SUNSET DRIVE ☼ k.rengoku x reader

8; Half Truths

Track 8; Oh My God by Adele

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The sky was lavender with streaks of baby blue, palm trees orange and gold in the morning sun still hidden behind buildings. The roar of the bike kept you focused. Your grip on the handles was cautious, yet firm. The Vyrus was a lot more sensitive than the Kawasaki you'd driven back in Chicago, so you had to be careful. Any non-confident dip of your wrist was the difference between a hospital trip or a safe drive. You evened your breathing and felt your heart flutter when the light ahead of you turned yellow. You had enough space and time to stop, it wouldn't be wise to try and outrun it.

Your touch on the brakes was light, though you kept your position locked until you came to a complete stop. You took your left foot off the peg first to balance the bike before doing the same with your right foot. You took a deep breath and sighed, wishing that you could run your hands over your face right now. Unfortunately you couldn't because of the helmet. You could reach for your back pockets, but that didn't feel like a good decision to make when it was obvious you needed both hands to keep the bike upright without the kickstand. Yeah your legs were strong thanks to the self defense classes you took with Shinobu, but you didn't feel like they were that strong.

Besides, Tengen could hold this thing up with his knees and he was a walking giant. Speaking of the white-haired devil, you were surprised he hadn't jumped in either Kyoujurou or Sanemi's car and chased your ass down. Barefoot or not, you had just snatched his 'baby' from him. On top of not returning his headband the previous night or before your surprise departure, you had a lot going against you right now. Nevermind that, you'd been on the bike for at least five minutes now and nobody was on your tail.

You chewed on your lower lip and watched the light, listening to the hum of the Vyrus. Tengen had spoken fondly of this bike, and you weren't interested in damaging it. You knew how expensive it was. This wasn't just any old street bike, it was a $100k racing bike. To ride it properly, you practically had to lay on it. This wasn't a bike meant for two people, really. It was definitely more sensitive, but the grip it held with the road was an admirable feature. You admired Tengen for his taste at least. It was all black, matte except for the purple accents making up the shocks.

The faint sound of another engine dipped into your train of thought. It was deeper and made the ground under your feet vibrate. Not spotting any cars on either side of you, behind you was a different story. A dark red 65' Mustang rolled to a stop. In the driver seat was Kyoujurou Rengoku. Fuck. You had been prepared for Tengen, maybe Sanemi at the worst. Kyoujurou?

You couldn't face him. Not right now. What were you supposed to say? How were you supposed to explain you suddenly turning into a coward and stealing Tengen's bike? You couldn't use Inosuke as an excuse, not after last night. Hopefully he wasn't interested in actually chasing you down to get Tengen's bike back. You hadn't known him for very long but he didn't seem like the type. If you truly wanted to, you could zip away from him with no issue.

When the light turned green, you pushed the bike forward and caught up to the speed limit pretty quickly, 25 mph. This bike was made to go fast, so it would be smoother of a ride the faster you went. You found a sign directing you towards Northbound I-5–the quickest way home. You headed towards it, seeing another off in the distance. The gears underneath your left foot switched smoothly. A quick check over your shoulder informed you that while he wasn't chasing you, Kyoujurou was indeed following you.

You appreciated the fact that he wasn't hightailing it after you. Maybe he realized that you, occupying a racing vehicle, had a far better chance at out maneuvering him no matter where he followed you. Or perhaps he understood the risks you faced at a potential wreck, even more so on a bike that was unfamiliar territory to you. Nevertheless, you couldn't have been closer to the truth if you had tried. You took a deep breath and turned right at the next light, spotting another sign signaling that you were almost to the freeway.