#sk8 the infinity lengthy drabble

[ren-deru-16]

Episode 5

“Ari.” Langa called her out after her shift from her part-time was over. “Can you help me out?”

Behind him were Miya and Shadow. She knew where this is headed. “Okay.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Langa the Casper Slide that ADAM uses it. Since she’s a bad at explaining the techniques about skateboarding, she points out his errors in his form and corrects him.

“It’s dangerous to skate against ADAM.” She thought while watching Langa skate. “Not many can survive skating against him and still continue… I understand that Reki-kun’s worried for him but… if Langa-kun is still adamant in skating against ADAM, all I can do is help him win.”

*Day of the beef between ADAM and Langa*

As expected, the crowd was talking who will win in the beef tonight. And also, many would glare and give Arima the evil eye as they passed by.

“They still hate you for talking back to ADAM.” Miya told her.

“That won’t make me like that masked weirdo.” She replied.

“You still hate his guts, huh?” Joe said.

“After what happened? Probably not.”

Reki and Langa felt that there is something more to that.

“ADAM’s here!”

Compared to ADAM’s previous entrance, this time, he made an effort to roll down a red carpet to Langa’s direction with a bouquet of flowers at hand, plus a spotlight on him. The crowd cheered for his arrival.

Arima’s comment was, “How lame.”

ADAM merely chuckled. “You don’t like me at all, do you, DEVIL?”

“You must be blind for not noticing before.” She scoffed. “I could never bring myself to like you, ADAM.”

For the others, it was only Joe and Cherry who can look at the legend straight to the eye and talk back. Seeing a teenager diss him… that never happens.

It was as if she had a harbored grudge against him.

***

In a distance, sirens of police cars were heard and everyone scrambled to get away.

"Where’s Reki and DEVIL?!" Miya searched for them until he saw the two starting the motorbike's engine, with Arima driving.

Up ahead, the two saw the police car stop in front of Langa. Arima sped up and drifted in front of him

"Hop on!" Reki told him.

He wasted no time getting on board before Arima revved the engine and moved past the police.

“Hang on, you two!”

Arima took a shortcut under the subway and parked the motorbike hidden from the streets.

“Let’s hide here until they pass by.” She told the two.

Once the police car passed them, the three breathed a sigh of relief.

Langa fixed the bandage on Reki’s arm when it became loose while Arima stepped back to answer a call.

“Arima, are you all right? We heard that the police suddenly came over to the abandoned mines where you skate. Were you caught?” Her dad called worriedly.

“No. I’m fine, dad. Nothing worry. Tell mom that there’s nothing to worry about.”

She heard them sigh from the next line. “I see. Don’t hesitate to call us if something happens, okay? Fufufu. I thought I was speaking to a son for a second. Be careful, Arima.”

“I will. Thanks, dad.”

When he ended the call, it was right on time when the conversation between the two boys were over. Reki turned to look at her.

“Your parents?”

“Yeah. I told them I’m fine.”

“…Hey, Ari…” The teen started. “Do you know ADAM?”

Her face darkened. “No. Not really.”

“But earlier and even before that… the way you two talk as if… you know each other before. When Joe said something “after what happened”, I feel like there is something more to it that you never told me.”

“…”

Her mismatched eyes drifted to the two boys before she sat next to them, her attention to the sea in front.

“Before I met Reki, I had a beef with ADAM once.”

“!!”

She continued. “It was him who approached me. Cherry told me that he has his eye on me previously and ADAM challenged me to a beef all of a sudden. I was aware that he’s founder of “S” but I didn’t care.”

“But…during the time he appeared after Langa’s beef with Miya…”

She faced them. “You remember what I told him, right?”

Langa nodded. “You asked him if he’s really ADAM.”

“It was out of spite. Ever since that time, I had the urge to spite him. I could never bring myself to like him or recognize him as a legend.” She said. “Also, his outfit is way too flashy for my liking and he’s too dramatic. I gotta cringe, seriously.”

Reki sweat dropped before asking. “What happened during the beef you had with him?”

“It was the same as what you two experienced.” She recalled the race she had and made a fist. “It was the first time I... I was shaken up in a beef but... That was only at first.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way he was toying with me, somehow, I was no longer afraid of him after a while. I felt as if I was being drawn in. I let myself get pulled in and before I knew it, I was even crazier than usual. I danced to his rhythm until I overwhelmed him. I was too much for his control. I defy him, I accept him. It was a conflicting dance. During that time, I was literally playing with fire. My board was on fire because of the friction but I didn't care."

“What about the Love Hug?” Reki asked.

Her eyes darkened. “He dodged me on the last minute.”

“Eh?”

Arima bit her lip in frustration. “I don’t know why. I have no intentions of evading that Love Hug of his since avoiding it is what he’s expecting. I was prepared for it. I let myself get pulled in until he stopped and avoided me the last moment. ”

Her red and gold eyes widened in surprise when he avoided her. She didn’t expect that. Because ADAM expects his opponents to avoid him and not the other way around.

Due to the speed of going downhill, she barely managed to do a turn on a corner before she crashed and rolled on the stony ground, her board covered in small flames.

“DEVIL!” Cherry and Joe went to her and the pink haired ripped a piece of his sleeves.

“Shit, your head is bleeding.” Joe gritted his teeth as the other applied pressure on the wound “I’m taking you to the hospital afterwards.”

“I’ll do it. You have no delicacy, you gorilla.”

“Oi!!”

“Cherry..? Joe…?” She mumbled as she weakly tried to sit.

“Don’t move. You’re going to the hospital after this.”

“Damn. You crashed real hard this time, DEVIL.”

ADAM skated to her and looked down at the bleeding girl.

“I was mistaken. You are not my true EVE.” He said in a low voice. “You are a true devil.”

“I didn’t know what he meant by that but, it’s true that people call me DEVIL because of my eyes and personality when skating. When he called me a devil, I feel like there is something more to it.” She pushed back her peach colored hair. “In any case, I don’t like ADAM and I could never bring myself to like him. I knew he was an asshole and what he said to Miya pissed me off.”

The evening breeze gently passed by. “What I don’t understand is that, why he told me that he would never ever race with me after that. I kinda feel like he hates me as well and frankly, I might find it creepy if he likes me.”

She made a face like she’s about to barf.

“Anyway, that’s my history with ADAM.” She said. “After that race, I had a concussion and broke my right arm. I couldn’t skate for weeks and my parents thankfully didn’t tell me to quit after that injury. I was grateful I’m ambidextrous and I can still do things with my left hand.”

“…I didn’t expect that…” Reki was in shock. “I mean, you had a beef with a legend and it happened around when you were in middle school. Why didn’t I know this?”

“Because it wasn’t worth talking to.” She replied. “People assume I’m one of those people who would race against ADAM and be defeated like usual. But, they didn’t see or realize that ADAM was the one that avoided me. Only Cherry and Joe noticed it and when I asked them about it, they have no idea as well. And it was the first time he was the one to avoid too.”

“Could ADAM be possible be…afraid?” Langa said.

“I find that hard to believe.” She snorted. “I mean, I talk back to him and spite him but, I have to admit that it’s impossible for ADAM to be afraid of someone like me.”

“But if there’s a slightest chance he’s really afraid of me…what is it?”

“Langa, Reki’s right.” She faced the half breed with serious eyes. “Stay away from ADAM. Reki’s worried for you. You have to stay away from that guy. For the sake of you two.”

*Meanwhile*

Kikuchi Tadashi was driving the car as his boss, Shindo Ainosuke aka “ADAM”, sat at the back after he retrieved him when police arrived at the race. ADAM leaned his head on his hand as he watched the view outside.

“The sensations are different than last time…no, they are slightly the same…” he thought “DEVIL could never be my EVE. She has the same vision as me when skating and she’s on toe with me. But, she’s overthrowing me. I cannot rein her. She goes to my rhythm, and overwhelms me. She destroys my rhythm like a devil.

I thought that she was my EVE when I saw her performance. The moment I started racing against her, I realized that it was my gravest mistake.

Her level of sanity is over the rails. I cannot control her. She let me do what I want but she instantly turns the table and overwhelm me. It was the first time I’ve seen a skater as insane as her.

When I was about to do the Love Hug, she was grinning like a crazed devil and it was as if… she was about to swallow me whole.

She was the first to give me a cold chill down my spine with her eyes.

My instincts made me avoid her. But it was in that moment I realized… she’s not my EVE… she’s the devil that could swallow me whole.”

“And my EVE is with the DEVIL.”

#sk8 the infinity #sk8 the infinity ep 5 #langa #reki #adam #shadow #miya #joe #cherry #langa vs adam #sk8 the infinity lengthy drabble #oc scared the sh*t our of adam #sk8 the infinity oc #oc challenged adam #reki is worried of langa uwuuuu #oc is a shipper hehehe