke's relief that Takumi's over the drug withdrawals, and getting stronger!"

"Naze didn't you tell us, Keisuke? If only we knew the truth, we wouldn't have been so rude to that young man. I honestly thought he wanted to take Takumi from you, Keisuke. I was angry that you were going to get hurt!" Sobo's voice was shaking and subdued.

Takumi's voice rumbled up from his chest, squeezing past clenched teeth. "I never gave Keisuke or Tatsuhiko san permission to discuss our time in the compound. Far as I'm concerned, you earn my trust before anyone talks about anything involving me or Itsuke! Unlike you people, Tatsuhiko san and Keisuke respect me and Itsuke enough to keep their mouths shut!"

"Gomen nasai gozaimasu, Takumi kun. I only wanted to protect Keisuke." Sobo tried to get out of the tongue lashing she so richly deserved.

"Don't forgive Sobo, my own. She's gone way too far this time!" Keisuke snarled as he stopped beside his enraged lover.

Takumi's eyes collided with his for several seconds. He gave a single nod of his head. "Agreed. Far as I'm concerned, she hurt Itsuke way too badly to forgive for a long time, . . . if ever."

Turning his glare back on his grandmother, Keisuke unleashed his own fury. "I've never needed protection from Itsuke or Takumi! The one that I need preservation from is you and your damned meddling! You go off half cocked without thinking, then try to weasel out of the wrongs you've done to innocent people! You threaten to separate me from my family, then expect me to simply forget it happened?! Itsuke's part of my family whether you like it or not! He has every right to crash in mine and Takumi's room until he fully stabilizes. For now, Itsuke needs to be cared for around the clock!"

With each step back that his grandmother took, Keisuke stepped forward while impaling her with a glare. "Itsuke has more right than you to watch over Hikaru. My musuko adores Itsuke! Of the three of us, Hikaru is more attached to Itsuke than Takumi or myself! Even Hikaru's senumon-i said to make certain that attachment doesn't get undermined because Hikaru will stop improving! He's lost minasan he ever got attached to in gruesome ways, Sobo! Itsuke's the first person Hikaru likes that he isn't afraid he's going to lose!"

"I didn't know, Keisuke. If only Tatsuhiko had, . . ."

Roaring before she could shift blame, Keisuke hammered his point home. "Ojīsan has nothing to do with the shit you created by yourself! Take responsibility for your damned underhanded decisions for once, Sobo! After everything Itsuke's endured, it's a miracle he hasn't tried to suicide! Every time Takumi buckled because he couldn't stand hearing Itsuke's screams, Itsuke blamed himself! That young man, as you call Itsuke, has enough guilt eating him without you twisting his mind any further!"

He heard Okāsan's calm voice at his elbow. "Being so callous was wrong of Erika, Keisuke. However, all of us share the blame. We could have said something to calm her fears, but we didn't wish to upset Takumi."

"Sobo decided to get rid of Itsuke to suit herself, Obāsan! That's the reason I'm so fucking pissed off! Sobo's old enough to understand the obvious after seeing the damned newscasts. How can members of my own family miss the fact that Itsuke's a survivor? They ripped Itsuke's fingers off the slow, hard way! How can any of you fail to make such a basic connection between Itsuke's missing fingers, and the images on the television every damned night? Do you all have to hear the audio of Itsuke's screaming during those torture sessions to finally make the fucking connection real enough to you?"

"Stop, Keisuke. You're being quite cruel." His uncle tried to step between him and his grandmother.

Keisuke snarled, video images he had witnessed dancing across his mental screen. "I'm not nearly as cruel as your okāsan was to Itsuke, uncle Nobuyuki! Think about this morning's fucked up interrogation through Itsuke's eyes before telling me about my cruelty! Imagine how it feels getting tied to metal bars several times a day. Then imagine how it feels to get lashed with vinegar soaked canes twenty or more strokes for each imaginary infraction your closest friend made. Contemplate your anger over seeing the person that always rescued you getting forced into performing sexual acts against his will in a last ditch effort to protect you! How does it feel to know your savior's chained so he can't fight back as he gets gang raped every fucking day? When you finish pulling your head out of your ignorant ass, tell me who the hell's being the cruelest here!"

"You're right that I was thoughtlessly cruel, grandson, Takumi kun. He doesn't act as if he's badly wounded. Hearing this, I understand I acted in an unforgivable way now."

Turning back to glower at the old woman, Keisuke saw that her shoulders had slumped. Her trembling hands had muffled Sobo Ogino's voice. It was rare when she displayed genuine remorse. Paying close attention to her defeated posture, Keisuke figured she was beginning to taste that deeply necessary emotion.

Takumi's deeply rasping resonance filled the heavy silence of the room. "Will this whole legacy jewelry situation cause future problems, Lover? Because if this is going to become a habit, I won't have anything to do with it."

Mirroring his own anger, Takumi voiced his equally gut deep opposition to Sobo's tampering. Keisuke turned to face his mate. "My thoughts exactly, dear heart. Love's Legacy is supposed to be about displaying real commitment to loving others, . . . or so I thought. Looks like I was wrong about the family legend being revered. First my okāsan, and now Sobo has proven they don't honor the Legacy's reason for existing. Too many people have gotten hurt in unforgivable ways by the very family supposedly sworn to uphold the Legacy's lesson."

The sound of chairs knocking against the table caught Keisuke's attention. Turning his head to look at his father's sister and her husband, Keisuke relaxed marginally. Both had remained silent throughout the unsavory showdown. Aunt Kina walked up to him and slipped her arm into the crook of his. Her golden ringed eyes held sorrow and determination.

"Congratulations on having matured since I last saw you, Keisuke. Perhaps it has never been the jewelry that mattered. I for one believe the vow each generation takes is the most important message. By understanding that, you and your beloved can create a new and untarnished legacy for yourselves, or choose to cleanse the taint infecting the original love legacy."

"Whichever choice you make, know that we're behind you completely, nephew." His uncle Bouzuki added to his wife's thoughts.

"Domo, aunt Kina and uncle Ukito. Considering everything that has happened this morning, Takumi and I need to discuss our options. It's past time to check on my musuko and Itsuke also."

With a sad smile aunt Kina released his arm. She stepped closer to Takumi and extended her hand. "My husband and I have yet to officially meet you, Takumi san. Yet, we both extend our sincerest welcome to the Takahashi family. My otouto, Ryuunosuke has told me about you on the telephone. It's my fondest wish that someday soon we can get to know one another."

After a few seconds, Takumi took her hand. "Um sure, Kina san. After 'Kāsan Yukiko stops threatening to take Hikaru from Keisuke, I'll make sure to take time to speak with you. For now, I've got too many things on my mind to be completely fair."

"We understand and agree with your evaluation, Takumi san." Aunt Kina replied. She turned to face her parents. "We'll call this evening to find out if Keisuke and Takumi will hold the ceremony tomorrow, or if this misfortune has damaged Keisuke and Takumi's faith in the Ogino family's intentions, Otosān."

"We understand, dear." Obāsan Masako answered as she stepped next to her daughter. "I'll see you out."

With a regal nod to both of them, his aunt swept from the dining room with her husband. Keisuke felt his anger dissipating because of his aunt's thought provoking words. "Let's check on our family, my own. I can't think straight until I know Itsuke's okay."

A nod greeted his words. Takumi turned and limped toward their bedroom. Trailing behind his life mate, Keisuke sought to calm himself completely. Hikaru still got nervous around him. The blond raked his hand through his hair as Takumi knocked on the bedroom door. "Itsuke, it's us. Unlock the door."

They waited for a few seconds before they heard the knob's internal click. Itsuke opened the door with a worried frown marring his expression. His eyes quickly scanned both of their faces. "Naze aren't you wearing your shirt, Tak?"

Pushing past Itsuke Takumi grumbled, "A Long story made short, . . . Keisuke's Sobo needed shutting up before I punched her out."

Stepping into the room next to Itsuke, Keisuke continued, "Takumi's healing scars shocked Sobo so badly, she almost collapsed in a heap. Too bad the old bat didn't go down. I would have loved that." He pushed the door closed and locked it again.

Striding to the bed, Keisuke glanced back at Itsuke. "When did Hikaru fall asleep?"

"A couple minutes after we got in here. He does that whenever he gets really upset, Keisuke san."

"Drop the san, Itsuke." He grumbled at the other man as he looked at Takumi.

"So that's how he did it." Takumi muttered as he gently settled onto the bed beside his son. "Wish I'd thought of that when I was little."

"Huh? Nani are you talking about, my own?"

"How Hikaru coped with the imaginary monsters when he was shut away in dark places. Sleeping was how he stayed sane when he couldn't understand the things he heard."

Recalling Takumi's reason for being uneasy around his son, Keisuke slid his fingers against Takumi's cheek to get his attention. "While we have Hikaru, he'll never know that kind of abuse again, Takumi."

His amber-haired mate nodded. Leaning to the side, Takumi spoke in a soft yet firm voice. "Come here, Itsuke."

Keisuke watched as their playmate drug his feet, looking dejected as he closed the distance. He was rubbing his scarred knuckle ridge as he stared at the floor. Takumi asked, "Are you okay, Itsuke?"

Brown eyes flew upward as Itsuke looked at Takumi in shock. "I screwed up again, Tak."

"iie, Itsuke. You ran afoul of Keisuke's crafty Sobo. Sobo san was too busy thinking you want to destroy my relationship with Keisuke to notice that you didn't deserve such a vicious verbal attack." Takumi's voice contained palpable emotional exhaustion.

"Gomen nasai that Sobo was cruel to you, Itsuke. Wish I knew how to make up for her stupidity." Keisuke added when Itsuke stared at them in confusion.

"Eh? Well, I didn't mean to be so obvious about loving Tak. This mess is my fault too. If I could hide things better, your Sobo never would have gotten mad."

Counting backward from ten, Keisuke took a deep breath to contain his still simmering temper. "We've had enough of the arguing, Itsuke. That scene had nothing to do with anything you said or did. Sobo is a real pain in the ass at times. Much as I adore her when she's showing her big hearted side, she turns vicious without warning. To her, you existing on Takumi's radar is grounds to do everything in her power to destroy you. She's always been that way, so don't think for a second that you looked at Takumi the wrong way."

"Should I bow out tomorrow to keep the peace?' Itsuke asked as he settled next to Takumi.

His amber-haired beloved leaned his head on Itsuke's shoulder and sighed. "Is there any point in accepting the Legacy after she did this, Lover? I'm ready to give back the necklaces and forget all about it after Sobo hurt Itsuke this way."

Keisuke placed his hands on his hips as he looked at the pair on the bed. "We're thinking the same damned thing, my own. The Love Legacy is supposed to be about loving others with a genuine commitment. The story my family has passed down for centuries is about overcoming blind hatred through love and compassion. It's about making painful sacrifices for others. Her bad attitude was anything but the kind of behavior a Love's Legacy holder should show anyone, especially Itsuke who didn't do anything to her. I'm disgusted and humiliated over Sobo's treatment of Itsuke."

"Nani? I thought you both wanted this ceremony. Isn't it a kind of marriage vow?" Itsuke asked as he swivelled his head between them.

"Keisuke's other aunt made a lot of sense. She said we can choose something that no one can taint, and create our own legacy, Itsuke. The only problem I have with walking away from the Love Legacy is Benika san will be here in a couple hours. I'd hate to tell her that we're canceling the ceremony after she spent money on a train ticket."

"Kina also said we can clean the taint from the Legacy by taking it and making the vow's meaning authentic again, my own." Keisuke pointed out for Itsuke's benefit.

Takumi huffed. "True. Part of me really wants to throw this necklace in Sobo san's face over how she treated Itsuke, Lover."

Itsuke's ruined hand lifted to Takumi's shoulder. "Look, I know she was mean to me, but, I can see her side too. She's Keisuke's obāsan. Sometimes when you love somebody, you do crazy things trying to protect them. I learned that in the compound, Tak, Keisuke s, . . . Maybe I should just shut up."

Takumi sat up straighter. "Do you want us to accept the Love Legacy after everything that they put you through this morning, Itsuke?"

"Much as I hate mentioning her, Akiho chan told Kahori sama and Tung Tzu the Love Legacy has real powers. Akiho said the necklaces and rings won't remain separated long. It kind of happened like Akiho chan said too. Maybe I'm sounding superstitious, . . . but, Keisuke san did find you in time, Tak. Foolish or not, I feel better believing that Kami sama has an extra way to watch over you both."

The goofy bashfulness of Itsuke's expression amused Keisuke. Realizing that Itsuke knew more about the Legacy than Takumi gave Keisuke pause. Aware of the various stories, including Sobo and Sofu's own outlandish and unexpected reunion, Keisuke pondered the possibility that the long-standing belief in the rings in necklaces being inseparable could hold merit.

"Several of my ancestors attributed amazing things to the Love Legacy jewelry that old priest made. Even Sofu returning to our nation after a bad shipwreck was another chapter in the legacy legend's lore. He was the only survivor of that shipwreck. He was wearing the stylized hunting bow key that Takumi's got around his neck right now."

"Let's say for a minute that the legend about the Shinto priest's curse that keeps the rings and necklaces together is real. Wouldn't that explain how you found me and Tak in time? Granted I don't know the details, but if you found out about us in a strange way, could there be something to the curse like Akiho said?"

"Curse?" Takumi sounded uneasy.

"Take it easy, my own. It isn't a bad curse like you're imagining. The old priest prayed that the rings and necklaces he was making would never be divided or separated. Every time someone has tried to steal the jewelry from members of my bloodline, they always die close to the family member they robbed. The last time was seventy years ago. Less than a mile from Sobo's great uncle's home, lightening struck the thief. Great-uncle retrieved the jewelry and passed it to Sobo and Sofu the very next week."

"You've got to be kidding, Lover."

"Actually, the Legacy's written records have similar stories throughout, my own. Thieves on the roads all died right after taking legacy jewelry by force. Whichever half of the couple happened to be traveling always recovered the necklaces and rings within a coupe days if someone stole them."

Nodding enthusiastically, Itsuke spoke. "Mhm. Akiho actually got Kahori to leave Tak's necklace alone by talking about the deadly Kami sama curse that protects the wearers from harm. More importantly, the jewelry supposedly insures that the couple wearing the pieces will always be reunited. When they locked Tak in a damned cage so he couldn't go home, you found him, Keisuke. Even if it is superstition, I'd like to know you've got the full set on. Until Kahori and her lieutenants get arrested, minasan's in danger, Keisuke."

"How do you feel about Itsuke's input, my own?"

Absently toying with the skeleton key tip of his pendant, Takumi's eyes remained closed as he spoke. "Superstition aside, receiving this jewelry set is a really big honor because it is so old and treasured by your family."

"We've known that from the beginning, Takumi."

"Anyway, my major problem is the possibly of getting interfered with afterward. The Love Legacy is such a big deal in your family. We've to make sure they aren't going to make us their business if we go through with the ceremony, Lover."

Keisuke chuckled. "I doubt that's going to be a problem considering how you dealt with Sobo, my own."

"Tak, Leamas sama said the ceremony would help you find yourself again. He said it was a crucial step in fixing our messed up minds. I really think you should do it." Itsuke grumbled.

Looking at Itsuke, Keisuke considered his unwitting rival for Takumi's affection. It never ceased to amaze him that Itsuke purposefully pushed Takumi into staying with him. Another man would have undermined their relationship. Yet, Itsuke was a unique individual who sought Takumi's happiness. Insuring Itsuke settled with someone who would appreciate him was getting placed onto Keisuke's crucial list.

His attention returned to Takumi and Itsuke's conversation. "You don't need to remind me, Itsuke. We canceled our session tomorrow because of the ceremony. My point is that I won't tolerate Keisuke's family meddling in our relationship due to his family's Legacy. If that's going to happen, I'd rather return our necklaces."

"I don't think we need to worry about that for a long time. You told Sobo, and the rest of my relatives off, Takumi. Aunt Kina's one statement is something we can't ignore. We can restore the Love Legacy to the original essence the old Shinto priest intended. My ancestress gave the priest enough jewelry to melt down and remake into Love's Legacy. Her faith in Kami sama's laws being greater than mankind's made her throw away her pampered life. Like great-aunt Chitose said at my birthday dinner, we mirror my aristocratic ancestress and her commoner husband. Nani if we're meant to restore the meaning of the Legacy?"

Releasing his pendant, Takumi opened his eyes with a sigh. "My doubts are knee jerk anger over Itsuke getting picked on, and Hikaru getting threatened again. If your family agrees to leave all four of us alone, I'll do the ceremony."

-oo0oo-
- 33
- 34
- 35
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

As the Smoke Clears #4 in Rivalry Series