"You chose the Donkey Kong?" Kojiro chuckled as they group got their skateboards.
He glanced over at Kaoru. The Kitsune hadn't said anything about his love confession during the bath. He sighed. He didn't mean to shout it at him like that. Well, now it's out there. Whatever shall be, shall be. He thought to himself.
"Seriously, who named these?" Kaoru muttered.
"Tadashi named this one." Kojiro said as they began to skate toward their trail.
"It was during construction season. The guys working it, didn't like us getting in their way. They used to throw their empty barrels at us, or other garbage. We had to duck and swerve around it." His face split into a fond smile.
"You, you really knew them?" Reki muttered.
"Yeah." Kojiro gazed out over the road ahead. He sighed once more. Kaoru was behind him so he couldn't see the Kitsune.
"We used to be friends. Tadashi taught me a lot about skating." He muttered mostly to himself.
"So, they know all your tricks." Kaoru stated.
Kojiro laughed. It was a deep, booming sound that echoed off the buildings around them. He turned his head to wink at the Kitsune.
"Not hardly." He grinned wickedly.
"You see, I knew them as a teenager, not as this!" He gestured to his adult, thick muscled body.
"You got more power, great. Like they can't figure out what you're going to do!" Miya rolled his eyes letting out a little mew.
"Its more than that." Kojiro glanced away from them.
He wore a backpack, yet no one had questioned it. They all had higher than normal human abilities of scent, so each knew there was food in it. What they didn't know was what was hidden in the lower part. Kojiro wondered just what it would be like to allow his ultra ego out again.
Joe had been his savior while in high school. The meek mild Kojiro Nanjo, class president and all around good guy, was often seen as everyone's helper. He helped the cheerleaders, he helped tutor the athletes, he helped the kitchen aides, he helped the teachers, he helped his family, he helped and he helped until there was little time for him.
Meeting Adam, skating boarding, it saved his sanity. Joe was born out of desperation! He was a larger than life idiot! No one asked Joe for help. Joe was beautiful to look at, but too dumb to ask for help! He didn't have a car only his skateboard, so no one asked him for rides. Joe was easy! Easy on the eyes, easy smile, easy going, easy minded! Joe was his freedom.
Kojiro locked that away once his parents died. He needed to fight to live! He managed to go to cooking school, he became a chef. Something he always loved to do. Over time, Joe was forgotten. Yet, there was a little piece of him that lived inside Kojiro still. Kojiro learned to say no to all the help. He helped when he could, but he didn't make it his whole personality any longer. Kari was a big help with that.
"Um, I think we're here." Miya's voice broke into Kojiro's thoughts.
The green haired male, blinked as he looked around. The road was so familiar to him. Over there was where he saw Tadashi/ Snake, fall for the first time. One of the construction workers had tossed a barrel, as Snake was angling away from it, another on tossed a trash can. The skater couldn't avoid both at once. He fell into the grass, scraping his cheek on the divider. Joe patched him up.
Over there was where Adam learned he could change his momentum. He swung about to skate uphill! It was mind blowing, yet Joe had laughed at it. Adam made skating appear easy! Now Kojiro shrugged out of his pack. He set it down beside the spot Tadashi fell.
Not looking at the others, he opened the lower pouch of the bag. Pulling out the old jacket, he shook it out. Still wrinkled, but freshly laundered, Kojiro held it up. His mind betrayed him as he went back in time. The first time he saw the jacket hanging in a store window, he had fallen in love with it.
Lucky for him, it was a thrift store! He ran inside to buy it. It took nearly all of what was left of his allowance, but he got the jacket. That was the day, Joe had been conceived. Kojiro saw just what it would mean to wear a jacket like this. So very, very different than anything Kojiro would wear.
Kojiro slipped his shirt off. He tucked it away inside the pocket. He adjusted the straps on his pants, tightening them to hold the white material around his waist. Inside one pocket of the jacket was his hair tie. He shook his hair out, using this particular "Joe" hair tie, he pulled his hair back in a low pony tail. The fingerless leather gloves were the last touch. Slipping them on, he shook of Kojiro Nanjo!
The wide grin covered his face. The intelligence, intensity that was Kojiro, vanished from Joe's eyes. His shoulders slumped, his knees bent, he turned to laugh back at the others.
"Don't look so serious, my dudes!" He laughed making a hang ten motion with his hand.
"Its time to power up!" He cried.
Kicking free of the curb, Joe came to full life. The others watched as the muscled bound himbo idiot sailed down the street. Reki rubbed at his nose. Langa coughed, glancing back at the bag Joe left behind. Miya shook his head, muttering to himself.
"I think one of us should..." Kaoru began.
Suddenly, Joe was back. He was laughing as he stood on his hands on the board, coming down from behind them. None of them had ever seen the man so carefree before! They all blinked at him. Kaoru gave him a tiny smile. Kojiro having fun, stirred something inside him.
Joe flipped back up to stand before the others. "We should give you all skater names!" He pointed to Langa.
"Snow!" He insisted.
He skipped over Reki as a name didn't immediately come to him. He point to Miya.
"Cat boi!" He cried.
Turning he looked at Kaoru. "Pinkie?" he asked tilting his head to the side. Joe shook it.
"No!" He skated over to stand before the thin waisted Kitsune.
Stroking a hand through the long pink locks, he sniffed them, closing his eyes. The smell wrapped around him taking him back to their love making nights, their yelling fights. He chuckled.
"You, my dear, are Cherry Blossom." He insisted.
Kaoru smiled up at the delighted look on the man's face. He loved the name! It was perfect. He loved the colors of the flowers, their scent was his favorite! It reminded him of spring upon his mountain.
"Thank you, Kojiro." He cooed.
"Don't know no Kojiro." Joe said pushing back from the Kitsune.
"Names Joe! Power is my MO!" He laughed.
"Mr. Fix it?" he pointed to Reki.
Balling his hand up into a fist he punched the side of his own head. Kaoru went to reach for him, but Joe dodged back.
"No, that ain't right! Ugh. I will think of a good name for you Kid!" He cried.
"Now, let's kick this trails ass!" He yelled.
Reki whooped. Snow snorted. Cat boi huffed. Cherry Blossom smiled.
"Let's." He insisted.
"Carla, give me the details of the slope." He spoke out loud.
"Whose Carla?" Joe asked.
A disembodied voice spoke up. "Calculating, master."
All eyes went to the board the Kitsune was on. It was flashing a purple pink light. Reki's mouth fell open.
"Wait! That's only wood! You need polyurethane with some carbonate pads. The box should be..."
Joe ruffled the red hair. "Too much talking, not enough skating!" He sang out.
Grabbing the Kitsune's arm, Joe kicked off. Cherry looked at him with a murderous glare. He kicked off just as Carla finished her mapping. The voice spoke to the Kitsune, as the pair turned into the first bend.
Freedom! That's what this was. Joe tilted his head back. He let the wind wash over him. The smell of the sea, the salty air sticking his bare chest! He was free. If only for right now.
The road ahead curved. Joe bent low. He gripped the board, kicking up, his feet hit the rocks on one side of the curve. Cherry was already leaning into his own move to slide around the bend. Joe kicked off. His muscled body sailed forward. He shot past the startled Kitsune.
Slipping free of the curve, Joe bent down on the board. He curled his hands around the edges. Tightening his core, he kicked his feet out behind him. Lifting up, he shot forward even more. The speeds the board was picking up, was making it shake. Joe glanced down at it.
Shit! He tightened everything, but he hadn't skated on this board since he was teen! He was easily a hundred pound of bulky muscles heavier than then. The wheels bumped and shook. The board twisted. Joe was going to crash! He just knew it.
Tightening his shoulders. He twisted into the next curve. If he could just... but lady luck wasn't a fan of his today. As the board twisted around the curve, one wheel came off, rolling away into the brush. The other one on that side, fought a valiant fight, but Joe was too heavy.
They hit the straight away, the board flopped down. Spark flying up as the metal hit the road. Joe tried to get his feet under him. He didn't manage it. All he did was make it so he didn't dive face first into the sand bank of the next turn. His hit it with his chest. The impact knocked the air out of him. He slipped to sitting on the road.
Cherry Blossom came up to him, swinging to a stop, he gazed down at him.
"That was almost impressive, stupid ape!" He taunted.
Upon seeing the large muscled man wasn't hurt to bad, Cherry went on his way to finished his race. Reki caught up to Joe. He held one wheel and the axel in his hands.
"Uh, Joe, I, um think the wood is too old. You need something stronger, what is this pine?" He flipped the broken board over in his hands.
"You need maple with wider tires and a deeper bridge here. Let me make you another one!" he insisted.
"You really are Mr. Fix it!" Joe laughed as he wiped at the trickles of blood on his chest.