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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
- 34
- 35
- 36
CHAPTER 35

Despite Martonelli's pushy nature annoying him, Ryosuke was glad to have the eccentric billionaire on his side. With the ongoing attacks against Fujiwara weighing so heavily on the team's minds, it was a relief to have someone good at getting information. Phone calls to his grandfather had brought out precious few details. Keisuke omitted too many details beyond his part in protecting Fujiwara, his son, and Takeuchi from harm.

To stop the attacks, Keisuke removed the trio from the hospital to block access to them. Fujiwara and Takeuchi were keeping multiple appointments each week to continue healing. Ryosuke was under immense personal stress due to each update he got. Knowing his brother was playing body guard without the training to do it effectively was a nightmare to Ryosuke. Fujiwara and Hikaru needed real bodyguards for preventing future assaults. Talking about the need to accept professional aides was getting stonewalled by Keisuke with every phone call.

With his contacts, Martonelli was the best resource to block the slavers still targeting Project D members. Most of the trouble stemmed from Keisuke's past gangster ties. Therefore, his younger brother was stubbornly battling everything alone. Everything stemmed from his past problems with the drug syndicate that was behind this fiasco. Ignoring common sense measures Ryosuke felt was irresponsible of his hot-headed brother.

The cleanup of the compound that Keisuke ransacked was overworking the police. They did not have the man power to play body guards. In fact, to date they had failed four times to prevent strikes against Fujiwara and Hikaru. Keisuke barely foiled those attacks, and it was not helping Fujiwara or anyone else to get better. The constant paranoia effectively trapped Fujiwara and others in the compounds psychologically if not literally. Something had to give or Fujiwara would never recover from the nightmare. Until Keisuke stopped fighting alone, his life partner could not get relief from the stress generated by the various murder plots.

Jumping on the opportunity to force Keisuke to listen, and comply, Ryosuke was making an emergency return to Japan with Martonelli and the rest of Project D's team. Homesick and depressed as the team was, Martonelli's offer to get them all temporary clearance for a short return to Japan was very welcome. How the jet setting corporate tycoon managed to get so many concessions from the Japanese government were nothing short of astounding. The speed with which Martonelli got permission and had full security measures installed was baffling.

Ryosuke felt the private jet touch down in his native country's main airport. They were home, albeit only for a couple of days. Martonelli had arranged for everyone to visit with their family members. They were going to stay at the magnate's resort hotel in Tokyo.

The dark-haired racer had given up on being present to see his younger brother inherit the Love Legacy. Because of Martonelli making these arrangements, Ryosuke was going to witness the ceremony. Several security detail officers that Martonelli provided disembarked from the plane ahead of his teammates. An airport official boarded the plane to run their passport checks and complete their reentry so they could avoid entering the airport.

Once their processing was completed, the official granted them permission to get off the plane. Kenta scurried down the stairs ahead of the rest of the Project D team. Etsuya and Etsumi followed Kenta. Hiroshi, Matsimoto and he exited at a sedate pace, with Martonelli, Samantha and her friend followed by the last guards. Several limousines were stationed close to the jet. A bodyguard guided Ryosuke into a car alongside Hiroshi and Matsimoto. Etsumi, Etsuya, and Kenta were in the second limo. Martonelli, Samantha, and her friend Nilus Lupine were in the third car. Security rode in each limousine for protection.

The drive was uneventful. Leaving the cars, Ryosuke and his teammates were shown to a private room where their families were waiting. Conspicuously absent were Fujiwara, Keisuke, and their new toddler. Walking up to his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents, Ryosuke was quick to begin asking questions once hugs and greetings were completed. "Where are Fujiwara, Hikaru, and Keisuke?"

Sobo Ogino answered while wringing her hands. "I did something very foolish this morning so they're very angry, and avoiding me."

"Nani?" Ryosuke's air laden voice echoed his dismay.

His grandfather explained, "Erika got the foolish idea that Itsuke kun was trying to break Takumi and Keisuke up. She confronted him at breakfast. Her accusations caused quite a fight during breakfast. Takumi was forced to reveal things about his and Itsuke's tortures during the argument that were quite distressing. Naturally Keisuke almost refused her family's legacy because of the misunderstanding. Itsuke and Kina convinced them to go through with the ceremony, but it was a very close call."

Looking at his grandmother's hangdog expression, Ryosuke could do little more than sigh. "Sobo, where could you get the idea that Fujiwara's adopted otouto was interested in him that way?"

"Well, the way he watched Takumi kun gave me the wrong impression. Tatsuhiko never told me about the medical problems Takumi had because of surviving genuine torture. How was I to know that Itsuke was watching Takumi kun because he's so relieved that Takumi has survived? Takumi took off his shirt and I saw all those hideous scars. It never occurred to me that his adopted otouto was tortured even worse than Takumi kun. He may not be that badly wounded."

Obāsan Masako took over the conversation. "Making things more difficult, Erika got incensed when Itsuke kun tried to remove Hikaru from the scene of the argument. He was trying to prevent the toddler from experiencing traumatic emotions. Her physical blocking of Itsuke with Hikaru sent Takumi into a vicious rage. Hikaru panicked, and has been withdrawn all day. Takumi exhausted himself protecting Hikaru and Itsuke kun's retreat. Takumi, Itsuke, and Keisuke will be here with Hikaru in a bit."

"Can Fujiwara handle the strain of coming if he exhausted himself this morning?" Ryosuke asked his grandsire.

"He'll be fine, Ryosuke. I know Takumi is looking forward to seeing minasan. While he sits while visiting with minasan, he should be fine. However, I should explain to your teammates that Takumi looks quite fragile, Ryosuke."

"They know that Fujiwara is very ill and expect to be shocked, Ojīsan." Ryosuke responded in a level tone.

"Are they aware that fresh scars cover Fujiwara in fresh scars, nephew?" His uncle Bouzuki asked with a furrowed brow.

"None of the family warned me to pass the information along, Uncle Ukito. Perhaps I should get minasan together to prepare them for Fujiwara's arrival. It seems we should be grateful for the preparation time before Fujiwara gets here."

"Lead the way, Onīchan." His mother spoke in a soft and subdued tone.

"Have you made peace with Keisuke yet, Okāsan?"

"He refuses to speak to me, . . . or your otosān, Ryosuke. When he sees us, Keisuke may choose to leave with our grandson and Takumi kun before we can try to resolve our differences."

"Can you actually blame him for being so angry, Okāsan? Keisuke discovered he has a viciously abused musuko in the cruelest possible way. Because of your decision to hide the truth, Keisuke has every right to feel betrayed." Ryosuke did not bother censuring his own angry tone.

"That was never my intention, musuko. All I was trying to do was protect your otouto from additional harm. Akiho shot him. Any okāsan with any consideration for her kodomo would take steps to prevent further contact." His mother rebutted his argument while tucking her hair behind an ear.

Stopping in his tracks, Ryosuke turned to face his mother squarely with barely contained anger. "If you continue to say such things, Keisuke will never forgive you, Okāsan. Stop defending your actions as if you had every right to do something so viciously to him and perhaps you can overcome this misunderstanding. Until you're willing to acknowledge that a serious wrong was done, I've nothing left to say."

"How can you say that to me? I'm your okāsan and I did everything I could to protect both of you." His mother squared her shoulders as she tried to cow him.

"Agreeing with Keisuke means I won't back down on this issue, Okāsan. Hikaru suffered needlessly because of your duplicity. Clearly it hasn't occurred to you that the reason Keisuke is so enraged is over the abuse of his kodomo. Did an innocent infant deserve abandonment by our family, Okāsan?" Ryosuke shot back with a healthy dose of venom.

Seeing his mother turn her head aside as his words struck home, Ryosuke took a deep breath to control his own irritation. His grandmother stepped beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yukiko believed the physician attending Akiho blindly, Ryosuke. Despite the fact they were wrong, a supposed expert in the field betrayed her by saying Hikaru was dead. I think they share the blame in this instance."

Reigning in his temper, Ryosuke nodded. "Hai, and I acknowledge that factor, Obāsan. However, Okāsan has to stop trying to deflect her part, or we will never resolve the problem. The last thing Keisuke will allow is her saying that she is completely innocent when she knowingly withheld information. Had you told him that physicians presumed his kodomo dead, and given their reasoning, finding Hikaru wouldn't have enraged Keisuke."

His father spoke in a soft yet resigned voice. "We discussed sitting Keisuke down and telling him, but Okāsan was terrified Keisuke would try to find Akiho to get verification. He was still recovering from the gun shot wound. His habitual recklessness frightened us. To protect him, we saw little choice except to remain silent. We know we failed little Hikaru."

"Domo for admitting it. Tell that to Keisuke, and mean it. My otouto might surprise you how much faster Keisuke's anger will dissipate if you concede your part in his musuko's situation." The dark-haired Takahashi brother retorted.

Swiveling on his heels, Ryosuke headed toward the others from Project D. He caught each team member's eye and waved them to him. Each member clustered around his position. Hiroshi was the first to speak. "Is something wrong, Ryosuke san? We've noticed that Fujiwara and Keisuke san are missing."

Shaking his head, Ryosuke began explaining. "Minasan, Fujiwara and Keisuke will arrive soon. My ojīsan would like to give you some information before you see Fujiwara."

Kenta piped up, "Is Fujiwara really messed up or something?"

Clearing his throat, Ojīsan Tatsuhiko took over the conversation. "When you see Takumi, expect to be very shocked by his appearance. He lost a great deal of weight, and has several scars that have yet to fade. His slow recovery is obvious in his face which is abnormally thin and gaunt. Unless he wears a high collared, long sleeve shirt, you will notice bright purple scars on his arms and the back of his neck. Takumi tires quickly. Keisuke may decide that Fujiwara needs to leave without warning. Do not be offended if that happens. Right now Takumi has a terrible limp and the more exhausted he gets, the more he relies on a walking cane."

"Should Fujiwara be here if he's so weak? We don't wish to wear him out. We'll understand since he has a special ceremony to attend tomorrow." Matsimoto spoke in a somber voice.

"Actually, they're staying here tonight, the same as minasan. We will hold the ceremony in this hotel so that friends and family who wish Keisuke and Takumi well can attend." Obāsan Masako explained.

Kenta cleared his throat looking nervous. "Uhm, could I ask if there's any news about Takeuchi Itsuke? He's a friend of mine and Sugisaki's. We know he disappeared before Fujiwara, and heard he was also in the same compound."

"Expect to be equally shocked by his appearance then. Itsuke kun was physically tortured worse than Takumi kun. Sadly, that young man is missing part of a hand. His senumon-i is administering strong medications, so he'll act differently that you are accustomed to seeing. From Keisuke's descriptions I understand he was on the chubby side before his abduction. Of the pair, Itsuke resembles a walking skeleton with long, thick raven hair. Due to his unstable health, Keisuke and Takumi are both very protective of him. Does minasan know about Keisuke's young kodomo?"

Heads nodded affirmatively. Ryosuke set down rules for his teammates to pass along. "Keisuke's musuko will be with them this evening. Hikaru is very young, so let your families know to refrain from crowding around him, or being loud. He can only handle two strange adults at a time. Keisuke will introduce his musuko to minasan over the night. Anyone that wishes to meet his kodomo should speak to Tatsuhiko, or Masako since Keisuke's musuko knows us. Fujiwara is very protective of Hikaru plus Takeuchi because of the compound. When they arrive, keep that in mind. Especially you, Kenta. Shouting because you're excited could badly frighten Hikaru. If that happens, Fujiwara will get volatile and remove Hikaru until the kodomo calms."

With a gesture Ryosuke broke up the impromptu meeting. The team scattered back to their families as Ryosuke faced his own again. "An excellent idea, grandson. This way Hikaru should feel safer which will keep Takumi calmer."

"My thoughts exactly. Keisuke reported that Fujiwara is extremely protective of Hikaru, and the last thing I wish to witness is one of his rages. Matsimoto is terrified of Fujiwara because of the compound fight he witnessed. Another episode of the nature Matsimoto has described needs to be prevented." Ryosuke replied.

Sobo Ogino began nodding emphatically. "Matsimoto sounds like a smart man. I angered Takumi kun this morning. When he exploded, I honestly thought he could rip my limbs off. I understood he only wanted to protect Hikaru and Itsuke kun. However, I've never seen that kind of fury in my life."

Ojīsan spoke while shaking his head. "Takumi's not a violent person unless he feels someone threatens his family, Erika. You threatened to get Hikaru taken from Keisuke this morning. When one considers Takumi's bitter childhood, it is not surprising that he reacts so extremely to such threats. He wants Hikaru protected and raised in a peaceful environment. Keisuke may have a temper, but he isn't going to hold Hikaru's okāsan against the shonen. I've noticed that Takumi worries about that happening with Yukiko and Ryuunosuke."

"I would never, . . ."

Cutting his mother's quietly indignant voice off, Ryosuke spoke in a soft yet powerful voice. "Do not start again, Okāsan. Keisuke and I recall how much you hated Mitani. Hatred drove you to several extremes when Keisuke dated Hikaru's okāsan. We fear that you'll always see Mitani in Hikaru. Only you can prove otherwise, and that takes time."

"Calm down, Yukiko. Ryosuke makes a valid point. We must earn our younger musuko's trust again. We can repair this if you'll consider how you'd feel if it were your kodomo that had been raised in such a horrible place. How would you feel knowing your kodomo witnessed such terrible things? Keisuke's acting like any good otosān should. He's desperate to protect his offspring. Your desire to protect Keisuke by threatening to take Hikaru to raise so he was free to be with Takumi was a mistake that we must repair."

Yukiko's shoulders sagged as she sat at a table. "Hurting Keisuke or Hikaru is the last thing I wanted to do. Getting to know my grandchild is all I wish now. "

"You know as well as I do that Keisuke has changed dramatically in the last three years. Fujiwara has made a huge impact on Keisuke also. Try talking to Keisuke without threatening him, over Hikaru's stability if you want to end the standoff and our current family problems, Okāsan." Ryosuke encouraged.

"Whenever Keisuke agrees to speak to me, I'll try, Onīchan. All I can do meanwhile is wait for him to calm down."

"If you honestly will meet Keisuke half way, I'll ask him to give you a chance to apologize. That is as far as I'll go, Okāsan. Keisuke's got too much on his mind to place him in a position to feel additional strain."

"Looks like we both should apologize to Keisuke and Takumi kun today, Musume. Since they have arrived, perhaps Ryosuke can get them to come over and say hello before the night's done." Sobo Ogino added.

Turning around, Ryosuke felt his eyes widen as he noticed Fujiwara. Very thin, almost to the point of emaciated, Akina's famed downhill specialist was wearing a long sleeved, bulky turtleneck sweater that did nothing to hide his illness. Fujiwara's face revealed his weight loss's harsh price. His brow seemed shockingly pronounced in relation to bruised, deep sunken eyes. Cheek bones stood out starkly underneath almost translucently pasty skin. Skeletal was an appropriate term to describe Fujiwara's condition. A four pronged walking cane was in Fujiwara's hand.

Another short man standing next to him with longish, raven hair was equally thin. He did not recognize the other man at all. Recalling that Takeuchi had been round faced with baby fat, his memory doubled the shock Ryosuke felt. If that was Takeuchi, then it was not surprising his grandfather had warned everyone they would be startled when they saw the two compound survivors. It made Ryosuke wonder how Fumihiro looked. Matsimoto had been in good shape when he arrived in Arizona. Had he been the only one that had gotten out of the compound unscathed?

Seeing his brother, Ryosuke noted that Keisuke had his son in his arms. Hikaru was clinging to his father's neck. A genuine miniature of his younger brother, Hikaru looked around the room with wariness. Walking to the small group, Ryosuke hoped that his nephew would recall the one other time they had met. "Good to see you, Otouto, Fujiwara, . . . and Takeuchi, isn't it?"

The raven haired man nodded. "Hai, Ryosuke san. Been a while."

"Good to see you too, Aniki. We weren't expecting you." Keisuke sounded pleased.

"Martonelli made the arrangements. The entire team is here today. Minasan knows Fujiwara's been very ill so they're waiting for you to get comfortable. We're all a bit afraid we'll wear you out, or make you feel crowded if we all come over simultaneously, Fujiwara." Ryosuke spoke to both of his relatives in turn.

"I'm fine, Ryosuke san. Gomen for worrying minasan." Fujiwara answered in his melodic voice.

"You shouldn't feel that you need to apologize, Fujiwara. This situation wasn't your fault. None of us expect you to feel bad over the things that have happened." Ryosuke replied in a firm voice.

A growl from Keisuke swung Ryosuke's head toward his younger brother. "How long as Okāsan been here?"

"Calm down, Keisuke. Okāsan has had time to think things over. She's here hoping to apologize for her high-handed tactics in the past, and more recently when she threatened to take Hikaru from you. Otosān has the same intentions. Both feel horrible for the things that happened to Hikaru. However, I would suggest you don't let Okāsan get off the hook too quickly. It's a good lesson for her to learn."

"Considering how much Hikaru suffered, I'm not in the mood to ever let her off the hook as you put it, Aniki. Okāsan's lies went too far and did too much damage to Hikaru for me to forgive her." Keisuke grumbled.

Fujiwara sighed. "Keisuke, if she's willing to apologize, then you should speak to her. I'll take Hikaru so you won't have to worry about upsetting him again."

Facing his partner, Keisuke frowned. "I'm not going to get into an argument with her, my own. It isn't worth the headache. Sobo's with her, so I'm going to avoid them both. The last thing I can stand is their ganging up on me to force me to back down. After this morning's bull shit I'm not in the mood to speak to Sobo, or Okāsan."

"Fine. You're still in as bad a mood as I am, so I won't argue with you. I need to sit so that minasan will come and talk with us. Let's sit at that table." Fujiwara pointed at a table shaking his head slightly.

Ryosuke took the hint and dropped the subject. Watching Fujiwara limp to the table that was fairly close to the exit, Project D's captain wondered if his career as a driver was over. "Martonelli shipped two G-TR's to Arizona. A group of Nissan technicians is doing most of the upgrades. One is a panda, and the other is yellow. I figure you'd wish to know."

"When did you put up the polls, Aniki?" Keisuke asked as he set Hikaru in a chair beside the one he took for himself.

Fujiwara and Takeuchi also settled into chairs so Ryosuke followed suit. "I didn't put up the fan polls. Martonelli cut a deal with Nissan Corporation. They're sponsoring Project D, Otouto."

"We don't even know if we're going to get into the Iron Will. I still have to wait for the Evidence Review to decide whether to charge me."

"Martonelli is doing a lot of things to pressure our government into dropping any charges. I heard that he even designed a series of clothing to get fans to help. From Matsimoto's report when he arrived in America, they're very popular." He explained to his younger brother and Fujiwara.

"So that asshole's making money off Takumi's suffering?" Keisuke's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"As I understand it, Martonelli's losing a lot of money, Keisuke. The plan is to raise awareness in the public sector and get their conclusive support. Once the public support is strong enough, the government can't ignore the possible repercussions of charging you for a crime, Otouto."

"Even so, it still pisses me off that people are running around wearing sweat shirts with mine and Takumi's names set up as a damned logo."

Fujiwara chuckled. "Let your fans have the shirts, Keisuke. If it helps you, I'm all for the Love Conquers All logos with our names inside the heart."

Takeuchi was nodding emphatically in agreement. "The shirts are cool, and they may be working too. You shouldn't go to prison for being a real hero, Keisuke."

The frown on Keisuke's face relaxed. With a soft snort, he capitulated. "Leave it to you both to gang up on me. I'll leave Martonelli alone about the stupid log shirts."

"Domo, Keisuke. We appreciate it." Fujiwara smiled as his shoulders relaxed visibly.

"I'm going to get our team mates rounded up. Be back in a few." Keisuke stood and headed toward the knots of people around the room.

"How has your visit to America been, Ryosuke san?" Fujiwara asked as Keisuke stalked away from the table.

Turning to his second ace, Ryosuke smiled and ordered his thoughts. He realized he had much to share with the pair facing him with eager expressions. "It has been quite educational. We've met several genuine characters involved with off road racing. Let me tell you about them . . ."

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As the Smoke Clears #4 in Rivalry Series