Bloodlines and Ghost Roads

The past doesn't stay buried.

It claws its way out, drags everything down with it, and leaves you gasping for breath in a world that no longer makes sense.

Kaito had lived with that truth for two years.

And now Ayumi did too.

Sora Motors Garage – 11:42 p.m.

The rain came down hard, tapping the roof like a ticking clock.

Kaito sat at his workbench, hands smeared with oil, eyes fixed on a rusted photo in his palm—three boys, arms around each other. Kaito. Riku. And one more

Kazuo. Riku's older brother.

Back then, he'd just returned from a year overseas. Cold. Brilliant. Always watching.

Kaito never liked the way Kazuo looked at them—like they were pieces on a board, and he already knew how the game ended.

Flashback – Two Years Ago

Riku's last ride hadn't been reckless.

It had been Forced.

Kazuo had come back that night, furious. Accused Riku of shaming the family—throwing away college, wasting time with Kaito and "trash like that."

They fought. Loud. Violent.

Riku fled the house. Found Kaito. Begged him to ride.

"He just wants to control me," Riku had said, voice shaking. "Let's go. Let's just ride like we used to."

Kaito didn't ask questions. He should have.

Minutes later, headlights swerved behind them. A black car.

Too close. Too fast.

Someone tried to ram them off the road.

Kaito turned the bike. Riku was thrown. Kaito woke up in the hospital.

Riku never did.

Back To Present – Kaito's Apartment

Ayumi stared at the old photo, hands trembling.

"Wait… You think Kazuo was chasing you?"

Kaito nodded. "It wasn't an accident. He killed Riku—and blamed me."

Ayumi's throat tightened. "And now he's back for revenge."

A knock slammed against the apartment door—once, hard, then again.

They both froze.

Kaito moved fast, pulling Ayumi behind him as he grabbed a wrench from the counter.

But when he opened the door—it was Mina.

Ayumi's friend collapsed into her arms, soaked and shaking. "Someone's dead," she whispered. "Mr. Shibata—the school counselor. I found him behind the gym. And someone left this."

She handed over a photo.

Kaito and Ayumi—laughing in the garage.

And scribbled across it in red marker:

"You took my brother. I'll take everything you love."

That Night – Kazuo's Trail

Kaito and Ayumi didn't call the cops. Not this time.

They knew Kazuo would vanish before they even got near him.

Instead, they went hunting.

Kazuo had always been precise. Obsessive. And nostalgic.

That's how Kaito knew exactly where he'd go next.

The track outside town.

The place where he and Riku used to race under the stars.

The Abandoned Racetrack – 1:22 a.m.

The night stretched wide and empty. The track was cracked, grass growing through old asphalt.

Kazuo stood in the center of it—waiting.

Leather jacket. Polished boots. A gleaming switchblade in hand.

"I thought you'd come," he said without turning.

Kaito stepped forward. "You killed him."

Kazuo smiled. "I tried to save him. From you. But he chose you instead. Like everyone always did."

"He was my best friend."

"He was my brother!"

The knife glinted in the moonlight.

Ayumi moved to Kaito's side, face pale but steady. "You've killed again. You're not getting out of this."

Kazuo looked at her, eyes full of something ancient and broken. "You're just like Riku. Loyal to the end. Sweet. Weak."

He lunged.

But Ayumi had learned from the past.

She grabbed the pepper spray from her bag and fired—right into his eyes.

Kazuo howled, swinging blindly.

Kaito tackled him. The knife skittered across the track. They struggled, fists flying—years of guilt, rage, and loss crashing into each blow.

Finally, Kaito pinned him, bloodied and breathless.

"You want me dead?" Kaito growled. "Fine. But stop pretending this is about justice."

Kazuo spat blood. "It's about what you took."

Ayumi stepped in, eyes burning.

"He died because you chased him. Because you couldn't stand that he loved someone more than he feared you."

Silence.

And then—sirens.

Mina had called the cops after all.

Kazuo was dragged away, snarling.

But this time, it was over.

Later That Night – On The Rooftop

Ayumi curled into Kaito's arms, both of them exhausted, bruised, and stained by a truth too heavy to carry alone.

"You could've died," she whispered.

"So could you."

She looked up at him, tears trembling in her lashes.

"I love you," she said, voice barely a breath. "I don't care what anyone says. I love you, Kaito."

His lips met hers—slow, aching, and endless.

"I love you too, Ayumi."

They didn't know what came next.

But for now, they had each other.

And they had survived.

To be continued…