[ShouxHiroto] RUMWOLF [Track 27: Flashing Red Lights]
TITLE: RUMWOLF
CHAPTER: 27
RATING: R (Overall Story)
GENRE: AU; Romance (BL), Drama&Comedy, Action/Adventure, slight Supernatural/Paranormal
PAIRINGS: ShouxHiroto, previous/mentions of Hirotox??, implied/hinted ToraxSaga
BAND: Alice Nine
SIDE BANDS: the GazettE, Danger Gang, SuG, Dir en Grey
CAMEOS: ??? (Ch. 27)
SUMMARY: Four years ago, there was an accident affecting two entirely different worlds of two individuals. This accident led Ogata Hiroto to grow into a jaded young adult who becomes entangled in the dark, cold world of a nightlife he never expected to lead in order to fulfill his personal ambitions. One fateful day, on a morning walk with his pet Pomeranian, Mogu, he meets a young man who calls himself Shou. Will Hiroto's four years of hard work and effort to reach his goal be thrown away to waste or will it finally be rewarded through this meeting?
WARNINGS: Intimate actions between men, sexual references, language, violence, racing, mentions of heavy chain-smoking and alcohol abuse...err, I don't think that's the end.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: Prologue // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06 // 07 // 08 // 09 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // Interlude // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24 // 25 // 26
Track 27: Flashing Red Lights
"You guys ran here?!" Hiroto exclaimed with disbelief painted over his delicate features as he hurriedly pulled out of the garage in the Honda Civic. He cast a glance in the rear view mirror, finding that no guards were currently pursuing them. "You were that worried?"
Tora rolled his eyes as he slouched in the passenger seat. "Hurry up and get us back to the restaurant, you ungrateful and reckless brat," he snapped in blatant irritation -- still waiting for his "thank you."
Saga whined in the backseat, "My paycheck is going to be cut because we saved your sorry ass."
Hiroto rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it," Hiroto responded dryly. "I'll buy you guys drinks later, promise." Tora raised an eyebrow before flicking Hiroto's forehead, making him grunt in disdain.
"Hey, you're safe. That's all that matters," Tora assured him. "We don't need drinks. A simple thank you would be nice though."
Saga nodded. "That's true. The big oaf I took down looked about ready to eat you alive if we didn't do anything," he commented. "I think it was obvious what he wanted to do to you."
"Kill me?" Hiroto suggested before slowing down in the stream of traffic.
Saga snorted. "Yeah, that's totally it," he remarked sarcastically. "Please, child, he wanted to break you, so he can up his ego. You're like a porcelain doll. If you asked me, if I was to fuck you, I'd be careful or else you'd--"
"Saga, I will rip out your tongue if you continue speaking," Hiroto seethed maliciously.
"I can't say your tongue is as soft on the ears as your looks are soft on the eyes," Saga grumbled before lightly kicking Tora's seat. "I'm right though, aren't I?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not gay," Tora answered coolly.
"Bullshit. I know you've been checking out my ass," Saga retorted lightly before he childishly stuck out his tongue. Tora scoffed -- denying Saga's statement -- and rolled his eyes. "But it's not a matter of sexuality to say that Hiroto is adorable though. I'm right, aren't I? Hey, hey... Tora-chan~ I'm right, I know I am."
Tora snorted. "Yes, yes, you are, O Great and Honorable Saga-sama," he replied wryly, casting an empty glance towards the waiter -- who was doing anything but obediently sitting -- in the backseat. "You are definitely correct about Hiroto being cute. He's the most adorable creature I have ever laid eyes on."
The blonde raised an eyebrow before he was allowed to move forward on the road again. "You're joking around, aren't you?" he mumbled as he steered lightly -- keeping a weary eye on the cars and signs all around him. Much to his surprise and dismay, Tora shook his head. Hiroto could feel his pride as a man crumble. All of his time spent underground must definitely have gone to waste if he was still considered adorable.
"He really is right though. You're cute," Tora agreed.
"Shou-kun would have beaten us up right now," Saga pointed out randomly as he laid down on the backseat as if it was his couch.
Tora chortled lowly. "He's too much of a gentleman to do that," he mentioned.
"You're right. He would have gotten his bodyguards to do it for him," Saga joked lightly.
In the driver's seat, Hiroto was smiling -- humored by the visual his friends supplied him with. Now that he thought about it, Hiroto wondered if that was true. Shou was a tad bit overprotective, but would he really fight someone for saying that Hiroto was cute or for flirting with him? Hiroto knew that he himself would since he had no worries about maintaining a gentlemanly appearance. After all, it was only normal for Hiroto to throw a punch or two at someone he was furious at when words or reason won't reach them. He also knew that Saga and Tora were capable of such actions -- and even Nao, too (though Nao's "punch" would be open for debate).
"You guys want to have a battle later?" Hiroto asked his two friends. They stared at him incredulously. A smile carved itself onto Hiroto's lips as he clarified, "Guitar battle."
"After you get your stitches removed or an appointment to get them removed. The doctor said to come back within seven to ten days. It's been seven days, hasn't it? Let's get you checked out first," Tora answered.
Saga nodded in agreement. "I'll kill you if you get another injury by the way," the lanky waiter mentioned. "Stop visiting the hospital. It gives us all a heart attack."
Hiroto sighed in resignation before pulling a turn in the direction of the hospital. In the end, he set up an appointment to remove the sutures within three more days. Afterwards, he dropped off his friends at the Royal Kitchen, promising to meet them as soon as their shifts ended. However, with nothing to do, Hiroto ended up lingering around the restaurant, occasionally volunteering, because he was unable to return to his apartment. Afterwards, he stopped by the park and took a stroll downtown with his pet. Just to kill even more time, the blonde stopped by the arcade and continuously played a third-person shooter game. By dinnertime, his score -- recorded as "hrt" -- was amongst the top ten as number one. (At that time, a crowd had gathered, and it was a pain in the ass to try and leave without being pressured to play another round.)
With much relief, he returned to the Royal Kitchen to eat a small meal. After he finished, Hiroto paid off the remainder of his tab and ushered his friends into the Honda Civic. For the first time in a long time, the blonde chattered with Saga, Tora, and Nao as he had during high school. The four of them stopped by their respective apartments to pick up their instruments before taking to the road once again. As nostalgia gradually filled the empty space within the car, Hiroto drove towards The Q with a smile on his face.
"Ruki-san, do you care if I use the stage?" Hiroto inquired as soon as he entered The Q. Tora, Saga, and Nao followed behind him with Mogu in Nao's arms. The blonde was aware that all eyes were on him and the gig bag he carried on his back, but he simply ignored them. "I heard you haven't booked anyone recently," he told the brown haired bartender.
The bartender ceased pouring his customer a glass of wine and raised an eyebrow at Hiroto. "You look like shit," he commented before meowing flirtatiously. Behind Hiroto, he heard Saga giggle. "Did you just get out of bed with someone?" Saga started cracking up. Ruki gaped at Hiroto before pulling the blonde close when Hiroto's face had paled. "Don't tell me your ass lost its virginity! Just when I thought it would be me who would take it!" Ruki snapped his fingers in disappointment, and Hiroto used the small action to pull away from Ruki's hold.
The bartender was getting too close to the truth. Actually, Hiroto thought to himself, he's guessed correctly. His cheeks flushed pink as he recalled his first night with Shou at a hotel.
Meanwhile, Saga was leaning against Tora for support as tears spilled from the corners of his eyes -- hot with amusement. At the same time, Nao's cheeks were exploding with redness, causing Mogu to tilt his head in confusion. The poor puppy was probably wondering why his owner was being molested.
"Well, will you let me use the stage?" Hiroto repeated.
Ruki turned to his boss, a dark haired man wearing elegant clothing. "Yuki-san, is it okay? We hardly have any customers when it's still half an hour past eight in the evening," he called out. Yuki nodded his approval, so Ruki gestured to the stage. "She's all yours, Kuro-chan."
Hiroto shook his head. "That's not my name, Ruki-san," he told him.
"And Ruki's not my name either. Deal with it, Princess," Ruki retorted.
Hiroto smiled lightly at the comment before heading to the stage with his guitar on his back. Tora followed after him with his own guitar, and then Saga followed after the two of them with his bass in his arms. The three of them quickly set up the amps and tuned their instruments.
During preparations, Hiroto weighed the guitar in his arms. It's been a while since he's played, and he missed the familiar load weighing down his shoulders. He ran his fingers up and down the neck of the guitar before swinging his guitar around and striking a chord. Saga immediately provided a beat after recruiting a drummer from one of the session bands that played regularly at The Q. Then the two guitarists improvised right off the bat.
Meanwhile, in the Kohara household, Kazumasa was dining with his parents -- alone -- for the first time in a long time as well. The three of them sat at a long rectangular dining table, carved eccentrically and elegantly, lined with at least a dozen or two chairs -- possibly 36 at the most. Kazumasa's father sat at the far end of the table with his wife to his left side and his son to the right side. At the moment, his parents were leisurely cutting their steaks with expensive silverware purchased from England. While they were informed that he had returned, it seemed that they were not told that Kazumasa had an announcement to make.
His father was currently thinking of a stricter punishment appropriate for him after making him wait for hours in his bedroom. His mother, on the other hand, was apprehensive. She wanted to make sure her precious doll was unmarked and unbruised. Nobody wanted a celebrity with a scar, she had lectured him. Kazumasa assured her that he was fine and healthy. His father thought otherwise though.
"No healthy young man would run away from home," he insisted.
Kazumasa didn't see the connection though. He was sure that no content young man would run away from home. A healthy young man could run away from home if he so pleased. He told his father so as well, and that only fueled his anger even more. Kazumasa didn't care though. He wouldn't accept being in this house for much longer. If his father wanted to throw a temper tantrum, he was free to do so. Kazumasa wouldn't have anything to do with him in a few minutes.
"Why did you return, Kazumasa?" his father demanded. "Have you finally come to your senses?"
"I have, Father," Kazumasa answered politely after thoroughly chewing and swallowing his food. "I realize that this is a more proper way to leave the household. I would like to announce that this is the last time you will see me."
He heard his mother nearly drop her fork and her knife, but, instead, she gasped dramatically and fanned herself with a dainty hand rather comically. Beside him, he heard his father clench his jaw to prevent his anger from seeping out. However, he boomed, "Why?! After all we have given you -- books, instruments, electronics -- why would you want to leave?! You have everything here! What more do you need?"
"Love," Kazumasa whispered to himself.
"Then we'll search for a bride!" his father exclaimed. "What reason do you have to leave home? You can have the world if you want!"
Kazumasa shook his head. "You don't need to search for a bride. I've already found love, and I'll leave home for it. I don't want the world. I want to love this person, and I don't need this house to do it," he answered calmly.
"Bring her here if you want!" his father added, red-faced. "Kazumasa, I will not allow you to leave this house! You are the only heir to this company!"
"If you met him, you wouldn't want him here," Kazumasa replied. "You nearly had him killed once before, and you've tried ruining what is left of his family. I don't expect you to accept him or to accept us. That's why I'll leave, and you can pretend that I've never existed. I won't forgive you if you interfere with us though, and I'll make sure you'll be the one suffering from it instead. Bringing your personal problems into your business, for one, is not what a professional would do. Rather than anyone else being unfit for the company, it would have to be you, Father, who does not deserve the seat of CEO. Frankly speaking though, I don't give a damn about the company. Instead, I pity the employees working beneath you."
His father flamed. "How dare you! Were you raised to badmouth your father, Kazumasa? The company is the family's pride, and I shall uphold that honor as will you! Furthermore, a man? Kazumasa, this is nonsense--"
"No, Father, it makes perfect sense," Kazumasa argued coolly. "The company has plenty of capable employees. I'm sure your vice president can take over the company just fine. If not, then you can always adopt another son, a replacement so to speak, or give the company over to Uncle."
"If you don't take over the company, millions of employees will lose their job!" his father persisted.
"Again, it doesn't have to be me who will take over," Kazumasa insisted. "There are plenty other people who are more capable of managing a company other than me myself -- other than you, Father. The company is only where it is because of Grandfather. You're just acting as his puppet, and I refuse to be yours." The brunet stood up from the dinner table, bowed his head, and excused himself. "I'll be taking my leave now. I don't need anything here. I've packed everything a few weeks ago. Farewell."
"Kazumasa!" his mother finally cried out. "Don't leave!"
"Leave him be," his father hissed. "If he wants to leave, then let him leave. I won't stop him. I won't beg him to come back. I'll even exile him from this house. Retrieve the family register. No disrespectful brat is a son of mine. If he wants to be disowned, I'll let him have that, too. I'll let him have nothing. We will do nothing."
Kazumasa smiled to himself. It hadn't occurred to his father that he had nothing to start with. When you had everything in the palm of your hands, what meaning does it hold to you? What more did you have to obtain? Absolutely nothing. Kazumasa had long been used to nothing, and this...this was freedom. This was as close to freedom as he could get.
By the time he had reached the grand entrance, the head butler, Kawamura, greeted him upon sight. The maids and servants all lined up for his exit. "It has been a pleasure serving you, Young Master," he told Kazumasa before bowing at a perfect ninety degree angle.
Kazumasa's smile faltered slightly at the politeness of the butler's action. "Raise your head, Kawamura. I'm no longer a young master," he responded softly -- almost perturbed at the formalities.
The butler obliged and cleared his throat. "May you live life to its fullest and may you enjoy happiness," he said before a pair of servants opened the double doors leading to the outside. Kazumasa thanked him politely for all he has done and then exited the Kohara household.
The brunet wasn't sure where to go first with all of his freedom though. He could return to the apartment, but he supposed Hiroto wouldn't have gone back there. The guards might not have been informed about the current situation just yet. He could return to the restaurant, as it was in closing hours, but he could also stop by the garage to see if Hiroto was there. Kazumasa sighed, wholeheartedly missing the light weight of his cell phone in his back pocket. This was what technology was made for, and yet his cell phone was confiscated only a few days ago by his father in a desperate attempt to isolate his son.
He should stop by the place he was most familiar with though -- second to the apartment.
By the time he arrived at The Royal Kitchen, he was redirected to The Q. He arrived around ten o'clock, and Ruki notified him that Hiroto had just left for his final showdown against Kyo. Kazumasa heaved a sigh of frustration. Was it really this difficult to track down your lover? Ruki only smirked at his actions before offering a drink on the house. Kazumasa shook his head, saying that he had to be sober in order to search for Hiroto. He couldn't think too well with alcohol in his system.
A familiar bark snapped him out of his thoughts, however.
"Mogu!" Kazumasa exclaimed, picking up the puppy and nearly squeezing the life out of the golden Pomeranian. He nuzzled the pet before realizing that Nao was across from him -- somewhat mortified by Kazumasa's near-death grip. "Nao-san, what are you doing here?"
The barista grinned sheepishly -- finally noticed -- and explained, "I was under dog-sitting duty again. Sagacchi and Torashi are over there on the stage packing up. Hiroto left only five minutes ago. I think we can catch up to him before the race starts if we leave now."
Ruki nodded. "Saga knows where Kuro-chan should be heading. Kyo always races on this particular mountain that Kuro-chan has been training on in the past week or so," he explained. "You can use the white mini-van out back if you'd like. It was a present -- hand-me-down, I'm sure -- from Reita, but we never used it since he gave it to us a few days ago."
Saga and Tora approached the bar with their instruments slung over their shoulders in gig cases. "If it's a hand-me-down from Reita, I kind of want to check out the engine first to know what I'm dealing with," Saga commented dryly. "He might have added unnecessary horsepower or something. I get the feeling that it's one of the getaway cars we used when we broke Shou-kun out of the main house."
Ruki shrugged. "As far as I'm aware of, it's a normal car... Well, uglier than normal, but in terms of car anatomy, I suppose it's normal," Ruki replied before digging for the keys and tossing it to Saga. The brown haired bartender resumed working -- leaving the four of them to catch up to Hiroto and the Honda Civic.
&&
"Uruha, do you have my Nissan?" Hiroto inquired curiously before tossing the honey haired racer the keys to the Honda Civic. Uruha caught the keys single-handedly without even glancing at the blonde. He grunted in response before returning the keys to the sleek black Nissan GT-R to its rightful owner. Hiroto began his thorough inspection. Just as how there was neither a single scratch nor dent prior to the switch, no new blemishes appeared after the switch occurred either.
"Are you sure you want to race with this car?" Uruha inquired as he moved over to the Civic. "Reita's not too happy with you neglecting his red hot lamborghini knock-off. He made it look sexy for a reason, or so he says. All in all, it's built to be a race car; it's bound to get totaled. Strangely, your GT-R still looks healthy after being in drifted in for a while -- if we exclude all of the tire changes we've done."
Hiroto shrugged. "This car's been through thick and thin with me. It's my partner," he answered coolly. "It'll be enough."
"If you say so..." Uruha muttered.
The communicator clicked before letting loose static. Chiyu's voice bled through, "Yuji and I have arranged the check points. Roads are also blocked off, so we won't have traffic interference. All in all, we've secured the mountain. You can feel free to start anytime." After he cut off, Uruha gave Hiroto a nod.
The blonde then slid into his Nissan and drove it to the starting point that Hiko marked herself. She gave him a thumbs-up and shouted, "Good luck!" Hiroto returned her thumbs-up with a smile. Then a tap on his window grabbed his attention. Hiroto turned his head and found Reita pointing at one of the buttons on the side door, the one controlling the driver's window. With an amused scoff, Hiroto rolled down the windows before Reita attached an earpiece to him and his phone.
The moment his phone rang, he answered it.
"Uruha, you could have just walked," he said pointedly.
"Please, I'm just doing this so you won't hang up on us this time. Don't you dare hang up," Uruha stated as his voice bled through the earpiece. "We need to know where you are and if you're alive. The checkpoints aren't all knowing."
Hiroto grinned. "Have some faith in me."
"If you're going against Kyo, faith isn't all we need."
"Nice to know you believe in me."
Beside him, a car had pulled up. Hiroto glanced to his side, finding a man with short black hair. Yes, he was racing the speed demon this time. The Phantom wasn't playing a trick on him, or so he hoped. Hiroto exhaled, but his nerves did not completely vanish with his sigh.
"Nervous?" Uruha inquired upon hearing the sigh.
"Just a little. I haven't raced Kyo in a while, and the first time...well, I lost. The last time I was supposed to race him, I crashed. As you can see, nothing good happened. I'm hoping it won't be the same result this time," Hiroto responded as he kept his eyes on Hiko's signal. The moment she flagged go, he slammed his foot on the accelerator, taking off.
"We just have to make sure you don't lose this time."
Hiroto snorted as he watched Kyo's tail lights shrink -- slowly but surely -- in front of him. "Easy for you to say."
Uruha told him, "The turns are what's important. Don't get worked up just yet."
"He's better at drifting than me though," Hiroto pointed out. "That alone is obvious!"
Uruha didn't respond. Hiroto was left trailing behind Kyo by a hundred meters, barely catching a glimpse of Kyo's red lights. They merely flashed in front of him, taunting the blonde. The difference in skill was quite obvious as Hiroto floated around the first turn and the second turn. He gradually gained speed, but Kyo was faster and could cover much more ground. Hiroto clenched his jaw. Perhaps his theory about the Phantom Rider was wrong. Perhaps neither Kuroto nor the Phantom Rider would show up. Perhaps he wouldn't win.
"Hiroto?"
Hiroto felt his heart pause, squeezed by an invisible hand, as the voice registered in his head. It was a unique voice -- beautiful, angelic, and divine -- and it was a voice that belonged to only one person.
"Shou?"
&&
A/N: There's only one more update left, and then the story will be completed! With that, I don't really have much more to say. I'm just really happy that things have gotten this far. It's just about ready to be wrapped up. Oh! Did you catch some Tora/Saga interaction? :D Any thoughts? Comments?
CAMEOS: Yuki from Versailles! He owns The Q, but we only managed to see him now of all times. :3
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