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31_days2008-10-02 11:58 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-10-02 11:58 pm
[2 Oct] [Initial D/Prince of Tennis/Hikago] Slip Roads 2/31
Title: Slip Roads 2/31
Day/Theme: 2 Oct/shiny happy people
Series: Initial D/Prince of Tennis/Hikaru no Go crossover
Character/Pairing: none
Rating: PG-13, reference to incest
----------------
"So, Aniki, has Dad made you chief of the department yet?" Keisuke asked that evening.
Their father, who had made the effort to come back early for dinner, frowned at his younger son's jovial tone. "Not yet. He needs to build up more seniority. Your elder brother is taking his work very seriously." Implicit in that statement was that Keisuke, in not than following in his brother's footsteps--and his father's--was still juvenile and untutored.
As Ryosuke expected, his brother reacted to the unsaid criticism. "I'm working hard, too," he retorted. Then again, his brother had always been more sensitive than his outward behaviour indicated.
"Rally racing is a dangerous job," their mother pointed out.
"Not really, Mother. I take all the necessary safety precautions. Besides, it's the best career in the world," Keisuke said. "You know I'm not as smart as Aniki, to be a doctor. And car racing isn't that dangerous, anyway."
"Tell your brother's patients that," their father said. "Not a week goes by without a car accident on the mountains at night, and the accident victims are usually illegal racers," he added in a meaningful tone.
Their father of course knew that once upon a time, both his sons had been illegal racers as well, but as Ryosuke put that behind him and Keisuke left the country, he felt free again to criticise what seemed to him such a hazardous activity.
"Hmph! You're a hypocrite, Takahashi. Keisuke, tell me about the girls in Australia."
The second part was delivered in a tone more like an order, and for all his outward brashness, Keisuke gave a start as though he were ten years younger. "Yes, Grandfather!" he replied almost by reflex, and added sheepishly, "They're nice..." He shot a look at their mother, who was sipping her tea with an unflappable air of serenity--Ryousuke got that calm from her--before he gave an embarrassed cough.
"Haha! No need to play shy, boy. Even in the mountains, we get the tabloids."
Ryousuke could sense his brother start to flush. Earlier that afternoon, after being told that their grandfather from Tokyo was visiting, Keisuke had reacted with visible horror.
"You mean that old fogey is still alive?"
"Don't say that about Grandfather."
"He must be a million years old by now. Why does he have to come here, anyway?"
"Where else can he go? Mother is his only child, and he's getting old. Makes sense that he'd come here."
Keisuke had made a face that reminded Ryousuke of the time they were both children and terrified of the white-haired old man who visited every year. Even as teenagers, they had never dared to be rude to him. All they knew was that he was a famous Go player in Tokyo. On the rare occasions when the old man became serious, it as as though he could see the secrets of the universe and found them lacking. Talking to him at such occasions made one feel smaller than a worm. And when he wasn't serious, it was worse.
"...The last one had a nice picture of you with a girl in each arm, both dressed in bikinis, and on a racetrack too!"
"Grandfather, I was only..."
"You're just friends, right?" The not-so-innocuous question was punctuated with a lusty gaffaw and waggled eyebrows.
Ryousuke took a big mouthful of rice and chewed it as though it was a tough cut of beef, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He noticed his father eating faster as well. Their grandfather seldom talked to his father except to admonish him, and called him nothing else but 'Takahashi', but according to his mother, that was a sign of approval.
Beside him, Keisuke gave a small groan.
"Have some more fish, Father," their mother said. She made a show of looking towards the windows. "Aren't your two friends coming today? What time will they be arriving?"
Ryousuke nearly blurted "Friends?" but managed to stop himself. He glanced at Keisuke and saw him mutter the same thing.
"Soon, I hope," their grandfather said, his words becoming a grumble. "They're late."
Ryousuke wondered at the tone, which sounded almost childish, before it belatedly occurred to him that perhaps their grandfather was bored. In the Takahashi household, where conversations centered around the hospital and country life (and cars when he and Keisuke were younger), his grandfather must sometimes feel like an outsider. Their cousin played Go, but she had moved to Kyoto after she finished university.
His mother gave a comforting smile. "Well, maybe they missed the earlier train. The next one is due at eleven, though. Where did you say they were coming from?"
"Akina," their grandfather said.
Keisuke looked up at that, the name acting as always like a spur. It was easy to guess that he still remembered Fujiwara.
"I've already prepared the guest room for them. They won't mind sharing, right?"
At that, their grandfather burst into laughter. "Sharing? I'd say they prefer it!" His words dripped with insinuation.
Ryousuke tried not to grind his teeth. Their grandfather was a rude, filthy-minded old man who thought it was great entertainment to make sly jokes about other people's personal lives. If only he wasn't so intimidating as well; if it were anyone else, Ryousuke would have had plenty to say to him.
"Just like Keisuke and Ryousuke!"
Both he and Keisuke froze for a second, before Keisuke exclaimed, "Grandfather!"
But the old man went off into another of his creepy laughs. "Still can't take a joke," he said. "Keisuke's back after so many years, but I didn't see any tearful reunions between the two of you this afternoon. What's the matter, no brotherly love anymore?"
Ryousuke was aware that Keisuke had stiffened in his seat. He forced himself to look up and meet their grandfather's gaze--and almost froze, seeing the slightly narrowed cast of those eyes. There's no way he would have known, he told himself. "We aren't children anymore, Grandfather," he said in as calm a voice as he could manage. "Of course I'm glad that Keisuke is back, but-"
The gimlet-like eyes seemed to pierce his. "Are you?" their grandfather's tone was surprisingly soft.
"Excuse me?"
"Father! What a strange thing to say."
"Haha! I was about to ask if Ryousuke ever felt jealous..." Their grandfather's expression became fatuous. "That Keisuke became a racer and he didn't."
"Ryousuke is a very good doctor," their father interrupted, as though in defence of an accusation.
"There's a difference between getting your heart's desire and doing what you are good at, Takahashi!" their grandfather barked.
His mother had gone to the refrigerator and came back. "Father, Ryousuke finds meaning in helping his patients," she said. "And I'm proud that Keisuke is working hard too. Here, I've been chilling this to celebrate his return." She laid down tiny sake cups and two flasks of sake, before pouring them out.
Their grandfather subsided with a mutter. Ryousuke and Keisuke each took a cup gratefully.
"Welcome back, Keisuke," his mother said. His father repeated the same words and toasted him.
"Welcome back," Ryousuke said, managing to meet Keisuke's eyes, sure that he was smiling.
----tbc----
Day/Theme: 2 Oct/shiny happy people
Series: Initial D/Prince of Tennis/Hikaru no Go crossover
Character/Pairing: none
Rating: PG-13, reference to incest
----------------
"So, Aniki, has Dad made you chief of the department yet?" Keisuke asked that evening.
Their father, who had made the effort to come back early for dinner, frowned at his younger son's jovial tone. "Not yet. He needs to build up more seniority. Your elder brother is taking his work very seriously." Implicit in that statement was that Keisuke, in not than following in his brother's footsteps--and his father's--was still juvenile and untutored.
As Ryosuke expected, his brother reacted to the unsaid criticism. "I'm working hard, too," he retorted. Then again, his brother had always been more sensitive than his outward behaviour indicated.
"Rally racing is a dangerous job," their mother pointed out.
"Not really, Mother. I take all the necessary safety precautions. Besides, it's the best career in the world," Keisuke said. "You know I'm not as smart as Aniki, to be a doctor. And car racing isn't that dangerous, anyway."
"Tell your brother's patients that," their father said. "Not a week goes by without a car accident on the mountains at night, and the accident victims are usually illegal racers," he added in a meaningful tone.
Their father of course knew that once upon a time, both his sons had been illegal racers as well, but as Ryosuke put that behind him and Keisuke left the country, he felt free again to criticise what seemed to him such a hazardous activity.
"Hmph! You're a hypocrite, Takahashi. Keisuke, tell me about the girls in Australia."
The second part was delivered in a tone more like an order, and for all his outward brashness, Keisuke gave a start as though he were ten years younger. "Yes, Grandfather!" he replied almost by reflex, and added sheepishly, "They're nice..." He shot a look at their mother, who was sipping her tea with an unflappable air of serenity--Ryousuke got that calm from her--before he gave an embarrassed cough.
"Haha! No need to play shy, boy. Even in the mountains, we get the tabloids."
Ryousuke could sense his brother start to flush. Earlier that afternoon, after being told that their grandfather from Tokyo was visiting, Keisuke had reacted with visible horror.
"You mean that old fogey is still alive?"
"Don't say that about Grandfather."
"He must be a million years old by now. Why does he have to come here, anyway?"
"Where else can he go? Mother is his only child, and he's getting old. Makes sense that he'd come here."
Keisuke had made a face that reminded Ryousuke of the time they were both children and terrified of the white-haired old man who visited every year. Even as teenagers, they had never dared to be rude to him. All they knew was that he was a famous Go player in Tokyo. On the rare occasions when the old man became serious, it as as though he could see the secrets of the universe and found them lacking. Talking to him at such occasions made one feel smaller than a worm. And when he wasn't serious, it was worse.
"...The last one had a nice picture of you with a girl in each arm, both dressed in bikinis, and on a racetrack too!"
"Grandfather, I was only..."
"You're just friends, right?" The not-so-innocuous question was punctuated with a lusty gaffaw and waggled eyebrows.
Ryousuke took a big mouthful of rice and chewed it as though it was a tough cut of beef, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He noticed his father eating faster as well. Their grandfather seldom talked to his father except to admonish him, and called him nothing else but 'Takahashi', but according to his mother, that was a sign of approval.
Beside him, Keisuke gave a small groan.
"Have some more fish, Father," their mother said. She made a show of looking towards the windows. "Aren't your two friends coming today? What time will they be arriving?"
Ryousuke nearly blurted "Friends?" but managed to stop himself. He glanced at Keisuke and saw him mutter the same thing.
"Soon, I hope," their grandfather said, his words becoming a grumble. "They're late."
Ryousuke wondered at the tone, which sounded almost childish, before it belatedly occurred to him that perhaps their grandfather was bored. In the Takahashi household, where conversations centered around the hospital and country life (and cars when he and Keisuke were younger), his grandfather must sometimes feel like an outsider. Their cousin played Go, but she had moved to Kyoto after she finished university.
His mother gave a comforting smile. "Well, maybe they missed the earlier train. The next one is due at eleven, though. Where did you say they were coming from?"
"Akina," their grandfather said.
Keisuke looked up at that, the name acting as always like a spur. It was easy to guess that he still remembered Fujiwara.
"I've already prepared the guest room for them. They won't mind sharing, right?"
At that, their grandfather burst into laughter. "Sharing? I'd say they prefer it!" His words dripped with insinuation.
Ryousuke tried not to grind his teeth. Their grandfather was a rude, filthy-minded old man who thought it was great entertainment to make sly jokes about other people's personal lives. If only he wasn't so intimidating as well; if it were anyone else, Ryousuke would have had plenty to say to him.
"Just like Keisuke and Ryousuke!"
Both he and Keisuke froze for a second, before Keisuke exclaimed, "Grandfather!"
But the old man went off into another of his creepy laughs. "Still can't take a joke," he said. "Keisuke's back after so many years, but I didn't see any tearful reunions between the two of you this afternoon. What's the matter, no brotherly love anymore?"
Ryousuke was aware that Keisuke had stiffened in his seat. He forced himself to look up and meet their grandfather's gaze--and almost froze, seeing the slightly narrowed cast of those eyes. There's no way he would have known, he told himself. "We aren't children anymore, Grandfather," he said in as calm a voice as he could manage. "Of course I'm glad that Keisuke is back, but-"
The gimlet-like eyes seemed to pierce his. "Are you?" their grandfather's tone was surprisingly soft.
"Excuse me?"
"Father! What a strange thing to say."
"Haha! I was about to ask if Ryousuke ever felt jealous..." Their grandfather's expression became fatuous. "That Keisuke became a racer and he didn't."
"Ryousuke is a very good doctor," their father interrupted, as though in defence of an accusation.
"There's a difference between getting your heart's desire and doing what you are good at, Takahashi!" their grandfather barked.
His mother had gone to the refrigerator and came back. "Father, Ryousuke finds meaning in helping his patients," she said. "And I'm proud that Keisuke is working hard too. Here, I've been chilling this to celebrate his return." She laid down tiny sake cups and two flasks of sake, before pouring them out.
Their grandfather subsided with a mutter. Ryousuke and Keisuke each took a cup gratefully.
"Welcome back, Keisuke," his mother said. His father repeated the same words and toasted him.
"Welcome back," Ryousuke said, managing to meet Keisuke's eyes, sure that he was smiling.
----tbc----