Replay

2-2 Query

A/N: And here's the second part of the Moebius arc! There's a particular character who I intentionally made a bit OOC to distinguish their personalities better, but I'll change it back if people don't like it.

I've been working on a cover to hopefully get more people to check this story out, but it's not a guarantee...I've been thinking of cross-posting on a different site, and I might end up doing that.

"--Frank, are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" I looked up from my half-finished dinner, an array of side dishes accompanying a bowl of rice. "Sorry, I was distracted."

Hayato sighed as he placed his chopsticks atop his finished bowl. "I said that I heard Moebius attacked a friend of our 3rd Division Captain. They're another bosozoku in Tokyo that control Shinjuku," he explained. "Peh-yan, the Vice-Captain, has seemed kinda shook lately. He's not been taking up my offers to hang out."

"We're...going to war with them, aren't we?"

"Probably, yeah. We'll find out for sure at this meeting. Now hurry up, or we might be late." He pulled down the dark sleeves of his Toman tokko-fuku and leaned back into his chair as he waited.

I didn't feel very hungry this evening, but nevertheless I picked up my bowl and started shoveling rice into my mouth. The restaurant food tasted bland, probably because I wasn't savoring it and instead was distracted. It was a meal wasted.

I finished not long after, and we together exited the establishment. I caught the spare helmet Hayato tossed at me and gently put it on, careful to not mess up my gelled hair. In the dim lighting of the street lamp, he mounted his motorcycle and raised the kickstand. With his legs on the ground and supporting the weight of his bike, he prompted me to get on. I was still somewhat iffy on riding with an unlicensed driver, but he'd gotten me here without any trouble. I raised a leg over the seat and hopped on behind him, fidgeting to find a comfortable position. After adjusting some things on his bike, he revved up the engine, and we drove off into the night.

Seeing the lights of the city flash by reminded me of driving back home, but there was an unmatched exhilaration in the unblocked wind blasting in my face, equal parts delirium and anxiety that I was going to fall off. The feeling only worsened each time he swerved, as I could feel my center of gravity tilt at an awkward angle from the inertia. I kept my eyes focused solely on the bike and the back of Hayato's unhelmeted head, gleaming in the city lights.

We stopped behind a large van at a traffic light. Hayato kept his foot on the ground, and I tried not to move and accidentally disbalance us.

"You seem kinda out of it."

I perked up as Hayato spoke. It was quiet enough to hear each other when the wind wasn't howling in our ears. He kept his gaze focused on the light.

"Don't worry about the war. If there's any time you're in a pinch, just holler for me and I'll come over to kick some ass. I've beaten Mitsuya before...one time out of twelve...but there's a reason we control Shibuya. We'll definitely win. I swear it." He thumped his chest with a fist.

The issue I was troubled over was one only I could fully understand with my unique foreknowledge. I doubted anyone else would be able to, no matter how much I tried to explain it. Even Takemichi, despite his situation being the closest to my own. But Hayato was trying to cheer me up in his blunt, although simple-minded, way. I had to honor that.

"Thanks, Hayato." I offered a small smile, but he didn't notice, still (thankfully) watching the traffic light.

"Anything for a bro."

We passed through a more secluded area, the only lighting coming from the streetlamps lining the road. I buttoned up my half-brown and half-plaid jacket, now a little less scared to take my hands off the seat.