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A Rivalry Revealed Novel #1	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2399 -:- 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-A Rivalry Revealed Novel #1
- 2-Riv 2
- 3-Riv 3
- 4-Riv 4
- 5-Riv 5
- 6-Riv 6
- 7-Riv 7
- 8-Riv 8
- 9-Riv 9
- 10-Riv 10
- 11-Riv 11
- 12-Riv 12
- 13-Riv 13
- 14-Riv 14
- 15-Riv 15
- 16-Riv 16
- 17-Riv 17
- 18-Riv 18
- 19-Riv 19
- 20-Riv 20
- 21-Riv 21
- 22-Riv 22
- 4
- 5
- 6
CHAPTER 5

Takumi's nose told him that he was in an antiseptic environment long before he opened his eyes. The white walls that greeted him with a tv bolted into the ceiling were foreign objects to his slightly blurry vision. Takumi noticed that he was in a hospital gown with a blanket over his legs. It seemed a strange atmosphere to be in as his mind began to function and focus.

The teen rubbed his forehead because it hurt. Cloth met his fingertips. His eyes widened as Takumi recalled that his eyes had stopped working while he was driving. Certainty that he had been in a wreck swamped his mind. He tried to piece together any fragments that might help him uncover how bad his hachi roku's damage was, but his throbbing skull made the exercise difficult. Takumi kept himself from groaning with difficulty.

There was a disjointed sense that he had heard Keisuke san saying he would not leave him. His teammate hugged him in one section of the unique nightmare he had the night before, or was it the day before? The nineteen year old had the impression that Keisuke san had cried in the broken, segmented dreams swirling through his sleep. A sense of being rocked as if he were a child skittered through his consciousness at some point within his ongoing nightly torment.

Takumi felt as if someone had held him while he battled to catch the two Mazdas that got smaller as they raced away. He had a hazy sense of being kissed on the top of the head as if he were a beloved yet fragile child. Overall, it was a very odd dream for him to have. Those hazy words and sensations interfered with his normal battle to keep a visual on the vanishing tail lights Takumi chased whenever he closed his eyes.

He felt mild pressure on his left wrist so turned his head to see what was restraining him. Seeing Keisuke's head laying beside his wrist with a hand wrapped loosely around his shocked Takumi. The older man looked haggard as he slept. His hand was held so close to Keisuke's face that Takumi felt his breath fanning across his skin. From the swollen, red rimmed state of the blond's closed eyes, it was possible the older man had cried. It caught Takumi off guard to see how worried the other racer was for his welfare.

'Maybe I didn't dream Keisuke's voice last night. I guess he was worried about me. I should've listened when he chased me down to protect me from myself, but I got mad when he threatened to beat the crap out of me. Must be how he shows that he's worried. How much of the dream was real last night? He looks like he cried, so that much must have happened. Nani will I do if I totaled my hachi roku? Damn, Oyaji will kill me if I destroyed the car! I really screwed up. Keisuke san was right. I've blown Project D's reputation because I wasn't listening to minasan last night.'

Takumi's memory of the show down he had with the uphill ace was more focused than it had been the night before. The harsh scowl on Keisuke's face as he yelled flashed into stark relief. For a moment he was reminded of his own father's wrath whenever he was doing something dumb. He recalled Keisuke yanking his keys out of his hands and grabbin his arm in a painful grip. That memory made Takumi check and see if he had a bruise. His arm looked normal as he studied it for any damage.

The Akina ace remembered the fury experienced over Keisuke's threatening behavior as he yanked his keys away from the other man. Takumi remembered jumping into his car to get away from his antagonist. He had tugged on the old seatbelt, instead of the racing straps he should have put back on because he was in a hurry to get away from Keisuke's anger. His eyes refused to work as he entered a high speed turn. Memory supplied a harsh scraping sound combined with a forceful, slamming sensation as his belt expanded like a rubber band that had too much elasticity to contain his upper body. From that point his recall shifted to dreams he had so often they were almost hard wired memories in their own right.

He looked around the small private room. Takumi wondered why he wasn't in a multiple bed wing surrounded by a white curtain like others with minor injuries. That alarmed the teenager. Did he have injuries other than the bandage on his forehead? Takumi was fairly certain that his skull was the only thing hurting as he turned his focus internally to try and discover any other pains he had overlooked.

A nurse popped her head into the room, and smiled as Takumi tried to disengage his wrist from Keisuke's iron grip. "Good morning. It looks as if you did get some rest. Your friend had quite a time calming you last night."

The nurse bustled about the room on quiet feet as she took his blood pressure, and temperature.

"Uhm, how did I get here?" Takumi hoped the woman would know. Did Keisuke bring him in, or did he arrive in an ambulance? Arriving in an ambulance was a sign that he was in worse shape than he felt like he should be.

"You were in a car accident. How is your head feeling this morning? Would like to take your pain relievers now?" The nurse spoke softly so as not to wake Keisuke.

"My head does hurt." Takumi frowned. His head flopped back against the pillow as the last of the blood drained from his face. "Damn, I can't believe I wrecked my hachi roku last night." He still had no idea how he got to the hospital, but lacked the energy to rephrase his question.

He tried to picture what his car might look like. If he had done serious damage, his father would not get the chance to kill him. He would do himself in before his father knew the details. When he had blown the engine, Takumi had felt as if he had lost a part of himself. If he had done major damage to his car again, the loss would be twice as horrific.

Takahashi Ryosuke stepped into the room after knocking on the door. Seeing his team captain shame enveloped Takumi. "Ryosuke san, uhm, Gomen nasai. I know I really messed up last night. I should've listened when you said to take a break. But, I honestly thought I was able to make that last run."

Takumi flushed to his toes as his eyes slipped to his bedding whihc he found his free hand grasping in agitation. He had failed Project D's leader. Keisuke's accusation that he would ruin the team's reputation flashed into focus as he made himself look up at his mentor.

"It would've been better had you accepted my advice. For now, let's focus on how you're doing." Ryosuke looked down at him as he spoke in a stiff voice that was oddly laced with undercurrents Takumi found even more disquieting than being trapped within Keisuke's sleeping vice grip.

"Guess you'll have to forfeit my race because I blew it, Ryosuke san. I let everyone down in an unforgivable way."

"I'm not concerned with whether we win races any longer, Fujiwara. You've been pushing yourself much too hard, and need to take it easier from now on."

"But, I can't take it easy if I want to prove that I deserve my place on the team."

Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Keisuke's sleep slurred voice. "Knock it off, Fujiwara. Damn, you're the biggest pain in the ass I've ever met."

The blond's temper was already flaring at him as Takumi turned his head toward his teammate. He could hear the nurse jotting something in his chart. She handed him a small paper cup that contained two pills. The medication dissolved on his tongue before he could grab the water glass. He was grateful for the rapid relief that spread through his skull as he tossed back the small amount of liquid he had been given.

"I'm trying to apologize for wrecking Project D's reputation last night. Naze does that make me a pain, Keisuke san?"

Keisuke's angry tone made him wince. "Knock it off, baka! You scared the shit out of me last night. You wouldn't listen to me, and wound up bouncing off the mountain side. If I hadn't boxed your car in with mine, you'd be very dead at the bottom of a cliff. A wrecking crew would be trying to find all the pieces to you and the hachi roku if not for my having sense enough to react in time." The blond released his grip on his wrist and swiped his hair back from tired eyes. "Next time you decide to be such a baka, Fujiwara, I really will beat the crap out of you so you can't get back into your car."

"Hachi roku's in far better shape than you are, Fujiwara." Ryosuke spoke in a cryptic tone that made Takumi wonder at how deep his disappointment was. The nurse bowed out of the room Takumi noticed with a touch of relief. Knowing he deserved his team's wrath was not the same as having it publicly aired in front of strangers.

Takumi stared at his knees as Keisuke's remark sank in. 'Keisuke san blocked my hachi roku from sliding over a cliff? How'd he manage that? I don't understand how he could box my car in. Did his car get badly damaged too? Naze would Keisuke san do something that could damage his FD? I don't get any of this.'

"Your car's damage is mostly cosmetic. We can remove the dents on the passenger side and in front of your driver side door where Keisuke pushed the hachi roku back against the mountain with the front of his FD. It'll need paint touch ups to repair the scuff marks and scrapes on both sides. The passenger side light panel needed replacement as well. Otherwise it seemed to be mechanically sound, so I borrowed it to get here today as a test to insure that there isn't any major structural, or suspension damage we have yet to uncover."

Takumi nodded his acceptance. He was far too relieved to learn that his car was in one piece to get upset about someone else driving it. If anything, Takumi trusted Ryosuke's ability to drive his car without damaging it.

"You, on the other hand, have a concussion, and your blood work showed very alarming news. Your isha san says you have an iron deficiency and are low on several other vitamins that are necessary to keep you well. He wants to do some further tests to determine whether or not you are having undiagnosed digestive problems. I've already authorized them, so resign yourself, Fujiwara. We will have a complete picture of how bad your heath is within forty eight hours." A black eyebrow rose as Ryosuke crossed his arms over his chest.

"Matte. How do you know so much, and nani gives you the right to authorize tests for me, Ryosuke san?" Takumi was too shocked to growl precisely but the thought of how expensive this hospital visit was going to be floored Takumi. He did not need a huge medical bill on top of everything else.

"I'm the one who finished filling out the paper work to cover your medical bills, Fujiwara. I have a right to know since I'm paying for your stay here."

"But, Ryosuke san, it's . . ."

A savage growl erupted from Keisuke's throat as he came fully awake with a torrent of angry words spouting from his lips. "Baka, naze the hell didn't you take care of yourself? If you weren't feeling well, you should have opened your mouth and told us about it before you got into a wreck! That's one limit you should have never crossed just so you could remain quiet, Fujiwara!"

Ryosuke moved as if to step between him and his angry younger brother. He stopped and backed up after noticing the glare he was getting from Keisuke. The spiky haired blond turned his angry visage back on Takumi who cringed. Keisuke proceeded to make his annoyance even more clear as he needled him.

"Another thing I want to clear up is the crap you started ranting after you were sedated. I don't know how you came to the asinine conclusion that you aren't good enough to be on the team, Fujiwara. But, . . . I am telling you right now . . . Stop making yourself crazy with that damned bull shit! You're as important to Project D as Aniki, and me. The only reason you were offered a place on this team is because you honestly belong on the team."

The teen realized that Keisuke wasn't about to let Ryosuke foil his intention to verbally pound him. He understood that Keisuke had good reason to yell at him. The team would have to forfeit the downhill race tonight because he had been too tied and stubbornly foolish when the truth was pointed out by both rotary brothers. The younger man knew he had done exactly what Keisuke had warned him against doing. He had damaged the reputation of Project D by getting into an accident.

"Anyone can ace an uphill course, but not the downhill. You're on your way to becoming one of the best drivers in this nation, Fujiwara. Aniki asked you to join the team because he knows better than anyone how difficult it is to control a car the way you do. I demanded that you go pro with me because of your rare skill behind the wheel. So pull your head out of your ass, and get it together!"

"That's enough, Keisuke. Time for you to calm down." Ryosuke grabbed the shaking blond's shoulder as he forced his way into the conversation. "You're worried about Fujiwara's well being, and need to blow off some of the anxiety his accident caused. However, I think he's gotten the message so anything more will only hamper your efforts, Little brother."

Ryosuke's fingers were white knuckled with the hold he had on his brother's shoulder Takumi noted with alarm. He had seen Keisuke get angry before, but never to this extent. His older teammate was often in a foul mood and snappish which Takumi thought mut be normal for the taciturn man. Takumi swallowed hard. Keisuke's wrath washed over him from his team mate's continued hostile look. He felt that he deserved every drop of venom the blond driver unleashed.

Takumi gripped the blanket as he tried to hold in his dismay at how complete his failure was in his own eyes. "I let you both down badly last night. I know I deserve to get chewed out, Ryosuke san. Keisuke san has every right to yell at me. There's nothing worse that I could ever do than breaking my word to you both the way I did last night."

"Fujiwara, how long have you been skipping meals because you were too focused on practicing?" Ryosuke asked while holding his brother's shoulder in a vice grip.

Takumi felt like an idiot because he had been so focused on keeping his place with the team that he honestly had not paid attention to anything else. Takumi frowned as his knees while trying to recall his recent eating habits.

"Not sure. I haven't been paying much attention to things that I've been eating. Most mornings I think I grabbed something quick on my way out the door to my day job after I drove a few rounds. On my way to do night training I think I grabbed something to eat, but I was thinking about how to use everything I've been learning from you and Matsimoto san on my home course to improve as a driver so I wouldn't disgrace the team by losing. I'm sure that I always ate on my lunch breaks at work though, Ryosuke san."

He watched his spiky haired team mate's scowl deepen dramatically over his answer. 'Keisuke san looks like he's ready to kill me. Can't blame him after this disaster.'

"Baka, are you saying you don't remember eating? How the hell . . . ?" Ryosuke cut his brother off with a forceful shake to get his attention.

Takumi watched the brothers exchange meaningful glares. He saw the byplay of emotions cross both faces of the men who stood over him. The silent war of wills going on beside his bed was uncomfortable. Takumi swallowed hard. He was to blame for the discord between the siblings.

"Keisuke, I want to talk to you in a moment, . . . outside." Ryosuke's odd inflection caught Takumi's attention. His voice always held undercurrents that implied everything he said had multiple meanings. That was part of the older Takahashi brother's demeanor. Ryosuke pointed toward the hallway, and Keisuke yanked free of his brother's hold to stomp out of the room.

"Have you only been skipping meals because you weren't thinking about the need to eat? Or, . . . have you had stomach pains that gave you a natural aversion to eating of late, Fujiwara?"

'Uhm, . . . Well, I haven't been feeling great after eating too much, but I wouldn't call it pain. I figured it would go away on it's own, Ryosuke san. You know, kind of like some kind of short term stomach cold type of feeling. I didn't think it was important. I didn't have any problems drinking things, so I just thought it would go away in a few days."

"Domo for the information. I'll tell your isha san. You do need those tests I have a feeling. We'll be back soon, Fujiwara. Don't let Keisuke's angry outburst bother you. He actually likes you, and considers you one of his friends. Your accident has given him an overdose of anxiety to unload. He gets a little difficult when he's been given a reason." The black haired street racer followed his irrate younger brother into the hallway. The door clicked softly shut behind him.

Takumi sighed as he considered the odd snatches of dreams that he had where he thought he heard Keisuke san speaking to him. Did Keisuke san promise not to leave him behind? Ryosuke san's advice reinforced what the dream fragments showed. It made Takumi reconsider the nurse's comment about Keisuke san trying to calm him the night before.

It made sense that Keisuke san would be angry with him over his glaring failure either way. Over the duration of their acquaintance, Takumi had come to the conclusion that the spiky maned wheat haired man disliked him. To be told that Keisuke san considered him a friend seemed very odd.

He figured Keisuke san had plenty of reason to feel an excess of anger to unload over his accident. Anyone would be irritated over damaging their car just to keep him from falling over a cliff. The older driver had every right to be livid with him over his behaving in such a stupid fashion. Takumi knew that if he had damaged his hachi roku in order to save someone who had just ignored sound advice, he would be blindly furious.

Still Ryosuke san had said Keisuke san was specifically worried because he considered him to be a friend. Takumi rubbed his eyes as his head relaxed on the pillow while he tried to understand where his dark haired mentor had gotten that idea. He tried to decide how to make up for last night's inexcusable disaster to everyone on the Project D team. It was not long before his eyes fluttered closed as Takumi tried to sort out his conflicted thoughts. His mind stuttered to a halt as he drifted back into sleep.
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A Rivalry Revealed Novel #1